Review: Beren and Luthien was the Best Romance I’ve Read Since Pride and Prejudice. (Spoilers)

Happy Day-Before-Halloween, tanukis! As you’ve seen in the title, this review is about Tolkien’s epic romance, Beren and Luthien, which may seem like a strange choice for those who haven’t read it for a (sorta) Halloween post, but don’t worry. You’ll see why I choose this book in a sec. So settle down, grab your pet dog or cat, and just be glad that you never had to fight evil incarnate so you could date your crush.

#1: Different versions

There are several different versions of Beren and Luthien written between 1915 to 1920 or so, though Tolkien was working on The Lay of Leithian until 1931 when he finally abandoned it. The original version is known as The Tale of Tinuviel and differs very much from the better known version that you might’ve read in The Silmarillion in terms of names and events, though the general plot remains the same.

From there, we get The Lay of Leithian (a version that was written in poetic prose and is my favorite version of the tale), the Quenta Noldorinwa, and Later Quenta Silmarillion versions, which shorten certain plot points or expand on them depending on which ones you read.

#2: Luthien in each version

Luthien stays pretty much the same throughout all the versions. In each version, she’s the angelic half-Maia princess of Doriath (a.k.a Artanor) who goes off to safe her lover, Beren. She is beautiful, kind, wise, and if you’re in her way, you’re screwed. The only thing that ever changes are the circumstances of her journey.

In The Tale of Tinuviel, she is only known by what will later become her nickname, Tinuviel. In this version, she is dancing in the glade and is found by Beren, who falls in love with her. She also falls in love with him and takes him to meet her father, Tinwelint ( later known as Elu Thingol), who is not happy about Beren being there because – in this version – he’s a Noldor elf and they don’t get along with the Sindar. Tinwelint then jokes that if Beren is to gain Luthien’s hand, he needs to steal a Silmaril from Melko’s crown, which Beren takes too seriously and swears to fulfill.

Beren does reach the Iron Mountains, but is found by the orcs and dragged to Melko, where he becomes his thrall under Tevildo, the giant demon cat. Luthien finds out and goes to save Beren, weaves an enchanted cloak out of her own hair, escapes her father and runs into Huan the hound, who just so happens to be Tevildo’s arch-enemy. From there, she defeats Tevildo and puts Morgoth to sleep, saves Beren, steals a Silmaril, and they almost get out, but are stopped by Carcharoth, who bites off Beren’s hand. Thanks to Luthien, Beren survives and they go back to Artanor, where Beren explains the situation to Tinwelint and a huge hunting party is launched to get kill Carcharoth and take the Silmaril that’s in his stomach. In that party, Beren is killed and Luthien dies of grief.

Good way to end the story, right? Luckily, the other versions aren’t as sad.

In The Lay of Leithian, Quenta Noldorinwa, and Quenta Silmarillon, Luthien proves herself to be even more powerful than in the original story. While those stories for the most part stay the same, Tevildo is gone and Luthien gets to fight someone who’s much more powerful (I’ll get to him in a sec), frees a bunch of elves who had been slaves plus Beren, destroys a giant tower (Tol-in-Guarhoth), puts Carcharoth to sleep, puts Melkor (Morgoth) to sleep, helps steal a Silmaril, saves Beren’s life again, and when he dies hunting Carcharoth, makes Mandos pity her so much that he allows both her and Beren to come back to life. You can’t tell me she’s not one of the best female characters in Tolkien’s work.

#3: Beren

Beren is one of the many characters who gets a lot of revisions in the different versions. While we are more familiar with him being human in the more common stories, in The Tale of Tinuviel, he was a Noldor elf (also referred to as a Gnome; no connection to the ugly little statues you put in your yard), the son of Egnor bo-Rimion, a famous huntsman of the elves. While he is equally as likeable in that version, him being human adds much more to the history of the Eldar and Men since that union as what ultimately saved Middle-Earth in the War of Wrath.

#4: Sauron

When I said that Luthien fought someone much stronger than Tevildo in the later versions, I meant she fights Sauron, who was also called Thu in The Lay of Leithian. Sauron – while he gets his butt handed to him- is so amazingly evil in every of version the story that he is one of my favorite villians in the entire world of Middle-Earth. My favorite scene in the tale comes from The Lay of Leithian when he interrogates Gorlim and then gloats over him. The way it’s written is so spine chilling that you can see why everyone feared him.

On top of that, he also created the werewolves that Huan and Luthien fight on Tol-in-Gaurhoth by trapping evil spirits in the bodies of wolves. He created Draugluin, the father of the greatest wolf ever to walk Middle-Earth, Carcharoth, who was fed men and elves’ flesh from the hand of Morgoth himself.

#5: Finrod is the #1 Wingman.

Why doesn’t the fandom give Finrod more recognition? Not only was he the wisest of the elves, but he also helped Beren in a mission that he knew would cost him his life. Give this elf a medal.

Until next time,

M.J.