Beren and Luthien

No cover — J.R.R. Tolkien: Beren and Luthien (2017)

English language

Published May 16, 2017

ISBN:: 978-0-00-821419-7

(1 review)

The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.

Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. Her father, a great elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril.

In this …

The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.

Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. Her father, a great elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril.

In this book Christopher Tolkien has attempted to extract the story of Beren and Lúthien from the comprehensive work in which it was embedded; but that story was itself changing as it developed new associations within the larger history. To show something of the process whereby this legend of Middle-earth evolved over the years, he has told the story in his father's own words by giving, first, its original form, and then passages in prose and verse from later texts that illustrate the narrative as it changed. Presented together for the first time, they reveal aspects of the story, both in event and in narrative immediacy, that were afterwards lost.

Published on the tenth anniversary of the last Middle-earth book, the international bestseller The Children of Húrin, this new volume will similarly include drawings and color plates by Alan Lee, who also illustrated The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and went on to win Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

6 editions

Sean Bala reviewed Beren and Luthien by J.R.R. Tolkien

Review of "Beren and Luthien" on Good Reads

4 stars

Whenever I read Tolkien, I am struck by just how prodigious his imagination was and how expansive the world he created could be. While many know him for "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," these are only the tip of the spear for a huge number of beautiful, well-crafted stories made with deep love, creativity, and affection.

"Beren and Luthen" are part of the three texts which editor Christopher Tolkien says are the three most complete, stand-alone stories from the earlier works of his father (the other two being the "The Children of Húrin" and "The Fall of Gondolin." These stories were told in shorter form as part of his monumental work "The Silmarillion." What makes this sort of book so fascinating is that the editor takes this one tale and shows how it evolved over multiple iterations and forms throughout JRR Tolkien's creative process. It was a …

Whenever I read Tolkien, I am struck by just how prodigious his imagination was and how expansive the world he created could be. While many know him for "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," these are only the tip of the spear for a huge number of beautiful, well-crafted stories made with deep love, creativity, and affection.

"Beren and Luthen" are part of the three texts which editor Christopher Tolkien says are the three most complete, stand-alone stories from the earlier works of his father (the other two being the "The Children of Húrin" and "The Fall of Gondolin." These stories were told in shorter form as part of his monumental work "The Silmarillion." What makes this sort of book so fascinating is that the editor takes this one tale and shows how it evolved over multiple iterations and forms throughout JRR Tolkien's creative process. It was a story that meant a great deal to the author, as demonstrated by the fact that he had the two names inscribed on the headstones of himself and his wife. While this edition may appeal more to a devoted reader of the Tolkien legendarium (hence why I give the book a 4 out of 5), the story of Beren and Luthen is beautiful in an of itself and worth reading.