New York Times Bestseller “A good introduction to LOTR fans nervous about taking on The Silmarillion, and also gives longtime fans a fascinating look at the Tolkiens’ myth-making process.”—EntertainmentWeekly.com “A beautiful book.”—San Antonio Express-News “With eloquence and diligence and care, the son reconstructs and retraces the father’s journey, pursuing the tale through draft after draft … father’s journey, pursuing the tale through draft after draft as Tolkien pursued his vision of Middle-earth.”—NPR.org
The epic tale of Beren and Lúthien became an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of J.R.R. Tolkien’s First Age of the World. Always key to the story is the fate that shadowed their love: Beren was a mortal man, Lúthien an immortal Elf. Her father, a great Elvish lord, imposed on Beren an impossible task before he might wed Lúthien: to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, of a Silmaril.
Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a continuous and standalone story, Beren and Lúthien reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, along with the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Christopher Tolkien tells the story in his father’s own words by giving its original form as well as prose and verse passages from later texts that illustrate the narrative as it changed.
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While Romeo and Juliet was indeed a romance for the ages, the story of Beren and Lúthien trump every aspect of the story. The actual book starts out with the bare bones story of Beren and Lúthien; Beren is on the run from Melko (the dark force in the story) and came across Lúthien (also known as Tinúviel) dancing in the woods, and was so entranced by the way she danced in the copse of trees and how she seemed to glow in the moonlight, that Beren risked breaking his cover just to look at her.
Lúthien’s brother, Dairon, spied Beren and told Lúthien to run home. Knowing she was not as fast as her brother, Lúthien tried to blend in with the moonlight and flowers. Beren, stumbling through the forest, accidentally grazed her arm and put her in such a fright that she “twittered between moonbeams all the way home”. Lúthien loved to dance, and would dance often while her brother Dairon would play the pipe reeds. Having been scared by Beren, Lúthien would not venture out to dance, until she couldn’t contain herself anymore. Perchance, Beren finally came across her and asked her to teach him how to dance. Of course, this made Lúthien smile, and she asked him to follow her, and dance the entire way to her father’s palace (yes palace; Lúthien was the daughter to the King, Tinwelint [also known as Thingol]).
So here we are in the palace of the Hidden Elves. Tinwelint (Thingol) is sitting on his throne with Queen Gwendeling (also known as Melion) by his side, and enters Beren. Immediately Tinwelint assumes Beren is a dark elf, and has come to cause trouble. Lúthien (scared little Lúthien who was running away from Beren not too long ago) comes to his defense and pulls the most quintessential trick daughters can do to their fathers; if you are mean to him, you will make me cry. And in typical fatherly fashion Tinwelint asks Beren what he wants just to be rid of him.
Beren surprised everyone by asking for Lúthien’s hand in marriage. Taken aback, Tinwelint makes impossible terms- to bring back one Simaril from Melko’s crown. Everyone knew that the Iron Crown never left Melko’s head, and if anyone dared lay a finger on it, they would not see the light of day. Beren knew he was being a made fool of, and his anger got the best of him. Foolheartedly he told the king “it is too small a gift, I will fulfill your small desire.” Beren storms out of the palace, and essentially does not stop his temper tantrum stomp until the gates of Melko. Meanwhile, Lúthien starts to weep in fear she would not find anyone that would look upon her with such love and adoration. Lúthien pleaded with her mother, Gwendeling to see if Beren was alive. Acknowledging he was alive, but captured, Lúthien wants to go in search of Beren to help him escape. Gwendeling asks her daughter not to talk of such things. But Lúthien, being ever earnest, begs her mother to go on her behalf to the king to send help to Beren. Her father also refuses, leaving her no choice but to beg her brother to run away with her to help Beren. Dairon, like any “good” sibling, goes to tell their father, who promptly builds a tree house that no ladder could touch, until Lúthien would get this fool hardy idea out of her head.
With Lúthien’s free spirit, she finds a way to leave her quaint tree house. Tinwelent has provided guards to bring her whatever she desires. Being imbued with elven magic, Lúthien asks for ingredients to make a potion that makes her hair grow continuously for 12 hours (as well as make her sleep). Once grown, she cuts her hair off, fashions a cloak which when flung about makes people fall asleep, and uses the remaining hair to climb down from her tower (yes, just like Rapunzel) and escape.
While in the woods before reaching Melko’s gate, Lúthien comes across a giant dog named Huan. When learning she was the princess of the woodland elves, Huan came up with an idea that benefited both. Huan wanted nothing more than to be rid of Tevildo (The Prince of Cats- but in other versions this particular character would be Sauron; yes the “One ring to rule them all” guy). After conspiring together, Lúthien sneaks up to the terrace where the cats sleep to see if she could spy Beren. If spotted, she would lure Telvido down to the forest where Huan would pretend to be injured, only to end the rivalry between cats and dogs forever. As cunning as this cat could be, he could not see through his hatred for dogs to know a lie. Telvido follows Lúthien into the forest with a scout cat, happening upon Huan’s lifeless form. Filled with euphoric satisfaction, Telvido completely misses the ambush, and his cohort pays the price. Telvido runs up a tree, tail between his legs, and negotiations start for the release of Beren in exchange for Telvido’s life.
After escaping, Beren, Lúthien, and Huan decide to carry out Tinwelint’s wishes and return with the Simaril.
Any newcomer to the Tolkien prose will be discouraged with the first part of the book. There are a lot of explanations and background information on characters and story outline that would make any Tolkien fan’s head spin- let alone someone attempting to join the fandom.
I am not dissuading you to read “Beren And Lúthien”- oh no. I am ENCOURAGING you to start with “The Hobbit”, continue with “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and then proceed back in time to expanded references you are already familiar with.
Like any good story, over time it evolves. We start with the simplest of stories. From there Simon Tolkien attempts to revive and piece together his father’s manuscripts- it is here where names change, and the story is extended in exquisite prose. Reading prose could be similar to reading a screenplay- it’s not for everyone. BUT! If you can get into the rhythm it is well worth the effort.
Shows Tolkens progression through a story
This is more of an anthology of the different writings of JRRT about the Beren and Luthien story than a telling of the tale itself.
I actually really did like this, but I had such a hard time slogging thru it. It’s written in the form of a poem or song. Think Lays of Beleriand rather than Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.
I expected to read the story of Berendzen and Luthien. This book is more of a commentary on the story of Berendzen and Luthien. Interesting, but much more academic than fantasy.
It was hard to get into the story. Expected it to be like Lord of the rings, and it may well be, I just couldn’t get interested enough to read the the whole thing.
The tale of Beren and Luthien is told in both prose and poetry form in this book by J.R.R. Tolkien and his son Christopher. The bulk of the story is already told in The Silmarillion, and as others have stated, no new words are presented here. You go deeper into the revisions of how the story grew and sat idle for many years. I liked the poetry version over the prose.
It’s good to read this after reading The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin. You are already in the world of Middle-earth and some of the names become familiar by this time.
I love Tolkien!
Old English, difficult to read. There are several versions of the same story which may differ in some points but each chapter is supported by notes of Christopher Tolkien, the author’s son. After all it is a tragic and beautiful story with epic theme of love and sacrifice.
Somehow Beren & Luthien escaped me for months, but wow, am I glad I finally took the time to read this book. Presented in iterations, to show how Tolkien modified his characters and story over decades, each variation is every bit as compelling and fantasy-rich as I’d hoped. (Christopher Tolkien spending most of his 90-plus years compiling his father’s work is equally moving.)
Would only recommend to Tolkien fans only.
Use caution before buying/reading: This book is as much non-fiction as fiction or like a Cliff Notes narrative and breakdown with insets of prose and heraldic poetry and a bit Biography. Christopher Tolkien (C.T.) has done an outstanding job rooting through and compiling his father’s innumerable volumes of notes and story ideas to bring us the tragic, yet beautiful Ode (“Lay”) of Beren and Luthien and also some insights into “The Silmarillion”.
This is not an easy, entertaining read, however. C.T. explains in detail his painstaking journey and the backstory of JRR Tolkien’s creative and writer to publication processes. He also brings us all of the permutations of Beren and Luthien, noting each variation in detail, often in the middle of the poem or story, breaking its rhythm and for me the reverie I was enjoying.
So, it is repetitive. It took me several attempts to get through this book. From a scholastic perspective, it is a wonderful study. Each poetic story reveal is a revelation and evolution. The story is gorgeous. Recommended for aspiring writers and those who love learning the history and creation of art. For others, skip the history and read the Lyric Poem on its own.
A full length version of my favorite story from The Silmarillion, and a must read for Tolkien fans.
Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the Tales of the Elder Days as touched upon in The Silmarillion.
Beren and Lúthien is another story that finally has seen the light of day. I loved reading this tale and learning more about other characters in Tolkien’s world. In addition, the poems were beautiful with beautiful prose. I had not realized what an amazing poet Tolkien was. This was an added treat for me.
I highly recommend anyone who loves Tolkien’s work to read this. You will not be disappointed.
An in-depth examination and analysis of how JRRT created the legend that he then developed into Middle Earth and the mythology. A must-read for dedicated fans.
I have great admiration for JRR Tolkein, his imagination seems endless and his commitment to his craft was incredible. It’s clear his son Christopher has a genuine love of his father’s work and treats it with respect and care. His commentary is excellent and interesting. When I was 9 or 10 The Hobbit solidified my love of reading. I found it at the library on my own and felt like I uncovered the world’s greatest treasure. After speaking with the librarian she informed me there were three more books – The Lord of the Rings, but that they were not appropriate for my age group and that I should wait until my late teens. Of course I had my mom check them out right away and I plowed through them in a summer. I was scared when Samwise was scared and hungry when Frodo was hungry and gutted when Gandolf fell. It was a long a difficult read for me, but I devoured those books. At the end, I felt like I knew a secret no one else did. I spoke about the books to my family and friends, but no one else was interested. Being my first true reading love, I’m delighted that they are so well known and respected today.
So, I feel somewhat inadequate in saying that I enjoyed Beren and Luthen, but I didn’t love it. I tried to read the Silmarillion when I was younger and struggled, getting lost and tangled in the history and endless characters. This was similar, I appreciate the craft, the expansiveness of the story and world, but I took only occasional moments of reading pleasure. I attribute this more to my own limitations verses any failings of Tolkien, father or son. The sections of story in rhymed verse are amazing, but fail to pull me into the story. Again, I appreciate and wonder at the craft, but I don’t love it.
I did very much enjoy the artwork. The illustrations are perfect. But, possibly the best part of this book was the repetition of the story. The story of Beren and Luthien is retold many times, pulled from a variety of JRR’s works. It’s fascinating to see the story evolve and get a small glimpse into JRR’s mind through the evolution.
I desperately wanted to recapture the magic of reading The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings from my youth, but alas, that is a thing that I believe will never be. I understood what this book was and went in fully aware that it would be more like The Silmarillion than The Hobbit, but I was still disappointed. However, it does not diminish my love of Tokien or his works, for he expanded my imagination and ingrained a love of reading that would enrich my life forever.
5 stars for the writing and the story, 4 stars for the presentation. It wasn’t clear to me that this would be a collection of various different versions of the story
Just one story of many in the Silmarillion but perhaps the best of the bunch.
I paid $10 for this book expecting it to be a story. Instead it is a reference of mixed up writings of his fathers. If you haven’t read the simalarians,you don’t want this book. It is absolutely nothing like Game of Thrones & is repetative.
This book from Tolkien lays the ground work for his middle earth novels. Great reading if you want to assemble a history for the characters, stories and legends that occur many years later.