Of Aragorn and Tinuviel

 ‘I will tell you the tale of Tinuviel,’ said Strider, ‘in brief – for it is a long tale of which the end is not known; and there are none now, except Elrond, that remember it aright as it was told of old. It is a fair tale, though it is sad, as are all the tales of Middle-earth, and yet it may lift up your hearts.’ — Lord of the Rings, bk. I, chap. 11

After informing the hobbits with such words, Aragorn broke into a song about Tinuviel, or Luthien, the elven maiden who fell in love with the mortal man Beren, who came one day wondering lost in the forest where she was dancing with music. Together they fought the dark lord Melkor and won a Silmaril to be Luthien’s bride-price to her father Thingol. In the end, Luthien abandoned her immortal life for Beren, and they “passed away in the forest singing sorrowless” as the last stanza of Aragorn’s song suggested.

There is a lengthier passage on the story of Beren and Luthien in “Lay of Leithain” in the book Lays of Beleriand, but here I will not examine the similarities between both songs. Aragorn was introduced as “Strider” to the hobbits, and he was called so in this part of the narrative. But later, he was revealed to be the heir of Isildur, the king who once fought Sauron and took his Ring. As Tom Shippey notes in J.R.R Tolkien: Author of the Century, Aragorn was skilled in speech and flexible in style, able to switch between identities. As “Strider”, he might tell the hobbits any experience he had in the north, or yield to Merry, who wished to hear about Gil-galad. Why did he choose this tale? It is also interesting to observe that after hearing the song, the hobbits did not directly respond to it. Possibly they did not fully realize the message or were simply too tired to give any sign.

In structure, Tolkien may have foreshadowed Strider’s identity at this point, of which more elaboration and connection with the elven-world were revealed later, especially at the Council of Elrond where he openly declared kinship and kingship to Boromir. Here, the hobbits knew only that Strider “knew many histories and legends of long ago” and it remained a mystery of who he really was. The readers would be puzzled also, waiting for the author to show the “trick”, the truth behind. But if the readers choose to re-read this part, like a puzzle solved, they would notice Tolkien’s embedded hint. 

Fearing that I may over-interpret, I have to say that although much can be analyzed through a simple song, the song itself did not aid the protagonists in any obvious way. But alas, I believe that Aragorn was singing a song of man, of elf, of love, beauty and sadness. He was the one that led Frodo through danger at the inn, through darkness and enemies, and brought him to Rivendell where a larger world with different races and a mission were waiting for him.

Of course, it should be more than coincidence that of all the elven tales, Aragorn chose that of Beren and Luthien. Later on, readers would understand that Luthien and Arwen were in fact related in ancestry, and they both were recognized as most fair by their people. Arwen Undomiel was named the “Evenstar” while Luthien the “Morning Star”. Aragorn was also in parallel with Beren, the man who fell in love with the maiden at first sight. Luthien had actively participated in Beren’s adventure, saving him many times with her own powers and love. She was the most beautiful among her people, her passing brought them sorrow while her love and bravery brought hope. Arwen, on the other hand, was left behind. She did not participate in Aragorn’s adventures and her name was scarcely mentioned, except in the Appendix, where her love and death were detailed. Her name and her story symbolized the decaying and fading of the elves, since most of her kin left Middle-Earth while she stayed, tasted the bitter taste of separation from her love and died a lonely death in the depth of forest. The symbolism of decay and passing of the elves weigh heavily on Arwen, possibly overshadowing her own characteristics as a person. Yet Sauron and the Ring were destroyed and the men of Gondor thrived once more. A larger happiness loomed still in the background while the story of Aragorn and Arwen was bitter-sweet. 

Aragorn carefully warned his audience that the tale of Beren and Luthien was “a fair tale, though it is sad, as are all the tales of Middle-earth, and yet it may lift up your hearts.” He implied that tale represented “all the tales of Middle-earth”, so it was “the tale” rather than “a tale” for him as it encompassed and summarized all the themes. Luthien was able to sang Melkor to sleep with her magical song and take away the Silmaril on the crown, when none could. Fingolfin, for example, was a powerful commander and the High King of Noldor, but he perished in his single duel with Melkor. Luthien did not directly face the enemy but winded behind, well-versed, adopting tricks along. She had a softer form of power, but it was not less strong. 

The Ring had the chance to be destroyed, just like the Silmaril, which could be taken away. When Aragorn recited her tale, he left the message that there was hope through difficulties. In response to his words of encouragement it seemed, Tolkien illustrates that “a pale light appeared over the crown of Weathertop.” Moonlight came. Although the moon was waxing, it signified “light” and hope, echoing with the end of the song, where Beren and Luthien were said to be “singing sorrowless.”

        — J. X