Beren & Lúthien, Aragorn & Arwen, and the Trajectory of Middle-Earth

There was a claim made in class, that the tale of Beren and Lúthien is the centerpiece of the Legendarium. And there is ample evidence to support this, considering how important of a role in plays in The Silmarillion (Tolkien calls it "the chief of the stories of the Silmarillion, and the one most fully treated is the Story of Beren and Lúthien the Elfmaiden" (Letters, 131)), the importance of their descendants, and the repetition of the idea in Aragorn and Arwen. Additionally, Beren and Lúthien were put on Tolkien and his wife Edith's gravestones, so these are clearly very important characters to Tolkien.

On a completely different note, there has been a lot of discussion on why the Elves are so ethereal in The Lord of the Rings in contrast to their human-like portrayal in The Silmarillion. Thinking on this, I believe this is because of who is writing the tales, in both cases. The Elves are not likely going to document themselves as ethereal, especially given their knowledge of the Valar and the occassionally unflattering stories represented in The Silmarillion (such as Fëanor). In contrast, the hobbits are small, very contented creatures who criticize those who tend to break their simplistic life, such as Bandobras Took (fool of a Took!). Therefore, these great, immortal creatures who are very artistic and knowledgeable would absolutely seem ethereal to "lowly" hobbits. And the viewpoint of the tales is confirmed by Tolkien:

But as the earliest Tales are seen through Elvish eyes, as it were, this last great Tale, coming down from myth and legend to the earth, is seen mainly though the eyes of Hobbits: it thus becomes in fact anthropocentric. (Letters, 131).

But, when you take a look at the core stories of the Legendarium, that being The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings (not to discount the others!), there is a gradation from high to low, in these terms. Ainulindalë opens with "There was Eru, the One" (The Silmarillion, 15), reminiscent of Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." So, we begin with God. Then, as Ainulindalë progresses, the Ainur are introduced. Following this, the Valar and Maiar are introduced. So, we have moved from God to angelic beings to angelic beings in the world. After some more tales of the Valar (for example, "Of Aulë and Yavanna"), the first children of Ilúvatar enter Arda, the Elves. Notably, many Elves go to Valinor, and they are the main focus of the rest of The Silmarillion. 

Following this, we see the introduction of Men. Despite still being the Children of Ilúvatar, Men are in many ways considered "lesser" than elves—namely, they are fallen. Consider the following passage from Athrabeth:

It was for this reason, no doubt, that [Melkor] had been totally successful with Men, but only partially so with Elves (who remained as a people 'unfallen'). His power was wielded over matter, and through it. But by nature the fear of Men were in much less strong control of their hroar than was the case with the Elves. Individual Elves might be seduced to a kind of minor 'Melkorism': desiring to be their own masters in Arda, and to have things their own way, leading in extreme cases to rebellion against the tutelage of the Valar; but not one had ever entered the service or allegiance of Melkor himself, nor ever denied the existence and absolute supremacy of Eru. (Morgoth's Ring, 354).

But the important tale of Men here is Akallabêth. Although Men are still the children of Ilúvatar and posses the gift of Ilúvatar, they desire to be immortal and that leads to the downfall of Númenor. And note, these were the great Men, who lived longer and were wiser than other Men.

Finally, we transition to The Hobbit which focuses heavily on, unsurprisingly, a hobbit. Hobbits, while presumably related to Men, aren't quite Men in the same way, and tend not to strive for greatness in the way many Men do. This is precisely why Gandalf's plan works, later on, as Sauron does not pay attention to the hobbits. Notably, The Hobbit also heavily focuses on dwarves, who are not Children of Ilúvatar. So, it appears we have again taken a step down.

Thus, we've "degraded" in status of the tales' focus: from God and angels, to Elves, to Men, and finally ending with hobbits. But the function of The Lord of the Rings is to reverse this: the hobbits are the main heroes of the story. Tolkien talks on this point in his letters.

For in effect this is a study of simple ordinary man, neither artistic nor noble and heroic (but not without the undeveloped seeds of these things) against a high setting – and in fact (as a critic has perceived) the tone and style change with the Hobbit’s development, passing from fairy-tale to the noble and high and relapsing with the return... But through Hobbits, not Men so-called, because the last Tale is to exemplify most clearly a recurrent theme: the place in ‘world politics’ of the unforeseen and unforeseeable acts of will, and deeds of virtue of the apparently small, ungreat, forgotten in the places of the Wise and Great (good as well as evil). (Letters, 131).

Tolkien further clarifies this: "[the story] is planned to be ‘hobbito-centric’, that is, primarily a study of the ennoblement (or sanctification) of the humble" (Letters, 181). It is reminiscent of Matthew 23:12, "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." A Maiar, Sauron, was humbled before lowly hobbits.

So, the "trajectory," if you will, of the overarching story of Middle-Earth is seemingly a degradation in the status only for the lowly to be brought up high, completing the circle. Therefore, we have a framework for viewing the story of Middle-Earth. But, this post started with Beren and Lúthien, who have seemingly disappeared from the narrative. What, then, is their role?

Beren and Lúthien, and their later parallel in Aragorn and Arwen, act as the centerpiece by being a "reflection of the time" through the joining of a Man and Elf in marriage. With Beren and Lúthien, we are on the downward trajectory, and this is reflected in their tale. Beren was greedy and awoke Morgoth, which eventually led to his demise. Lúthien then died of grief, and had to give up her immortality to be with him. The story, although they do get as happy of an ending as possible, is extremely tragic, with both having died before they can be reunited through a gracious act.

Now contrast this with Aragorn and Arwen. This tale is structurally very similar, but the ending is very different. As Tolkien says,

We are to see the overthrow of the last incarnation of Evil, the unmaking of the Ring, the final departure of the Elves, and the return in majesty of the true King, to take over the Dominion of Men, inheriting all that can be transmitted of Elfdom in his high marriage with Arwen daughter of Elrond, as well as the lineal royalty of Númenor. (Letters, 131).

Instead of a tragedy barely salvaged through grace, we have the defeat of Evil, the return of the King, and a high marriage between Man and Elf. This is a romance of celebration, not of tragedy and despair. Additionally, note the importance of the romance, akin to Beren and Lúthien:

That is why I regard the tale of Arwen and Aragorn as the most important of the Appendices; it is part of the essential story, and is only placed so, because it could not be worked into the main narrative without destroying its structure (Letters, 181).

Thus, using these two romances (or, really, the same romance structurally with different outcomes), Tolkien gives a thematic overview of the trajectory of the history.

Thus, the final question becomes: why a marriage between an Elf and a Man? While this is not as solidified as the rest, I think it is because of the gradation narrative I have previously discussed alongside their connection as the Children of Ilúvatar.

For Beren and Lúthien, they act as a bridge from Elves to Men. As Tolkien says, the earliest tales are Elven, and the latter tales are viewed from Hobbits, and by extension Men. Saruman says something similar:

The Elder Days are gone. The Middle Days are passing. The Younger Days are beginning. The time of the Elves is over, but our time is at hand: the world of Men, which we must rule. (The Lord of the Rings, 259).

By uniting Elves and Men in this way, particularly in tragedy, this acts as a fleeting connection that transitions from the age of Elves to the age of Men.

But in the celebration of Aragorn and Arwen, we see a mending. Evil is defeated, and Elves and Men have joined together.

Thus, this all ties the Legendarium together as the romance of the Children of Ilúvatar, with Beren and Lúthien at the center of it all.

-CVB