Love, Middle-earth Style
© Michael Martinez
One of the most popular stories of Middle-earth is the tale of Beren and Luthien. It's a classic poor-boy falls for rich girl drama combined with high adventure, intrigue, depravity, and magic. There seems to be something for everyone. When the hobbits ask Aragorn to tell them a story the night they are attacked on Weathertop, he chooses to speak of Beren and Luthien. In some ways Aragorn must see himself following in Beren's footsteps. Like his forefather, Aragorn is the rightful lord of a people who are deprived of land and heritage through the misfortunes of war. And like Beren Aragorn meets a beautiful princess in an Elven realm and falls immediately and completely in hopeless love with her.
Elrond's treatment of Aragorn is much gentler and more tolerant than Thingol's treatment of Beren, for Elrond himself is a descendant of Beren and Luthien, though both of them had died years before he was born. And yet Elrond sets Aragorn nearly as high a price for Arwen's hand in marriage as Thingol set for Luthien's: both men were given what seemed to be impossible tasks to achieve. Aragorn, at least, had the advantage of knowing that Elrond wanted to see Sauron defeated. Elrond wasn't trying to be clever and cruel, sending Aragorn off to his probable doom, as Thingol sent off Beren.
Unhappily not all of Middle-earth's love stories turn out as well as Beren and Luthien's, or Aragorn and Arwen's. Both couples lived many years together after enduring their great trials. Those years would not have been without hardships, but they were nonetheless rewards which were hard to achieve. Beren and Luthien had to pass into Angband through many perils, and ultimately both died before being restored to life and permitted to dwell together in relative solitude. Aragorn's journeys were not as harsh as Beren's, but they were lonelier. At least Beren was accompanied by Luthien throughout several parts of the quest of the Silmaril. Aragorn had to endure many years away from Arwen, and for long he had no real hope that she would even return his feelings for him.
Divorce is never mentioned in any of Tolkien's stories. People might be quick to say, "Well, he was raised a Catholic, and devoutly believed in the teachings of the Church all his life." Yes, that's so, but Tolkien was a pretty realistic fellow, too. Divorce seems to play no part in his romances because separation does. Separation doesn't always make love stronger. Sometimes it destroys the relationship. The earliest tale of a ruined marriage is that of Hurin and Morwen.
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