Beren and Luthien . . .

I think when most people think of Tolkien and Love, something like this pops into their head

But really, after reading The Silmarillion (yes, I will even make plugs for it here guys), the image I have now is this :

The story of their romance is best told in their biographies, I am sure, but even a cursory glance at either J.R.R. or Edith's wikipedia page tells the story of a forbidden love that could not be conquered, of a young married couple separated by the horrors of WWI, of their frustrations with each other, and how their joy in their family was greater than that.

Tolkien never called his wife "Luthien", but she inspired his tale of Luthien, the immortal elf, and the mortal warrior Beren. Long before Aragorn and Arwen ever graced Middle Earth, and long before the sacrifices they both made and the war that separated them, and long before Sauron was the Dark Lord, there was Beren, and Luthien, and Morgoth. I'll spare the details here, but the thing I love so much about their story is that Luthien fights with and for Beren . . .

She's described as the most beautiful of all the Children of Iluvatar (Children of God - the men and elves). And yet she is far from a porcelain doll, more than a model posing eternally - she is fierce and strong, valiant and courageous. She does not sit idly by while Beren embarks on a mission of suicidal proportions - she leaves the bliss of her father's kingdom and fights with him, and even death is not enough to conquer their love.

It's the great romance, the story we have with God, played out in the romances all around us. And for all my longing to be united (re-united?) with my Luthien, in every good romance there is a time of separation, a time of both persons learning intimately who they are so they can in turn share that intimacy with another, and share in the intimacy of the other.

One thing I do know - I will not have a happily ever after - that just sounds too final. No, the romance I have in mind has no end, as I will always be wanting to know more about the infinity of my wife, and want to teach her more of my own.

And like the Greatest Love Story Ever Told, it will take an eternity to live out.


G


PS - Listening to We are Man and Wife, Your Hand in Mine, For the Longest Time, Unchained Melody & The Giving while blogging WILL influence what you write - not that it's bad.