Beren and Lúthien

Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a continuous and standalone story, the epic tale of Beren and Lúthien will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, Dwarves and Orcs, and the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

A Tale Rooted in the Evolution of The Silmarillion

The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, Tolkien wrote this tale in the following year.

The Heart of the Story: Love, Fate, and Heroism

Essential to the story—and never changed—is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien:

• Beren was a mortal man, while Lúthien was an immortal Elf.
• Her father, a great Elvish lord, deeply opposed their union and imposed an impossible task on Beren that he must complete before he could wed Lúthien.

This challenge leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor (called Morgoth, the Black Enemy), of a Silmaril.

A Unique Presentation by Christopher Tolkien

In this book, Christopher Tolkien has:

• Extracted the story of Beren and Lúthien from the comprehensive work in which it was embedded.
• Presented the story in his father's own words to show how this legend of Middle-earth evolved over time.

To achieve this, he includes:

• The original form of the story.
• Passages in prose and verse from later texts, illustrating how the narrative changed and developed new associations within the larger history.

A New Perspective on a Timeless Legend

Presented together for the first time, these versions reveal:

• Aspects of the story—in both events and narrative immediacy—that were later lost.
• A glimpse into the creative evolution of one of Tolkien’s most beloved legends.
• 288 pages, 20 b/w, illus, Index