Edith is to Luthien as JRRT is to... Beren?

[Evisse the Blue]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Having seen pictures of Edith, I can rightly say she weren't no Luthien neither, if you get me meaning.

Are you implying she was ugly? Cause I think she was pretty. It's true I only saw this picture of her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Edith_Tolkien.png

In any case, I believe that Tolkien idealized their love story, as it always happens with writers. If it was fairytale-like in the beginning, it wasn't as much so as their married life progressed, and they discovered they has different interests and ideals. But that hardly mattered since they were both civilized human beings and JRRT was always faithful to her.

And undoubtedly,the Beren - Luthien story was born from a real, passionate love story at some point in time.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Evisse the Blue

Are you implying she was ugly? Cause I think she was pretty.

Merely pointing out to Gal55 that Tolkien was just as much like Beren as Edith was like Luthien. From what I've read, Edith was no charmer during their marriage and was quite cranky and very un-Luthien-like. But what we think doesn't much matter, because it's what JRR thoughts that created a great story.

Originally Posted by Evisse the Blue

In any case, I believe that Tolkien idealized their love story, as it always happens with writers. If it was fairytale-like in the beginning, it wasn't as much so as their married life progressed, and they discovered they has different interests and ideals. But that hardly mattered since they were both civilized human beings and JRRT was always faithful to her.

And undoubtedly,the Beren - Luthien story was born from a real, passionate love story at some point in time.

Yes. Idealized. Agreed.

[Pitchwife]

From a slightly different angle, it's remarkable how little Beren actually achieves by himself during the quest for the Silmaril; his main talent seems to have been getting himself into trouble, and but for Lúthien and Húan, his bones would have rotted in Tol-in-Gaurhoth. It is she who makes the quest succeed, first by breaking him out of Sauron's prison, then by singing Morgoth to sleep so Beren can cut off the Silmaril - because she loved him anyway, in spite of his shortcomings. Maybe this tells us something about how Tolkien saw himself and his part in their relationship?