It's about pride by Aprilertuile

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It's about pride

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The text below is born of a conversation I had with a friend irl, in which she said she'd love to have an epic love story the like of Beren and Luthien (We're both fans of Tolkien so...)

Only the way I read it, the story of Beren and Luthien is not about love, but about pride. It's an epic lesson on the subject of pride and greed. 

(yes I know it wasn't intended like that and I should probably take it in the spirit it was written in but...)

 

Let me explain:

Luthien and Beren met on accident and fell in love (iffy for a man to fall in love at first sight but whatever floats the writer and reader’s boat. I’ll keep thinking half maia shenanigan and power induced love, perhaps even trauma response). So far, so good.

But Thingol decided that his daughter was worth more than to marry a mere mortal and decided that if he wanted to marry his daughter then he needed to bring him a Silmaril.

=> Because of course, how could a mere mortal succeed where even the Noldor couldn’t withstand the armies of Morgoth? He was sending Beren to die and couldn't think that there might be any consequence following.

Yes, that was Thingol’s reasoning here despite Melian’s warning of ill fate coming (her reasoning was that ill-fate was coming and either he lost their daughter or Beren would succeed and worst might happen). She was wise. She was a maia and was gifted with foresight... 

 

But Thingol chose to ignore:

-His wife’s warning (she was a maia and known as wise for the love of all that’s holy!)

-His daughter’s love for said mortal. (Because why bother caring for his daughter’s feelings right? She was important enough to protect from the unworthy hands of a man but totally not important enough for her feelings to be considered. Nice priorities I kinda see a pattern in his behavior here…)

-His knowledge of the first kinslaying so the knowledge that in the unlikely event Beren managed to get a Silmaril, the Fëanorians would become a danger to his people and him. (Or that they might react, for all he knew, just at the knowledge that he set THAT as a bride price.)

-The knowledge that shall Beren steal a Silmaril from Morgoth, Morgoth himself might well turn his sight on Doriath to take back the gem, I’ll let you imagine what THAT would have looked like for the people of Doriath.

But no, there would be no consequence at all right? And no reason whatsoever to think there might be? Right Melian? No reason at all... 

 

So Beren goes, probably thinking he’d die but at least he’d die with Honor for the sake of his love for Luthien. I absolutely hate this trope of love above everything but I can accept that he’s just like that, it’s after all, supposed to be a romantic story.

 

And then we have Luthien.

Luthien who is not a baby elf but is an adult (I hope or the tale of Beren and Luthien is taking a more creepy turn) and well able (in theory) to analyze the information she is given and think for herself.

Luthien who is the daughter of Melian and lived in Doriath all her life. I doubt that she was blind and deaf. The Dagor Bragollach already happened at that time.

Seeing the destruction of the Bragollach, Doriath opened their borders to the Grey-elves elves taken in the literal fire.  Luthien must have seen the refugees. She must have heard the tales of Morgoth attacking the realms bordering his land to the point several of said realms disappeared off the map. So she must have understood that the Vala is a danger to her people.

So in all logic when she escaped Doriath she…: Decided to ignore all that and help Beren on his quest for her hand.

So was Luthien prideful? Just uncaring? Or perhaps she just didn’t think in the depth of her love for Beren? (Sorry I’m not a romantic, I don’t believe that last one for one moment)

And owing it to Luthien's power, Beren and Luthien came back to Doriath, having stolen a Silmaril from Morgoth. 

 

I guess that noone had any reason to believe that THAT would be a danger on its own right?

It's not like the Noldor in general weren't unwelcome in Doriath due to the first Kinslaying already right? They would totally not go after the Silmaril, right?

And it's not like Morgoth had unleashed such power on his neighbouring kingdoms that several were just burnt to ash already and like might want to do the same to Doriath to take the Silmaril back right?

Nah. Neither scenario was likely. At all. 

 

We all know that Morgoth didn’t attack Doriath for his Silmaril in the end so good for them.

The fact is that from what they knew then, it was a risk. And logically, strategically, he should have at least attempted to take back the Silmaril, if only to crush the spirit of those who took this theft as a win and a proof that he could be defeated.

 

Instead for plot reasons (I can accept that excuse, I have myself a lot of plot reason^tm  for things) Morgoth decided to take a holiday, Beren and Luthien settled to live somewhere and had a child who married and had children, plural. So they had a few years of happiness.

 

Yay, great love story, let's celebrate... Or not: 

 

End result of the whole Beren & Luthien plot in (short) order:

-Thingol was killed by dwarves,

-The dwarves were then hunted for that,

-Melian abandoned Doriath,

-More dwarves returned seeking vengeance (and seeking the Nauglamir that kept the Silmaril accessorily), many elves and dwarves died as a result and Doriath was sacked

-The dwarves left and were hunted by Beren and Dior and a company of elves,

-Beren brought the Silmaril to Luthien and Dior went to become king of Doriath (the poor dear)

-And in the end, allow me to quote, speaking of Beren and Luthien :“The wise have said that the Silmaril hastened their end: for the flame of the beauty of Luthien as she wore it was too bright for mortal lands.”

-And then of course a while later the Fëanorians happened and with them, the final destruction of Doriath. 

 

The result of Luthien’s quest was the death of her father, the departure of her mother, her own death and that of her husband, the death of Luthien’s son, daughter in law, and grand-sons and the final destruction of the kingdom of Doriath.

 

I know it’s supposed to be an epic love story, an ode from Tolkien to his beloved wife even, but the way I read it, it’s more a cautionary tale about pride: beware that your pride doesn’t become your downfall and that of everyone you hold dear.

It sounds to me like a sharp: "you want it? alright you have it, how is it working for you now?" kind of thing. 

 

Or perhaps it’s a cautionary tale of “for the love of everything, when your wife is called wise, listen to her counsel.” 

(Celeborn might well be the only one in the legendarium to have taken that lesson to heart)