Ahira's Hangar

Reading The Silmarillion is to read the heart of Tolkien. He always considered it his main work, and spent almost 60 years from his earliest poetry in 1915 to his death in 1973 writing some aspect or other of it. Sadly he never finished it, never agreed within himself what were the definitive versions of each Tale contained within, and it was left to his son (with Guy Gavriel Kay's help) to complile, edit and then publish the work posthumously in 1977.

As for Beren and Luthien and their links to Tolkien and Edith. Here are some wonderful lines Tolkien himself wrote in a letter to his son Michael shortly after her death. This words never fail to move me deeply and give a wonderful insight into his love for her

Quote:I have at last got busy about Mummy's grave. The inscription I should like is EDITH MARY TOLKIEN, 1889-1971, Luthien. Brief and jejeune except for Luthien, which says for me more than a multitude of words, for she was (and knew she was) my Luthien.

later he says

Quote:(the tale of Berenand Luthien) was first conceived in a small woodland glade filled with hemlocks...........In those days her (Edith's) hair was raven, her skin clear, her eys brighter than you have seen them, and she could sing and dance. But the story has gone crooked and I am left, and I cannot plead before the inexorable Mandos

and finally describing their time during her sadly terminal illness

Quote:For ever (especially when alone) we still met in the woodland glade, and went hand in hand many times to escape the shadow of imminent death before our last parting



Arphent Cirion: i 'west hen bronatha an rîn aglar Dôr-en-Êl a bronwe Elendil Sadron. Hebithar ha aen, i cherir erin erchaim ned Annûn ar i Vin i northa or erchaim phain an uir. <i></i>