Barahir and his soldiers were reluctant to leave their home in Ladros. Consequently, Barahir urged his wife and children to abandon the place. Though unable to withstand the fierce army of Melkor, Barahir and his remaining twelve brave companions managed to survive in the forest, living like outlaws. Barahir, continuously organizing ambushes and launching counterattacks against Melkor’s forces, persisted in his struggle until he was betrayed and stabbed in the back by Gorlim the Unhappy, a member of the group. Sauron had promised Gorlim, the deceased wife of Gorlim, Eilinel, if he aided him. Believing this, Gorlim betrayed his comrades but eventually realized he had fallen victim to Sauron’s deceit and was executed. Apart from Beren, everyone in the group was found and killed after Gorlim’s confession.
Left alone, Beren set out on a journey toward Doriath. Upon reaching Doriath, Beren encountered Luthien Tinuviel, the daughter of Thingol, and immediately fell in love with her. Beren’s love for Luthien was reciprocated, and eventually, he was summoned before the king. Appearing before the council of Doriath as the leader of the House of Beor, Beren presented Barahir’s ring. Although this act managed to impress the council, Thingol was troubled by the fact that his exquisite daughter had fallen in love with a human. Therefore, Thingol assigned Beren an impossible task. Rising to his feet, Thingol declared in the presence of the council that if Beren could retrieve one of the Silmarils, which resided in Morgoth’s crown, he would grant him his daughter. Beren, displaying composure, responded with the following words:
“For little price, do Elven-kings sell their daughters: for gems, and things made by craft. But if this be your will, Thingol, I will perform it. And when we meet again my hand shall hold a Silmaril from the Iron Crown; for you have not looked the last upon Beren son of Barahir.
Melian warned her husband, Thingol, that meddling with the Silmarils would bring them a curse, and they would face the wrath of Feanor’s sons for possessing any Silmaril that might come their way. However, Thingol remained resolute in his decision. Despite being aware of all the dangers that awaited him, Beren embarked on the journey driven by his love. He first went to Nargothrond and found King Finrod. Without hesitation, Finrod pledged his support to Beren without even considering the ring. Eager to fulfill his promise to Barahir, Finrod set aside his crown and embarked on the journey to Angband alongside Beren.
Learning of their northern movement, Sauron trapped them in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, also known as the Isle of Werewolves. When Sauron and Finrod confronted each other, they engaged in a singing duel using their enchantments. However, Finrod lost the musical contest, and Sauron imprisoned them. The darkness of the prison was so profound that the only discernible sight was the glowing yellow eyes of a werewolf. Although Sauron believed he could intimidate and extract information from them, Finrod and Beren never revealed the true purpose of their journey. After a while, Finrod summoned all his remaining strength, broke free from his chains, and, with his last ounce of power, killed the werewolf with his bare hands. But due to the injuries sustained during the fight, Finrod could not endure any longer and bid farewell to Beren before embarking on his journey to the halls of Mandos.
Meanwhile, far away, Luthien sensed an agony in her chest, realizing that Beren was in dire straits. In her quest to find her beloved, Luthien secretly left Doriath and encountered Huan, the Wolfhound, on her way. Setting off together towards the Isle of Werewolves, the duo faced Draugluin, lord of the werewolves. Huan took the lead and battled Draugluin, emerging victorious. Subsequently, Huan confronted Sauron himself. Initially assuming the form of a werewolf, then transforming into a serpent, Sauron fought against Huan but to no avail. Realizing that he couldn’t defeat Huan, Sauron turned into a bat and fled. Luthien managed to find Beren in the depths of Minas Tirith’s dungeons, and the two lovers were reunited. Luthien expressed her desire to accompany Beren on his mission to complete the task. However, before setting out, they dug a grave for Finrod and gave him an honorable burial.
The duo, advancing towards Angband to obtain the Silmarils, encountered an attack from Feanor’s sons, Celegorm and Curufin, along the way. Despite surviving this assault, the lovers faced numerous dangers as they reached the perilous Angband. Through some means, the pair managed to enter Morgoth’s lair and lulled Morgoth to sleep with Luthien’s enchanting song. Thus, Beren succeeded in easily taking one Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown using the blade Angrist. However, in his greed, when he attempted to take the second Silmaril, the blade broke. A fragment from the shattered blade accidentally cut Morgoth’s cheek, awakening him. As the duo began to flee for their lives, the werewolf Carcharoth appeared before them. Beren presented the Silmaril from his pocket to Carcharoth, expecting its radiant light to frighten the creature. However, contrary to their expectations, Carcharoth bit and severed the hand that held the Silmaril. In agony from swallowing the Silmaril, Carcharoth ran away in pain. Somehow managing to escape, Beren and Luthien returned to Doriath with the help of the Eagles, who came to retrieve them.
Beren had been unable to fulfill the task assigned to him by Thingol and failed to bring back any of the Silmarils. However, he stood before King Thingol and declared, “I have a Silmaril in my hand.” When Elu Thingol asked him to show it, Beren replied, “It is in the belly of Carcharoth.” Upon hearing this, Thingol organized a large hunting party to track down Carcharoth, who had the Silmaril in his stomach. When Carcharoth was attacked by the elves, he lunged at King Thingol in desperation.
Witnessing this, Beren interposed himself and prevented Carcharoth from reaching Thingol. Although Huan managed to kill Carcharoth on the spot, Beren had already sustained mortal wounds. At the same time, Huan also suffered deadly injuries from the fight. Taking his last breath, Huan curled up beside Beren and bid farewell to life. One of the elves in the party cut open the werewolf’s belly and discovered that the Silmaril was indeed still in Beren’s hand. As Beren passed away there, Thingol was overwhelmed with shame for causing his death.
Beren’s spirit departed to the Halls of Mandos. However, Beren, refusing to accept death, declared that he wouldn’t leave without bidding farewell to his beloved. Overwhelmed by the grief of Beren’s death, Luthien followed him to the Halls of Mandos. Luthien sang such a beautiful and sorrowful song in the corridors of Mandos that even the Valar were touched. The Valar, reaching Eru, obtained permission and offered Luthien a choice. She could either continue living like the Elves or forsake her immortality to spend a short life with Beren. Choosing mortal life with Beren, Luthien returned to the world with him and spent the remainder of their lives in Tol Galen. During their time there, Luthien and Beren had a child named Dior. The legendary love of Beren and Luthien became a tale that traversed ages and tongues, carrying the power of love from generation to generation. Additionally, Beren and Luthien were the first individuals of different races to marry each other.
Sources and Further Information
- Tolkien, J.R.R & Tolkien, Christopher. “The Silmarillion,” Houghton Mifflin Company (2004)
- Tolkien, J.R.R & İpek, Çiğdem Erkal “Translator”. “Yüzüklerin Efendisi,” Metis Yayınları (2007)
- Tolkien, J.R.R & Tolkien, Christopher. “The Children of Húrin,” HarperCollins (2007)
- Tolkien, J.R.R & Tolkien, Christopher. “Beren and Lúthien,” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2017)
- Tolkien, J.R.R & Tolkien, Christopher. “The Fall of Gondolin,” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2018)
- Orta Dünya – Legendarium Türkiye, YouTube
- Yüzüklerin Efendisi – Orta Dünya, YouTube
- Nerd of the Rings, YouTube