John and Edith: Beren and Luthien

[obloquy]

I brought this up a while back but couldn't find a link to show everyone. Finally got one. http://www.hereintown.net/~greggd/newpics/grave.jpg


Touching!

[Telchar]

There should grow white flowers all over that grave...

[Elrian]

Thanks for sharing that Oboquy

[Luthien]

Wow, that's really sweet smilies/smile.gif smilies/smile.gif

Lúthien

[ November 20, 2001: Message edited by: Lúthien ]

[Elendil]

It's really sweet, but even if there are no white flowers, there's at least roses....

[Halbarad]

Just last night I was comparing Ronald and Edith to Arwen and Aragorn. Figures...

[Turambar]

Good man, obloquy. smilies/smile.gif

[Lush]

What a sweet, sad, simple grave.
I am suddenly quite wistful. I hope they are happy, and together, wherever they are.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Thank you for posting this link. I have seen black and white photographs of the gravesites from the books, but somehow it is much more poignant with the small pink roses and the rough gray of the stones contrasted with the simple names "Luthien" and "Beren". Oh, that man at least had the life span of a hobbit so that we might have had them with us for a bit longer!

[Fingolas]

Thanks Obloquy,

I’ve never seen a picture of Tolkiens grave before. I’m curious about the names Beren and Luthien.

I am assuming that they refer to his wife and himself. Was it in fact Tolkien that selected these names, or did members of the family do this after their deaths?

I understand the significance of the love story, so I’m guessing that Tolkien himself made the choice.

[goldwine]

Thanks for the post. Re-reading the story of Luthien and Beren in the Silm, they had a rough time, although their love allowed them to overcome much. I wonder if Edith and JRRT had difficult circumstances in their relationship? War etc. would have impacted them too.

[Altariel]

Oh... that is so sweet! *wipes away a tear*

[Eärendil]

*Sniff sniff, tears running down the face*
So sweet.
Thanx for sharing that with us obloquy.

[Orodhromeus]

@ Fingolas:
JRRT chose to write 'Luthien' on his wife's gravestone when she died. I guess 'Beren' was written on his after his children's decision. Beren & Luthien's meeting scene (dancing in the woods) was inspired after JRR & Edith's real meeting.

[Lush]

Orod, you serious?
Ah, sweetness! smilies/smile.gif

[Fingolas]

Orodhromeus,

Thanks for the info.

Very touching.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Yes, I'm sure there were many tensions and challenges, just like Beren and Luthien. About their relationship, several biographers hve pointed to definite elements of tension at times. Of course, beause they were so young on meeting and their religious backgrounds were different, they were kept apart till age 21. Like Luthien, Edith had to give up her own heritage, that of the Anglican Church, to be with her new husband. And although Edith converted to Catholicism before her marriage, she did not always feel comfortable with her new faith. There were periods of resentment and arguments until she came to make peace with her life. Other biographers talk about the fact that she was not always comfortable with academic life or Tolkien's participation with his male friends in evening discussions of literature. And Tolkien in later years berated himself, probably unjustly, for having been so peoccupied with the hard realities of making economic ends meet that he neglected his family. Even so, it's clear he never lost his feelings for Edith and always remembered the sweet girl dancing in the moonlight, the image on which he modelled the figure of Luthien. sharon

[Nevfeniel]

Awwwww. . .

[goldwine]

Thanks Child of the 7th Age. It is interesting to ponder how the real world impacted Tolkien's stories, isn't it?

[dragongirlG]

Very touching. It shows how Tolkien's work affected his real life. Thanks for sharing it.

[Erwethiel]

That's so cute!
True love...*sigh*

[Aosama, the Wandering Star]

*sniff* I'd heard this story, but the picture still made me wanna cry... great link! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! *wipes tear away* Beren and Luthien! Now I really have to read the Sil!

[Nufaciel]

Thanks for the link. I too had seen the black and white photos, but the colored photograph is much more poignant. *sniff*

[stone of vision]

That man was not only in love with the world he has created but also in his real life.
Really a Beautiful Mind <respectful bow>

[The Half-Hobbit]

I'd known about the names on the stone, but I hadn't seen it, and I also hadn't known that the meeting in the woods was based on their first meeting. Thanks for posting this! A lovely, if a bit sad moment in a blah day for me....Tolkien is always making things better, in little personal ways, even now after he and his Luthien have passed.

[ May 06, 2002: Message edited by: The Half-Hobbit ]

[littlemanpoet]

John was also younger than Edith, about two years, I think, which was itself considered "not done" after a fashion. So like Beren and Luthien, there was this waiting upon others' sense of what was allowable.

[Losthuniel]

awwww. and it makes sense. that he would name the most beautiful elf in ME after his wife...its so sad *tear* im saving this pic to my computer

[*Varda*]

aww that's so sweet, i feel quite weepy now... i had suspected that Beren and Luthien were based on John and Edith's backgrounds and past (i had to do quite a lot of research on his life for an English talk), they did have a lot of difficulties but managed to overcome them ... i still feel kind of weepy...i tend to feel like that a lot with lotr, anything will set me off.

[Banazîr]

Woa they seriously need to employed Samwise Gamgee to take care of this little garden!
smilies/smile.gif

[Kidd2323]

Beren and Luthien: John and Edith: if only a few white flowers were blooming! Where in England is that grave?