[Belin]

Heh. I've actually always wondered how he could tell that her eyes were gray as she danced in the moonlight, but there's no point in quibbling with the text, is there?

I agree with many that her voice also played a very important role in enchanting Beren. Her physical beauty clearly mattered-according to the Silmarillion, he first saw her after wandering through the mountains (not just beauty, but beauty after ugliness--I tend to agree with Susan that much of the enchantment was situational) and it was this that caught him at first and made him follow her, and he didn't hear her singing until spring. However, as soon as she sings, the kind of love involved changes. Before he hears her singing, he is simply following her entranced and silent. I almost want to compare her to some kind of natural power rather than a human being that he could love in the way we're thinking--I've wandered after the moon like that on occasion, for example (although I admit that in my case this usually only lasted for a few minutes). After she sings, "the spell of silence fell from Beren," and he's able to rename her, speak to her, and be loved by her. The voice is hugely important, I think.

Maedhros, I'm not sure I see the connection there. Could you elaborate?

...and while we're on the subject, why did she fall in love with Beren? He certainly wasn't looking his best. Or was his spirit shining through, the way I'd like to say hers was (and possibly creating or at least adding to her beauty?) ?...

--Belin Ibaimendi

EDIT: After thinking about it a little more carefully, I have realized that it's pretty strongly implied that fate played a role in their meeting; maybe none of their attributes mattered crucially. If Luthien had been ugly, perhaps Beren would have been blind.

[ August 08, 2002: Message edited by: Belin ]