Did Beren and Luthien return to Middle-earth on a ship?

[Huinesoron]

Beren and Huan, at least, were buried - it's mentioned in the Synopsis V plan for canto 13 of the Lay of Leithian. The canto 14 plan says "release of Beren" and then jumps directly to Beleriand; Synopsis IV just says "the recall of Beren and Huan" (so any boat would have the dog on it too!).

For a moment, I thought NoME answered the question:

Originally Posted by 1.XIX, "Elvish Life-cycles"

Only in one known case, Beren, did the Valar -by special permission of Eru -restore a human body to life and suffer its fea to return.

But, typically, there's a counter-reference:

Originally Posted by 2.XV "Elvish Reincarnation"

The rehoused fea will normally remain in Aman. Only in very exceptional cases as Beren and Luthien will they be transported back to Middle-earth. (How perhaps need not be made any clearer than the mode in which the Valar in physical form could go from Aman to Middle-earth.)

The 1.XIX quote is from 1969, while the other is 1959, so it seems Tolkien's last comment was that Beren's original body was repaired in situ. But if you really want to reconcile the two, 1.XIX also mentions that Elves were rehoused "by healing of the body or complete rebuilding of one" - so Beren's new body could be a "complete rebuild" in Aman.

But still no boat, as far as I can see.

hS

[Arvegil145]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Beren and Huan, at least, were buried - it's mentioned in the Synopsis V plan for canto 13 of the Lay of Leithian. The canto 14 plan says "release of Beren" and then jumps directly to Beleriand; Synopsis IV just says "the recall of Beren and Huan" (so any boat would have the dog on it too!).

For a moment, I thought NoME answered the question:



But, typically, there's a counter-reference:



The 1.XIX quote is from 1969, while the other is 1959, so it seems Tolkien's last comment was that Beren's original body was repaired in situ. But if you really want to reconcile the two, 1.XIX also mentions that Elves were rehoused "by healing of the body or complete rebuilding of one" - so Beren's new body could be a "complete rebuild" in Aman.

But still no boat, as far as I can see.

hS

Nice find!

Though I wasn't being (too) literal about Beren and Luthien coming back to Middle-earth on a ship: for all I know, they could've been flown back on the backs of the Eagles.