Lúthien

Lúthien Tinúviel, commonly called Lúthien, is a central figure in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. An elf-maiden of Doriath, she is the daughter of King Thingol and the Maia Melian, making her one of the most beautiful and powerful of the Elves. The Sindarin name Tinúviel means Nightingale. Lúthien's deeds and romance with mortal men form the core of the tale of Beren and Lúthien, and her story appears in The Silmarillion and the Lay of Leithian.

Her romance with Beren, a mortal man, drives a perilous quest to retrieve a Silmaril that Morgoth has taken. Thingol sets the bride-price as a Silmaril, and Lúthien and Beren, aided by Huan the hound, travel to Angband. Lúthien uses song, magic, and steadfast courage to elude Morgoth's guards and to win a Silmaril from his crown. Beren is slain during the venture, and Huan dies as well.

Grief drives Lúthien to plead with Mandos, who offers a choice: Beren's fate in the world, or Lúthien's own mortality so they can be together. Lúthien chooses mortality, and she and Beren are re-embodied in the mortal world. Their union bears Dior, the progenitor of a line that ultimately leads to Elwing, Elrond, and Arwen, and to the later ages of both Elves and Men.

The tale of Lúthien is a foundational narrative in The Silmarillion. It is celebrated for its themes of love, sacrifice, courage, and the tension between immortality and mortal life, and it has influenced later Tolkien writings, including the Lay of Leithian, a long, epic poem devoted to her story.