Luthien Archetypes

It is in inarguable that some of Tolkien’s more well-known works contain an obvious lack of female characters. However, his pre-Hobbit mythologies do contain various memorable women. Still true though, is Tolkien’s insistence on constructing females that radiate pureness and perfection, usually possessing ethereal beauty, with little to no exceptions other than Ancalime. His heroines typically fall into one of three feminine archetypes derived from classic medieval literature and fairy tales. These are that of the Fairy Bride, the Good Witch, and the Shield Maiden. He makes many deliberate choices in writing female characters that seem to confine women into two-dimensional stereotypes. The obvious example of a Fairy Bride is Arwen and Aragorn. However, I prefer using the example of Luthien and Beren. Luthien is the prize of a heroic quest; Beren must steal a Silmaril for Luthien’s father. Luthien being the object of a love quest and providing the reason for Beren’s heroic adventure greatly correlates with classical mythology. Not to mention, her father has imprisoned her in a treehouse; much like the common occurrence of princesses being

These women are human girls who, scorning domesticity and female tasks, take up the warrior life. Disguising herself as a man and running off into battle after being forbidden to do so is also a feat found commonly in Germanic myths of shieldmaidens and Valkyries. Her story also strongly resonates with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth is told that he cannot be harmed by a man born of a woman. However, Macduff was not born from his mother and is therefore able to kill Macbeth. When Eowyn attacks the Witch-King, he claims he cannot be killed by any living man. Eowyn reveals herself to be a woman and ends up killing the Witch-King with Merry’s help. Clearly, Eowyn’s character has a strong foundation from myth and other classical