In the First Age of Arda, as the Noldor Elves spread throughout Beleriand, they waged war
against the Dark Lord Morgoth.
After his defeat at Dagor Aglareb, Morgoth retreated to the fortress of Angband.
Yet the forces of the Elven Lords lacked the strength to assault his stronghold directly
and end the threat entirely, and so they focused on containing his evil while they settled
their people.
Under High King Fingolfin, the lands of Dorthonion, also known as Taur-na-Foen, came to be ruled
by his nephews, the sons of Finarfin, Angrod and Aegnor.
While the north eastern realm of Ladros was held by their human allies in the House of
Beor, one of the 3 tribes of the Edain who journeyed west over the blue mountains and
now made their home in Beleriand.
For four hundred years, there was relative peace as the Dark Lord Morgoth was held off
at the siege of Angband.
But after centuries of waiting, Morgoth at last unleashed his power upon them, bursting
forth from the walls of his fortress with rivers of flame, burning the elven armies
and surrounding lands.
He then unleashed his monstrous armies upon Beleriand in the Dagor Bragollach, which saw
the Dark Lord conquer much of the north, including the lands of Dorthonion, killing Angrod and
Aegnor.
The Lord of Ladros Bregolas was also killed in the fighting, but his younger brother Barahir
survived, even leading a small group of his bravest men near the Fen of Serech, saving
the life of the elven Lord Finrod, who swore an oath of friendship to the House of beor,
giving Barahir the Ring of Felagund as a symbol of this vow.
Although the lands of Ladros were soon lost as well, Barahir refused to leave the land
uncontested, and so sent his wife to lead the women and children away, while the warriors
remained to defend their homes.
Barahir and his people fought valiantly, but in the end only the chieftain remained, along
with 12 companions, including his son and heir Beren.
Yet still their resolve did not waiver and they lived as outlaws in the wilderness, attacking
Morgoth’s forces whenever possible.
Then one day, as one of their companions, later known as Gorlim the unhappy was off
on a hunt, near to where he once lived, he suddenly saw his wife moving about their old
home, alive and well.
Having thought her dead he rushed out from his place of hiding and ran to her, only to
be apprehended by forces of the Maia Sauron, Lieutenant of Morgoth.
Gorlim beset with grief and longing, made a deal with Sauron, betraying the location
of his companions in exchange for being reunited with his wife.
As a result, Barahir and his people were slaughtered at Tarn Aeluin, killing all except Beren who
was off running an errand for the group at the time of the massacre.
Sauron then revealed to Gorlim that the woman he’d seen was a spectre and that his wife
was long dead.
He then put Gorlim to death, thereby keeping his word of reuniting the couple.
With his father and companions gone, Beren lived alone in the wilderness for a time,
becoming a friend to the animals of the forest.
He ate no meat and killed nothing save for the followers of Morgoth he encountered.
Yet as bounty on his head increased, life in the north became more difficult and so
he made his way south into doriath.
And there travelling through the forests encountered an elven maiden so beautiful he fell in love
upon first glance.
For he had laid eyes upon Luthien Tenuviel as she danced and sang, daughter of King Thingol
of Doriath and Queen Melian the Maia.
This princess of the hidden kingdom of the Sindar Elves, was often claimed to be the
most beautiful maiden to ever exist, with a voice so beautiful snows melted when she
sang, and an aura so pure spring followed her as she walked.
Luthien, entranced by this stranger allowed him to come close and felt herself in love,
but then suddenly ran off, frightened by her unexpected feeling causing Beren to collapse
and sink into a void of despair.
Yet soon she returned to once again look upon the man who’d touched her heart.
And while they seemed so unlikely a match, Beren and Luthien fell madly in love, with
the Princess often journeying into the forest to meet with him in secret.
But Beren was not the only one pining for the affects of daughter of Thingol, for there
was also Daeron the Minstrel, who often played his flute for Luthien as she danced in the
Forest.
Daeron was so determined to be with her he began to spy upon her movements, discovering
her secret meetings with the human and reporting on her activities to the king.
Summoned before Thingol and Melian, Beren was so stuck by the grandeur and splendour
of the Elven halls and their lords he could not speak.
But after a moment found his courage and spoke with pride as Chieftain of the House of Beor.
He told the king and court of his family lineage and presented them the ring of felagund, demonstrating
the friendship his father had earned from a prince of the Noldor Elves.
And while this impressed many, Thingol was offended by the idea that his precious Luthien
would marry a human and therefore devised an impossible task that he demanded as bride
price for the hand of his daughter.
Before all the King decreed that Beren must retrieve a Silmaril jewel from the iron crown
of Morgoth, and return it to Doriath in order to be deemed worthy of marriage to Luthien.
Although this was clearly meant as a death sentence for the man, Beren accepted the price,
and said farwell, vowing to return with the jewel in his hand.
Melian, Queen of Doriath and a Maia of Valinor, spoke little during the meeting, but afterwards
warned her husband, that involving himself and the kingdom with the silmarils would bring
doom upon them all.
For the sons of Feanor had long ago vowed to retrieve the simarils at any cost, and
would never allow King Thingol to take possession of one of the jewels.
Yet events were now in motion that could not be stopped, with Beren travelling west to
Nargothrond, and meeting with the now High King Finrod Felagund, who recognized him at
once and did not need the ring for verification.
Finrod, bound by the oath he gave to Barahir, agreed to help Beren in his mission to retrieve
the simaril, but in doing so caused great uproar and dissention within his realm.
For the sons of Feanor were highly influential and powerful Noldor, with many friends and
allies that would follow them into rebellion should they turn against the high king.
And so when Finrod announced his plans to travel with Beren, Celegorm and Curufin openly
objected, convincing the realm not to wage war against Morgoth for such a cause.
Finrod, seeing his own people turn against him, removed his crown, unwilling to break
the oath made to the House of Beor, and left the realm with Beren and a small group of
loyal companions, fully aware that by leaving his crown behind he risked losing his kingdom
to the sons of Feanor.
On the way to Angband they encountered a party of orcs and slew them taking their weapons
and armor.
Then Finrod used his magic to change their appearance, so they might look like orcs for
the rest of their journey.
However Sauron became alerted to their presence when he noticed a party of orcs moving about
the lands without reporting their activities, as was the duty of all servants of Morgoth.
And so he came upon them only to be confronted by Finrod who engaged and the Dark Lord in
a wondrous battle, each using their magic to sing songs of power, clashing in a piercing
and treacherous sway of lethal force.
And while Finrod was strong and determined, he could not match the power of Sauron, defeated
and captured, along with beren and their companions.
They were then thrown into a dungeon of darkness, where the only things they sometimes saw were
the yellow eyes of a werewolf coming to devour one of the prisoners.
Sauron believed this would encourage them to reveal their purpose for travelling into
these lands, but none of the companions betrayed their king.
When only Finrod and Beren were left, the werewolf again came, but Finrod summoned the
last of his strength and burst forth, breaking his chains and slaying the beast with his
hands and teeth, suffering fatal wounds in the struggle.
Having fulfilled his oath to the House of Beor, Finrod said goodbye to his friend Beren
with his final words, aware that they would likely never see each other again, for the
fate of elves and men differed, and while Finrod would be reborn someday, humans were
destined to leave the world.
And so died the High King of the Noldor, leaving Beren in horrible grief, alone in the darkness.