Tuor & Irdil
The fourth couple between an Elf and a Man comes from the hidden Elven city of Gondolin. The realm has been ruled since its establishment by King Turgon, who has forbidden leaving Gondolin under threat of death.
As long as no one can leave the city and tell about it, it must be safe. At least the king convinces himself of this, to the extent that he even ignores the warnings of the Valar Ulmo. Two Men were allowed to leave Gondolin: the brothers Húrin, the father of Túrin from the third presented romance, and Huor.
Huor’s son Tuor later enters Gondolin himself – cleverly sent by Ulmo, whom King Turgon did not want to listen to. That king has a daughter named Idril, who, unlike him, does not believe in the eternal existence of Gondolin. Her secret escape tunnel later saves many lives.
Idril and Tuor fall in love and marry in 502 of the First Age. Tuor is even appointed the leader of one of the twelve houses of Gondolin: the House of the Wing. The couple has a son named Eärendil, with whom they flee from the then attacked city in 510.
Before they succeed, however, Tuor must still save his wife and son from Idril’s own cousin Maeglin: He is responsible for Morgoth’s ability to find Gondolin. The Dark Lord promised him among other things the long-desired cousin Idril as a bride. In the midst of the battle for Gondolin, Maeglin attempts to capture Idril. Tuor eventually throws him off the city wall to his death.
From the ports of Sirion, where many of those fleeing Morgoth have hidden, Idril and Tuor eventually sail west in 525. It is said that Tuor is the only Man counted among the Elves and that his soul remains until the end of the world. It may thus be that he has gained immortality as the only Man.
Son Eärendil, on the other hand, remains at the ports. There he later marries Elwing, the daughter of Dior and thus granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien. The two have twins in 532: Elros and Elrond. Eärendil also sails westward to Valinor many years later and asks the Valar for help in the fight against Morgoth.
As a reward for his deeds, the Valar Manwë grants the family of Eärendil, Elwing, and all their descendants the choice of dying like Men or living forever like Elves. Elros chooses the fate of Men. Elrond, however, decides to count himself among the Elves. His daughter Arwen, however, will do the same as Elros late in the Third Age, for…
Aragorn & Arwen
… almost 6,400 years later, Arwen meets Aragorn, for whom she will later choose a mortal fate. She is the only daughter of Elrond and his wife Celebrian, who is the child of Galadriel and Celeborn. From the marriage also came the two older twin brothers Elladan and Elrohir.
Arwen first meets Aragorn in the year 2,952 of the Third Age, just a few years before the events of The Hobbit (2,941 T.A.) and The Lord of the Rings (3,018 T.A.). At this point, he is about 21 years old and lives as a Foster-son with Elrond in Rivendell.
At first sight, Aragorn sees Arwen as the reincarnation of her great-great-grandmother Lúthien and falls in love. She does not initially return his feelings, and Elrond makes it very clear that his daughter could not marry anyone less than the King of Gondor and Arnor. This drives Aragorn, at least in the books, to earn his crown.
However, love does not remain one-sided: In 2,980, Aragorn meets Arwen again, this time in Lothlórien, and sparks finally fly. The two pledge eternal fidelity and he gifts her the Ring of Barahir, which his distant ancestor from the house of Bëor once received from Galadriel’s brother Finrod.
While Aragorn joins the Fellowship in 3,018 and goes to war against Sauron, Arwen remains behind in Rivendell. There she chooses the fate of Men, as is allowed to her as a descendant of Eärendil and Elwing.
Ultimately, the two marry after Aragorn’s coronation in 3,019 of the Third Age. They have a son named Eldarion and at least two daughters.
Honorable Mention: In addition to the five mentioned romances, there is rumored in the world of The Lord of the Rings that a nobleman from Gondor named Imrazôr married the Elf maiden Mithrellas. From the union came a son and a daughter. Many generations later, Legolas encounters Imrazôr’s descendants Imrahil in the books and recognizes Elven blood in him.
This list was about a lot of lore and many background information that are not known in The Lord of the Rings. If you are still eager for more information about Middle-earth, you might find your next exciting article in our collection: The Lord of the Rings: Everything about the lore and history of Middle-earth
