The idea of Elves and Men eventually revering Luthien as a trickster spirit, a patron of impossible tasks and daring escapes, really appeals to me. Luthien steals herself from her father, a Silmaril from Morgoth, and her lover from Námo, which is a nice, tidy, fairy-tale worthy major triad of undeniable thievery. A slightly more diffuse trend of general (but laudable) trickery and skullduggery is demonstrated by Luthien stealing a dog from a prince; Luthien and Huan luring out and killing Tol Sirion’s guards one by one, undetected until Drauglin found them; Luthien making disguises out of the skins of vampires and werewolves and pretending to be a servant of Morgoth to sneak into Angband; and Luthien laying spells of weariness and sleep on Sauron, elves, wolves, and Morgoth alike to win some fights, sneak around, and pry a gem from Morgoth’s crown.



















