But there is of course one type of relationship that Tolkien specializes in throughout his works, and that is love stories. Among all of the adventure, war, and magic in Middle Earth, there is still room for people to fall in love. While they may not always be as central to the story as Frodo’s quest or the epic battles, Tolkien’s love stories are some of the most enduring parts of the story.

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First of all, the oldest love story, which takes place in the First Age, long before the events of The Hobbit and the quest to destroy the ring is that of Beren and Luthien, a mortal man and an elf maiden who gave her love to him. Theirs is a complex story, full of battles and separations and ultimately tragedy, but the two lovers always find their way back to one another.

Their love overcomes many obstacles, including Luthien’s father who doesn’t approve of the match for his daughter, and Beren’s death, which results in Luthien forfeiting her mortality in order to save him. But it is these trials that they face, these tests of their resolve to one another that ultimately strengthen their destiny and lead them to fight for each other. They are the bloodlines from which both Aragorn, who sings their song on the Midgewater Marshes, and Arwen descend.

This second match, which is arguably the most essential love story of the Lord of the Rings film adaptations, is one known to all. Despite Aragorn spending much of the Trilogy away from her, Arwen is his guiding light, his Evenstar, and she is the thing that keeps him going throughout the long journey ahead. She, like Luthien, chooses a mortal life to be with him, and passes up the opportunity to rest in the Undying Lands with her mother, who departed there long ago.

The pair have a much happier ending than Beren and Luthien though, as she sits beside Aragorn on the Throne of Gondor, and together they restore the kingdom and many of its surrounding lands to greatness.

One love story that isn’t featured so prominently is that of Faramir and Eowyn, who meet in the houses of healing after they are both wounded in battle. The shield-maiden of Rohan and the Steward of Gondor strike up an unlikely match as they find comfort and like-mindedness within each other and their experiences. They are a strong union, as they signify the coming together of the two mighty kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan. But more than this, they are a beautifully illustrated example of Tolkien’s belief in true love, in that they find each other when neither of them are looking.

Faramir, in the midst of contending with the loss of his brother and father, admires the strength of Eowyn, who is dealing with the loss of her Uncle Theoden, and the heartbreak at the rejection of Aragorn, who only ever saw her as a young lady, rather than the warrior that she is. When Eowyn discovers that Faramir sees her as she truly is, and as she wishes to be, true love prevails and they are united in marriage.

To combat all of the complex love stories that there have been, there is a much simpler one throughout the trilogy, that brings as much joy and romance to the audience as the aforementioned, and that is the love of Samwise and Rosie. There are many different type of hobbits, some are the brave kind, some are the cheeky kind, but when it comes to love, Sam is the bashful kind.

He has clearly admired Rosie from afar for a long time, but hasn’t the courage to tell her until he has traversed the whole of Middle Earth, fought many battles, contended with Gollum, survived on Lembas Bread, helped Frodo destroy the One Ring, and finally returned home again. Theirs is a pure kind of love, an uncomplicated, innocently blissful sort, that leaves readers and viewers with a warm feeling, a feeling that all is right with the world.

But how is it that Tolkien is able to muster such romantic thoughts within his followers, and create these love stories that inspire and enthrall? The answer to that lies in the fifth pairing. Not technically living in Middle Earth itself, but essential to it all the same, is the story of Tolkien’s own love. He doted on his wife, whom he was married to for 55 years, and who followed him through all of the twists and turns that their life took.

They had four children, and were each other’s whole world until her death sadly parted them in 1971. She was the inspiration behind his love stories, the reason that they feel so vivid and so powerful, and he had the names Beren and Luthien inscribed on their gravestones, where they were laid to rest next to one another in their local cemetery in Oxford.

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