Parallels Between the Pairs:
loving and happy magical couples with healthy relationships
They are morally good and everyone who isn’t evil loves them
Bombadil and Goldberry (B&G) have mysterious origins; nobody knows what happens to mortal men after death but Beren and Luthien (B&L) have been reborn before
B&G don’t really get involved in broader world issues because they are content; after their marriage B&L live happily ever after and don’t get involved in the war
Similarly, the forces of evil dare not bother either couple once they are secure in their land
Beren and Bombadil both first meet their wives in magical woodlands
both couples fall in love in fairy-tale type stories. B&L have the whole star-crossed-lovers, quest for the Silmaril, returning from the dead thing. B&G meet when she tries to drag him under the water (possibly to drown him), but he escapes and later returns and marries her.
both love stories start out a little creepy by modern standards (Beren chasing Luthien through the forest, Bombadil “capturing” Goldberry) but end up happy and healthy
both couples include a character inspired by someone Tolkien cared about and was close to: Luthien is inspired by his wife Edith, Bombadil is inspired by his close friend C.S. Lewis
Luthien and Goldberry Parallels:
Luthien and Goldberry are both associated with Spring. When Beren first meets Luthien, her song “released the sudden spring”(1). Bombadil sings of Goldberry “…till the merry spring, when the River-daughter [Goldberry] dances down the withy-path to bathe in the water.”(2)
On a similar note, Luthien and Goldberry both wear golden flowers: Luthien has “flowers of gold upon her mantle and her sleeves”(3), and Goldberry’s “belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag lilies”(4)
they appear young and are extremely beautiful
they have mystical maternal heritage: Luthien is the daughter of Melian the Maia, Goldberry is the daughter of the River
Both seem like elf maidens but are not quite so
they both have magical powers: Goldberry’s way with water and Luthien’s…everything
Beren and Bombadil Parallels:
They both spend significant portions of time gallivanting through the woods
They are both connected to nature: Beren spends years living in the wild and learns to speak to animals, Bombadil speaks to trees and knows the songs to deal with all the wild things in his land.
They both resist the temptation of powerful and dangerous objects: Bombadil is not even remotely tempted by the ring, and Beren is able to hold a Silmaril without being burnt and gives it freely to Thingol.
(1) (3) Song of Beren and Luthien
(2) (4) The Fellowship of the Ring
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