Arwen is a mystical beautiful elf maiden who makes a short appearance in the beginning of the book, who you almost forget during the book and who in the end appears again when she comes and weds the King. But that’s not all there is to Arwen.
Arwen half-elven is the daughter of Elrond and Celebrian and she is the Evenstar of her people. Great deeds or wars are not her destiny, but one man. She meets young Aragorn in Lothlórien, they fall in love and later get engaged. Arwen is ready to give up her immortality for Aragorn, and while Aragorn is abroad, Arwen awaits him in Rivendell. Arwen is greatly loved by her people and her father, as well as Aragorn, yet her fate is lonely and sorrowful. She has to part from her people and her beloved father for life because of her love for a mortal man. She is to support and be with Aragorn mostly in thought, and even though she later gets many happy years with him, her bitter fate is to diminish alone grieving for Aragorn. But all this she does from her own free will, because of her deep, deep love for Aragorn.
Arwen’s tale is mostly told in the Appendices of LotR and she speaks her only lines in the book itself when she talks with Frodo after the war, giving him a white gem and her place in the ship to Valinor. Other than that she is mentioned only a couple of times in the book before she comes to Minas Tirith to get married with Aragorn. But despite of her only few appearances in the book, her role is important, mostly because of her love for Aragorn. She is an important reason for Aragorn to fight, and no doubt Arwen’s loving thoughts reach Aragorn, as they tangibly do in the form of a standard she makes and sends him. The marriage of Arwen and Aragorn also finally unites the lines of all four great Kings of the High Elves.
by AinarielPalantir
