Silmarillion Adaptation Thread #2 of 4 - Beren and Lúthien Arc - Story Synopsis / Discussion

Part 1 -- Fëanor Arc
Part 2 -- Tale of Beren and Lúthien (this part)
Part 3 -- Tale of Túrin (of Pinkamena and the Children of Píe)
Part 4 -- Tale of Gondolin (of the Voyage of Clover the Clever)

Points of Adaptation in this section include: (at present)

Beren = Apple (ancestor of Applejack)
Lúthien = Flutterén, pegasus princess of Derpîath
Lothlann = Orchards of Lemonädy (where Apple is from)
Anfauglith = the Terribly Plain aka the Plain of Sudden Smooze
Dorthonion or Taur-nu-Fuin = Forest of Discordion or My-No-Taur
Melian = Derpian the Wise and Thingol = Hourglás (Time Turner)
Doriath = the Kingdom of Derpîath, Land of the Unicorns
Díor = Dinkya of Derpîath, Derpian's younger daughter
Húan = Angel of Bunnymór, Hare of the Ponytär
Barahir = Berrymór, Apple's mother
Beör = Fujî, Apple's grandmother
Tevópal, Princess of Cats
Sauron = Discord
(early Sauron rewritten as canon Discord. later, tyrannical Sauron may be split off into a composite character, e.g. Nightmare Moon)
Beleriand = Alfalfaland (similar geography, see map)
Celegorm = Tiaraform (princess), daughter of Starfall
Curufin = Súpturene (princess), daughter of Starfall
Carcharoth = Cerberus (duh)
Thuringwethil = ?? name ?? (bat pony)
Finrod Felagund = ? (Fillygund) hero character, possible male alicorn? or stand-in for show character, possibly Octavia(??)

2. Beren and Luthien arc -- Tolkien's main romance story -- skip ahead 400 years later. Men have awoken for the first time and primitive men traveled west into the forests of Beleriand, where they were adopted by Elves and given lands to live in, in return for their allegiance fighting Morgoth. Men have a dim memory of Morgoth from when the children of Men first awoke in the wilderness far to the east, and it is not good. Finrod Felagund, Galadriel's brother, went camping with his cousin Turgon in the Meres of Twilight, where they had a vision imparted to them by Ulmo, God of the Sea, of the destruction of Beleriand. He guided them separately to two hidden valleys where they could build hidden elf cities to try and save the civilization of high elves in the future. Turgon was guided to a secret tunnel through a dry river bed to an abandoned caldera, the Vale of Tumladen, where he took his people in secret to found the hidden city of Gondolin, surrounded by high mountains. The existence of this city was a closely guarded secret. Finrod traveled to the canyon of Narog, where ancient caves existed on the cliff walls; with the help of dwarves and the local grey-elves, he built the kingdom of Nargothrond there, and soon came to rule much of the surrounding lands. Galadriel stayed in the forest of Doriath with the elf-king Thingol and his wife Melian, an angelic being (of the same order as Gandalf). Although Thingol claimed lordship over all Beleriand, in practice Melian had weaved an impassable barrier around the forest of Doriath warding off all evil, or any that should enter without permission of the Elf King, and that was the kingdom of the grey elves, who had lived there for thousands of years. They had a daughter Lúthien, said to be the fairest of all the elves, for her father was the oldest elf, and her mother was Melian; she danced in the woods of Neldoreth, and it is said that birds and flowers sprang up wherever she went. For several hundred years after the creation of the sun and moon, the high elves of the Noldor had lived in the north and had kept a tight watch on the mountains of Angband across the plain to the north. During this period, Beren, son of Barahir, from a rustic but noble line of men, was born in the forest of Dorthonion, on the slopes facing the plain of Angband. However, when Beren had come of age, a great fire sprang out of Angband, and rivers of fire swept across the plain of Anfauglith, devastating Dorthonion and destroying the elf outposts. This was the Battle of Sudden Flame. In it, much of the Noldor (high elves of Feanor and Fingolfin) encampments and fortresses were destroyed, and the riders of the seven sons of Feanor were caught in the flame, although the sons survived. Finrod's outpost which guarded the Pass of Sirion, the main valley between Fingolfin's kingdom and the south, was overrun and taken over by Morgoth's chief lieutenant Sauron, a semi-divine being, sorcerer and trickster; it became known as Sauron's Isle. Sauron sent his monsters including wolves, were-wolves and vampire bats into the forests of Dorthonion, corrupting it and turning it into an enchanted forest, driving out all that was good there. Beren's people were nearly wiped out, but his father Barahir rescued Finrod in the Fens of Serech, the swamps in the pass of Sirion, and helped him make his escape. In gratitude Finrod gave him his signet ring, the Ring of Barahir, an artifact of Valinor and sign of his house, as a sign of loyalty and friendship with Beren's people. (This ring was later passed down to Aragorn, who wore it in the LOTR films.) High King Fingolfin, seeing the destruction of so many of his people, saw with foresight that Morgoth would never be overthrown, by any power of the Elves. In anger and despair, he travelled alone across the wastes of Anfauglith to the gates of Angband, and all the hosts of Morgoth cowered before him, for the light of Valinor was in his eyes, and he was full of wrath. There he challenged Morgoth to single combat before the gates of Angband -- and lost. But wounding the God of Evil seven times with his sword, Ringil (or "icicle"), he was caught off guard by Grond, Morgoth's Hammer of the Underworld, and crushed, his body rescued by eagles and buried on the peaks high above Gondolin. Retreating into the forest of Dorthonion, Beren and his father waged a losing guerrilla battle against Sauron's monsters in the woods, but they were captured one by one until there were only 12 companions left. One of these men, Gorlim, often traveled to the abandoned shack where his wife and family had lived. Sauron's spies found out about this and set a trap for Gorlim. Sauron gave him a vision of his wife, and when he called out for her, he was captured and brought before the throne of Sauron. The sorceror told him that he would be reunited with his wife if he gave up the location of Barahir's men. Gorlim betrayed them, and Sauron revealed that his wife was dead and that they would be reunited; then he put him cruelly to death. Orcs fell upon Barahir, slaughtering all 12 men; they cut off the hand of Barahir with the ring still on it, as proof the deed had been done. Beren was hunting in the woods and tracked the party of orcs and overtook them, reclaiming his father's ring. Beren now lived life as an outlaw, hunted by Sauron's forces, in the high fells of Dorthonion. He was befriended by the animals, who protected him and warned him of Sauron's approach; and he became a vegetarian, and decided to eat no meat, nor kill any but the monsters of Morgoth. Finally his situation became so dire that he was forced to retreat southwards, over the impassible precipices of Ered Gorgoroth, the Mountains of Terror, where no man had yet lived, and Nan Dungortheb, the Valley of Dreadful Death. This is where Ungoliant, mother of all spiders, had fled, and where she had laid her young. For Ungoliant had betrayed Morgoth on the flight from Valinor, and had demanded he give up all the jewels of the elves, that Feanor had created in Valinor, as payment for the death of the trees; for these jewels contained the great light of Valinor, and Ungoliant fed on light, consuming it and using it to weave her webs of unlight. "Yea, with both hands" I will pay thee, Morgoth had lightly uttered; but in his right hand he held the Silmarils, and these he would not relinquish. For a great spell lay on the Silmarils and all who sought them grew to desire their beauty, even though they were hallowed and the light of the Silmarils burned Morgoth to the touch; for he was not pure of heart. Ungoliant threatened to consume Morgoth himself; for with the death of the Trees she had grown great. But Morgoth cried out, and was rescued by Balrogs. Instead he placed the Silmarils in his Iron Crown, guarded by all his legions, in the uttermost hall of Angband beneath the earth; and these the Noldor sought, beyond all hope, to reclaim. It is said that Ungoliant passed away far to the south, where in the end, perhaps, she consumed herself. Beren passed through the Mountains of Terror, but would never tell of what he saw there. Now he was come upon the threshold of Doriath, where Girdle of Melian weaved her webs, and the webs of Melian interwove with the foul magic of the webs of Nan Dungortheb, for a narrow valley separated the enchanted forest of Doriath from the mountains to the north. None had passed through the Girdle of Melian without being turned back, but a great doom was upon Beren, and he passed through, wandering unwittingly and starving into the woods of Neldoreth, where he saw Luthien for the first time. That summer he followed her as she danced in the forest every day; and eventually she saw him, and they fell in love. The singer Daeron, an elf-minstrel who was high in the counsel of Thingol, also loved Luthien and was incensed at this outsider, and he told the king all that he had seen. Now Thingol, the king of the grey-elves, would not let most Noldor into his kingdom; and men he would not even take into his service. So no mortal man had ever been in Doriath before. But above all treasures he valued his daughter Luthien, and he would not consent to give her hand in marriage to high princes of the elves. With Luthien by his side, Beren was brought before the court of Thingol in the caverns of Menegroth, which were delved by elves and dwarves thousands of years ago. Beren found inner courage and told the King he desired her daughter's hand in marriage, for she was beyond all the jewels of the elves. There Thingol explained that he would have killed Beren swiftly had he not promised Luthien to spare his life; but having said that, he laid a mission on Beren to find and wrest a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth, for only then would he give his daughter's hand in marriage; and he imagined from this quest that Beren would not return. But Melian counseled him in private, saying that the Doom of the Noldor was now laid upon their kingdom; for a great fate was upon Beren and Luthien, and all who sought the Silmarils were subject to Feanor's oath. Thus began the Quest for the Silmaril, in which it is told that: Luthien escaped capture from the Tree of Hirilorn, where she was imprisoned by her father, enchanting her hair; Beren sought the aid of King Finrod Felagund, who honoring his oath, traveled with Beren through the Vale of Sirion, where they were captured by Sauron; using Finrod's magic, they were disguised as orcs, and Finrod engaged in a magical battle of song before the throne of Sauron, where his disguise was overthrown; but Sauron set his werewolves upon them one by one, to discover who they were, for he did not recognize them. Finrod gave up his life to defend Beren, the last survivor in the dungeons of Sauron. Traveling to Finrod's kingdom of Nargothrond, Luthien sought help from Finrod's people, but the kingdom had been taken over by the brothers Celegorm and Curufin, sons of Feanor who were full of anger and opposed Finrod's quest to aid Beren, for none but the sons of Feanor should hold a Silmaril. Jealous of Luthien for her beauty, they locked her in a cell of Nargothrond. But Curufin's dog, Huan, the Hound of Valinor, repented of his master's treachery and freed Luthien from prison, and he spoke for the first of three times, saying that it was fated that only the greatest wolf in the world would defeat Huan, and agreed to help her. Riding Huan like a steed, Luthien traveled north to Sauron's Isle. Sauron, knowing of the prophecy, sent out his greatest werewolf against Huan, and the vampire bat Thuringwethil, but he defeated them. Then Sauron came forth himself, in the form of the greatest werewolf ever seen, and he briefly cast aside Luthien's cloak of magic that she had wove; but Huan grabbed Sauron by the throat and he would not be defeated by Sauron's magic, no matter how many times Sauron changed form. Then Luthien approaching chastised Sauron for his ineptitude, and demanded he relinquish his castle to her, or else his body would be forsaken, and face the wrath of his master Morgoth; and Sauron fled into Dorthonion, taking the form of a vampire, and was not seen again. Then Luthien showed forth her power, and sang, and the walls of Sauron's castle came down, and the pits laid bare; and Beren was rescued. They traveled into the empty lands north of Doriath, where Luthien nursed them back to health; and news came to Finrod's people of the death of Finrod. But Celegorm and Curufin, fleeing the wrath of the people of Nargothrond, came upon Beren and Luthien unawares on horseback and tried to kidnap Luthien; and fired an arrow at Beren, but Huan rescued them again, turning on his former master. Beren took the magic blade of Celegorm, wrought by the smiths of Feanor, and traveled north to the edge of the wastes of Anfauglith, within sight of Angband. There he was full of despair, for he was sure he would never see Luthien again, and he sang a song of sorrow. But Luthien had other ideas, and rejoined him, where Luthien parted ways with the Huan and travelled into the wastes with Beren alone. Luthien used her magic once again, taking the pelt of the great werewolf Draugluin, and the bat-fell of the vampire Thuringwethel, whom Huan had slain, and wove them in disguise as servants of Morgoth, and so they entered into his kingdom. At the gates of Angband they were met by Carcaroth, the great wolf of Angband, who had been raised at the feet of Morgoth personally to guard the entrance, and he smelled through her disguise; but using her cloak that was weaved of her hair, Luthien cast a spell of enchantment on the creature, singing it to sleep, and it fell asleep for the first time, for it had been twisted to serve only Morgoth. They were then taken below to the uttermost hall of Angband, where Morgoth saw through their disguise, and he percieved Luthien, and stripped her of her disguise of the bat Thuringwethil. Morgoth knew that Luthien was a great prize, being the fairest and most magical of the elves, and he had dark thoughts, and he commanded that Luthien dance before his throne, and Luthien did so. But as she danced, she wove her spell of enchantment once again, and put all of Morgoth's court to sleep, and Morgoth's head dropped, and the Iron Crown fell on the floor. Using the enchanted knife Angrist which Celegorm had given him, Beren pried a Silmaril from the crown, and then attempted a second one; but the knife snapped, and a piece of it struck Morgoth upon the cheek, partially awakening Morgoth; and they fled in terror. Now all the hosts of Angband were roused and set against them; and they met Carcharoth upon the gate, and Beren thrust his hand forth in protection, with the Silmaril in it, and Carcharoth bit his hand off, consuming the Silmaril. But the Silmaril burned the wolf on the inside, for he was of Morgoth, and Carcharoth fled in pain, consumed by fire on the inside. Then one of the great Eagles of Valinor, who lived on the peaks above Gondolin, spied Beren and Luthien alone, and rescued them from the gates of Angband; but Beren was gravely wounded. Taken to Doriath, Beren fulfilled his oath, saying to Thingol that "even now, a Silmaril is in my hand"; and Thingol relented, and pledged his daughter's hand in marriage; but Beren was gravely ill. Now Carcharoth had also travelled southward, and came into Doriath, for a Silmaril was in its belly, and none could stand against his madness. Pledging to reclaim the Silmaril, Thingol travelled forth with Beren and the hound Huan, and Beren saved Thingol from the beast, but was mortally wounded, and Huan and Carcharoth slew each other. The Silmaril was cut from its stomach and given to Thingol. Then Luthien fell into a deep grief, and Beren passed away, and Luthien died upon the grave where Beren was laid above ground. It is said that Luthien then travelled to the Halls of the Dead in the Uttermost West, where the souls of elves reside to be reborn, and the spirits of men leave the world forever. There she sang a song about their story before the God of Death, Mandos, who is also the god of fate and prophecy; and he was moved, who had never been before so moved, for it was said to be the the most beautiful song ever sung, and full of sorrow. And since theirs was the first ever pairing of Elf and Man, Mandos restored them both to life -- for a time -- by the grace of the creator Illuvatar. But in so doing, Lúthien became mortal, and they went to live far in the south, and with the Silmaril upon her brow it is said that her beauty was so great that all things mortal withered away all the faster, and when they both died many years later, although their bodies were unspoiled until Beleriand sank beneath the waves, yet her soul departed Middle-Earth forever with Beren's, and the likes of her beauty were never seen again. Then the Silmaril passed to Dior, Beren's son, who eventually became lord of Doriath; but that is another story, and a sad one, for the doom of Feanor was now laid upon Doriath indeed.

-whew- this is just a summary, off the top of my head. there may be some small inaccuracies here and there.