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The LOTR Movie Site
April 22, 2000

It Makes Sense to Include Arwen in the Fellowship
John R.

A modern-day Tolkien, tasked with writing a greatly truncated screenplay of his sprawling story, and also ordered to make it commercially successful so as to repay his investors, would jump at the opportunity to include Arwen in the Fellowship.

The story of Aragorn and Arwen is itself the "commercial" version of the earlier story of Beren and Luthien. Aragorn and Arwen are descendants of Beren and Luthien. Arwen is thought to be Luthien's incarnation, and Aragorn inherits the ring of Barahir. Aragorn meets Arwen in the same way Beren meets Luthien, and both men are given the same impossible tasks in order to win the hand of their love.  Finrod and later his sister Galadriel both sacrifice their kingdoms and lives to aid the quests.

Luthien rescues Beren then accompanies him to the completion of his quest. She defeats Sauron and casts down Morgoth.

So including Arwen in the Fellowship is not "policitally correct". It is instead true to Tolkien's original material about the First Age. Personally I would have no problem dropping the ineffectual Legolas to be replaced by a spunky elf princess.