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 | - The LOTR Movie Site
 April 22, 2000
 It Makes Sense to
    Include Arwen in the FellowshipJohn 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.
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