J.R.R. Tolkien's wife, whom he portrayed as the inspiration for Lúthien, was Edith Tolkien.
Edith Mary Tolkien, born Edith Bratt, married J.R.R. Tolkien in 1916. Tolkien associated her with Lúthien, an Elven princess and renowned singer in his legendarium. He later described their relationship through the story of Beren and Lúthien, a mortal man and an immortal woman whose love endures extraordinary danger.
The connection was personal as well as literary. Tolkien had seen Edith dancing in a woodland setting, and he later recalled the image when developing Lúthien. The names Beren and Lúthien were eventually carved on the couple’s gravestone in Oxford.
Edith was not the model for Galadriel, another important female figure in Tolkien’s mythology. Galadriel is a powerful Elf with a different history and role. Edith and Tolkien remained married until his death in 1973, and she died in 1971.