Tolkien associated the character Lúthien with his wife Edith.
Lúthien is an immortal Elf who falls in love with the mortal human Beren in Tolkien’s legendarium. Their story appears in several forms, most notably in The Silmarillion, and concerns love, sacrifice, and the recovery of a Silmaril from the crown of the Dark Lord Morgoth.
Tolkien regarded Lúthien as inspired in part by Edith Tolkien. He recalled seeing Edith dancing in a wooded area near Roos in Yorkshire, an image connected to the creation of Lúthien’s character. Tolkien and Edith’s shared gravestone in Oxford identifies them as Beren and Lúthien.
Lúthien is sometimes confused with Arwen because both are Elven women connected to human lovers. Arwen’s story belongs to The Lord of the Rings, whereas Lúthien’s tale is set much earlier, in the First Age.