List of Middle-earth plants
Encyclopedia
This is a list of all fictional plants that appear in J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
writings. Under the Species heading, only those that differ from real-world plants are included.
In Quenya
, an Elven
tongue devised by Tolkien, the general term for plants as distinct from animal
s was olvar.
that grew around the hill of Amon Rûdh in Beleriand
, described in the Narn i Hîn Húrin as "long-legged", sweet-smelling and creating gloomy "aisles" beneath the roof of branches. Christopher Tolkien
stated that aeglos was "like furze (gorse
), but larger, and with white flowers"; he also compared it with the yellow-flowered gorse bushes said in The Lord of the Rings
to have grown in Ithilien
. The name, shared by the spear of Gil-galad, means 'snow-thorn' in Sindarin
.
sang about "the golden bells ... of mallos and alfirin" that grew in the land of Lebennin in Gondor
; while in the story of Cirion and Eorl it is stated that "the white flowers of alfirin" bloomed upon the mound of Elendil
on Amon Anwar. Christopher Tolkien
surmised that in the second case the flower should be equated with the simbelmynë, which was also white-coloured and never-fading, and that in Legolas's song the reference is to a different plant.
, called asëa aranion in Quenya
and athelas in Sindarin, translated to Westron
(represented by English) as kingsfoil.
According to The Lord of the Rings, athelas was first brought to Middle-earth by Númenóreans
, but by the end of the Third Age
the knowledge of its healing properties had been forgotten by all except the Rangers of the North
. In the folklore of Gondor
, it was supposed to be especially powerful in the hands of the King. Aragorn
used athelas three times in the narrative: first, to treat the wound inflicted on Frodo
by the Witch-king
with a Morgul-blade, second to tend the wounds of Sam and Frodo after the Fellowship's escape from Moria
, and third to heal Éowyn
, Faramir
, and Merry
of the effects of the Black Breath after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields
. The last, in light of the folklore of Gondor, generated rumours that a King had returned to Gondor.
In the Lay of Leithian the hound Huan finds athelas to heal Beren
in Beleriand in the First Age
. Perhaps Tolkien forgot his statement in The Lord of the Rings that athelas was brought to Middle-earth by the Númenóreans, or perhaps the herb previously grew only in Beleriand and was reintroduced to Middle-earth by the Númenóreans in the Second Age after the sinking of Beleriand.
Ursula K. Le Guin
includes in A Wizard of Earthsea
an allusion to Kingsfoil, as one of the herbs in the hut of the witch of Gont.
of Gondor
. The name translates from Quenya
as 'golden-red tree', referring to the colour of the tree's foliage. Culumalda was not mentioned by J. R. R. Tolkien himself in published writings, it only appears in Christopher Tolkien
's Appendix to the published Silmarillion.
David Day
in his A Tolkien Bestiary conjectured that the elves found culumalda reminiscent of the Laurelin
, and that it was thin and tall.
. It grew abundantly on the Cerin Amroth mound in Lothlórien together with niphredil, and also in Tol Eressëa
. On Frodo Baggins
's suggestion, Samwise Gamgee
named his daughter, Elanor the Fair, after this flower.
, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa
by the Elves. The name can be translated from Quenya as 'summer white-blossom'.
by Eldar from Tol Eressëa
. It is said by mariners that the scent could "be felt on the air long ere the land of Eressëa could be seen, and that it brought a desire of rest and great content."
This tree is not mentioned among the trees brought by the Eldar from Tol Eresseä
in "A Description of Númenor" in "The Unfinished Tales".
. The casket in which the Crown of Gondor was kept after the death of Eärnur and before the coming of Elessar
was made of lebethron, as well as the walking-staves presented by Faramir
to Frodo
and Sam
in Ithilien.
and Erendis
's wedding. The first part of the name apparently derives from Quenya lis 'honey', being a reference to the tree's odour.
. mellyrn) is the Sindarin
name of the plant, its Quenya equivalent being malinornë; both mean 'golden tree' and refer to the leaves' colour in autumn and winter. The tree is most fully described in Unfinished Tales
:
According to the same text, mellyrn originally grew upon the isle of Tol Eressëa
(and likely in Valinor
also), where they were accounted to be exceptionally tall. Early in the Second Age
seeds were brought by the Elves to Númenor
; there the trees grew only in the westward province Nísimaldar, "reaching after five centuries a height scarce less than in Eressëa itself". Later King Tar-Aldarion
presented some seeds to Gil-galad
, Lord of Lindon
, the westernmost realm in Middle-earth; but these did not take root in his kingdom, so Gil-galad gave them instead to Galadriel
. "Under her power" the mellyrn had sprouted in the land of Lothlórien, but "they did not reach the height or girth of the groves of Númenor."
Tolkien stated that the original name of Lothlórien, Lórinand or the "Valley of Gold", was chosen by Galadriel with a reference to the mallorn trees; The Lord of the Rings adds that the trees became the most famous property of the realm among other peoples of Middle-earth, and the land was often known as the "Golden Wood". The Elves of Lothlórien after some time began to build their houses high upon these trees, constructing around the trunk a "flet", supported by the branches. Their main city Caras Galadhon
was entirely built upon the mellyrn. They were also accustomed to wrap lembas in mallorn-leaves.
The only mallorn in Middle-earth outside Lothlórien was the Party Tree in the Shire
which replaced the previous one, which had been destroyed during Saruman's occupation of the Shire. It sprouted out of the seed that Galadriel presented to Samwise Gamgee
. Tolkien seems to imply that it did sprout only because of Galadriel's "magic" soil that Sam had added at that spot.
In his drafts for Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin, Tolkien proposed that mallorn-trees grew in the city of Gondolin in the First Age
; however, Christopher Tolkien
noted that later writings "do not suggest, though they do not deny, that mellyrn flourished in Gondolin in the Elder Days
."
sang of it thus:
Its name can be interpreted in Sindarin as 'gold-snow'.
at the birth of Lúthien
. Together with elanor, it also grew in Lothlórien upon Cerin Amroth.
and Uinen
", and they passed this tradition to the Númenóreans. When a ship of the latter departed into a long journey to Middle-earth, a woman of captain's kin was accustomed to "set upon the vessel's prow the Green Bough of Return" cut from an oiolairë tree.
This bough forms an important plot detail of the story Aldarion and Erendis. According to the narrative, King Tar-Meneldur at one point refused to bless his son Aldarion
's sailing to Middle-earth and forbade his kin to set oiolairë upon the ship; and Erendis
won Aldarion's love by doing this instead. She set it several times later, though her love for Aldarion gradually lessened; but after a bough became frozen during one journey, Erendis disapproved completely of Aldarion's journeys. Another woman used to bless his ships for some time, until Aldarion forsook the tradition and instead placed upon the prow an image of an eagle presented to him by Círdan
; by that time he had finally breached with Erendis.
during the Second Age
, as Merry
speculates in the Prologue, and as suggested by its common name in Gondor: westmansweed. It was known among the Dúnedain
as sweet galenas for its fragrance. As the Hobbit
s' custom of smoking it became more widely known, the habit spread to Dwarves
and the Rangers of the North
, and the plant became known as Halflings' Leaf.
Pipe-weed was first grown among Hobbits by Tobold Hornblower in Longbottom (a region in the Southfarthing of the Shire
). Despite its foreign origins, the Hobbits (possibly those in Bree
) were the first to use it for smoking. (As Merry points out, not even the Wizards had thought of that.) Popular Hobbit-grown varieties include Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, and Southern Star; its cultivation became an established industry in the Southfarthing.
The Wizard Gandalf
learned to smoke pipe-weed from the Hobbits. In The Hobbit
he turns smoke-rings into different colours. One palpable description of the weed's effects is given by Gandalf to fellow wizard Saruman
upon a meeting of the White Council
:
Although Saruman initially derided Gandalf for smoking, at some point he took up the habit himself. After the destruction of Isengard
, pipe-weed is found among its food stores, but the Hobbits Merry
and Pippin
fail to realize the sinister implications of the discovery that Saruman has had commerce with the Shire.
The word pipe-weed first appears in the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings in the section called "Concerning Pipe-weed". Tolkien says the Hobbits of old "imbibed or inhaled through pipes of clay or wood, the smoke of the burning leaves of an herb, which they called pipe-weed or leaf, a variety probably of Nicotiana
." In the same paragraph, Tolkien as narrator refers to "the tobacco of the Southfarthing." Throughout The Lord of the Rings none of the characters ever uses the word tobacco. The word tobacco is only used in the narrative voice of the books.
For example; in The Two Towers
, tobacco is used once. In the chapter "Flotsam and Jetsam" Tolkien as narrator says "He produced a small leather bag full of tobacco." Merry is then quoted saying "we found they were filled with this: as fine a pipe-weed as you could wish for, and quite unspoilt." Pipe-weed is used 4 times in The Two Towers.
Author T. A. Shippey
speculates that Tolkien may have preferred the Old World
sound of pipe-weed, because tobacco, an Arawakan
name for a New World
plant, would be an anachronism, and have a "foreign feel" in the world of elves and trolls.
The Hobbit
, which was written before the The Lord of the Rings
, uses tobacco exclusively. Pipe-weed does not occur at all.
, with the result that the hill looked as if dripped with blood. The name can be translated from Sindarin as 'blood of stone'. Christopher Tolkien also stated that it resembled the real-world plant stonecrop
.
In The Lord of the Rings, simbelmynë was a white flower that grew in Rohan
primarily on the burial mounds of the Kings, and most thickly on the grave of Helm Hammerhand
. The name, also translated from Old English
as Evermind, is a reference to the plant's blossoming during the whole of the year.
Tolkien introduced flowers with similar characteristics into his later writings. In Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin it is stated that star-shaped white flowers of uilos, "the Evermind that knows no season and withers not", grew before the Gate of Silver in Gondolin in the First Age
; and in Cirion and Eorl white alfirin bloomed upon the mound of Elendil
on Amon Anwar in Gondor. Their names are also reminiscent of Evermind: uilos means 'everlasting snow' in Sindarin
, and alfirin is 'immortal'. Christopher Tolkien
expressedly equated them with the simbelmynë.
, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa
by the Elves. The name means 'leaf of Taniquetil' in Quenya
.
, one of the Valier
, and Quenya rianna 'crown-gift'.
. It stood not far from the gates of Menegroth, the capital of the kingdom. Hírilorn had three trunks, equal in girth, smooth in rind, and exceedingly tall; no branches grew from them for a great height above the ground.
Here the elven princess Lúthien
was imprisoned to prevent her leaving Doriath, after she had decided to search for her beloved Beren
. A wooden house from which she should not escape was built far aloft between the shafts of Hírilorn, and there Lúthien was made to dwell. She eventually escaped by putting forth her arts of enchantment and putting the guards to sleep.
The name Hírilorn means "Lady-tree" in Sindarin
. Tolkien also suggested that the Sindarin word neldor "beech" was a name of Hírilorn, being derived from neld- "three" and orn "tree".
from the Old Forest
to the east of the Shire. When the company of Frodo Baggins
was passing nearby, Old Man Willow cast a spell of sleep upon them, trapping them; the hobbits were saved by Tom Bombadil
.
. During the renowned party held by Bilbo Baggins
in S. R. 1401, a huge tent was erected around it, where the main guests were assembled. This Party Tree was cut down on Lotho Sackville-Baggins's orders in 1419, but next year Master Samwise Gamgee
planted at this spot a seed of mallorn presented to him by Galadriel
, and the new tree grew there for a long time afterwards.
and illumined that land. After they had been slain by Morgoth
and Ungoliant
, their light was only preserved in the Silmaril
s. The elder of the trees, called Telperion, had dark-green leaves and white cherry
-like flowers; the younger Laurelin had pale-green leaves and golden blossom reminiscent of that of laburnum
.
, except that they did not give light. The first of these was Galathilion of Tirion
, from which were descended Celeborn of Tol Eressëa, Nimloth
of Númenor and the White Trees
of Gondor.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
writings. Under the Species heading, only those that differ from real-world plants are included.
In Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
, an Elven
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
tongue devised by Tolkien, the general term for plants as distinct from animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s was olvar.
Aeglos
A kind of shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
that grew around the hill of Amon Rûdh in Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
, described in the Narn i Hîn Húrin as "long-legged", sweet-smelling and creating gloomy "aisles" beneath the roof of branches. Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
stated that aeglos was "like furze (gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
), but larger, and with white flowers"; he also compared it with the yellow-flowered gorse bushes said in The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
to have grown in Ithilien
Ithilien
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Ithilien is a region and fiefdom of Gondor.Ithilien, or "Moon-land," is the easternmost province of Gondor, the only part of Gondor across the Great River Anduin lying between the river and the Mountains of Shadow , subdivided by the stream of...
. The name, shared by the spear of Gil-galad, means 'snow-thorn' in Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
.
Alfirin
The name alfirin, apparently meaning 'immortal' in Sindarin, was used by Tolkien twice. In The Lord of the Rings, LegolasLegolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
sang about "the golden bells ... of mallos and alfirin" that grew in the land of Lebennin in Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
; while in the story of Cirion and Eorl it is stated that "the white flowers of alfirin" bloomed upon the mound of Elendil
Elendil
Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
on Amon Anwar. Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
surmised that in the second case the flower should be equated with the simbelmynë, which was also white-coloured and never-fading, and that in Legolas's song the reference is to a different plant.
Athelas
A healing herbHerb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
, called asëa aranion in Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
and athelas in Sindarin, translated to Westron
Westron
Westron, or the Common Speech, is a fictional language in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien.Westron is the closest thing to a lingua franca in Middle-earth, at least at the time during which The Lord of the Rings is set. "Westron" is an invented English word, derived from West...
(represented by English) as kingsfoil.
According to The Lord of the Rings, athelas was first brought to Middle-earth by Númenóreans
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
, but by the end of the Third Age
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
the knowledge of its healing properties had been forgotten by all except the Rangers of the North
Rangers of the North
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Rangers of the North, also known as the Dúnedain of the North, were the descendants of the Dúnedain from the lost kingdom of Arnor...
. In the folklore of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
, it was supposed to be especially powerful in the hands of the King. Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
used athelas three times in the narrative: first, to treat the wound inflicted on Frodo
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
by the Witch-king
Witch-king of Angmar
The Witch-king of Angmar, also known as the Lord of the Nazgûl and the Black Captain among other names, is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. In Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, he is the chief of the Nazgûl , the chief servants...
with a Morgul-blade, second to tend the wounds of Sam and Frodo after the Fellowship's escape from Moria
Moria (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth, comprising a vast network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls or 'mansions', that ran under and ultimately through the Misty Mountains...
, and third to heal Éowyn
Éowyn
Éowyn is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, who appears in his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. She is a noblewoman of Rohan who describes herself as a "shieldmaiden".-Literature:...
, Faramir
Faramir
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Faramir is a fictional character appearing in The Lord of the Rings. He is introduced as the younger brother of Boromir of the Fellowship of the Ring and second son of Denethor II, the Steward of the realm of Gondor...
, and Merry
Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings....
of the effects of the Black Breath after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields
Battle of the Pelennor Fields
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy fiction, the Battle of Pelennor Fields is the battle for the city of Minas Tirith between the forces of Gondor and its allies, and the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron...
. The last, in light of the folklore of Gondor, generated rumours that a King had returned to Gondor.
In the Lay of Leithian the hound Huan finds athelas to heal Beren
Beren
Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...
in Beleriand in the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
. Perhaps Tolkien forgot his statement in The Lord of the Rings that athelas was brought to Middle-earth by the Númenóreans, or perhaps the herb previously grew only in Beleriand and was reintroduced to Middle-earth by the Númenóreans in the Second Age after the sinking of Beleriand.
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
includes in A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968, is the first of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in the fantasy world archipelago of Earthsea depicting the adventures of a budding young wizard named Ged...
an allusion to Kingsfoil, as one of the herbs in the hut of the witch of Gont.
Culumalda
A tree that grew at the Field of Cormallen in North IthilienIthilien
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Ithilien is a region and fiefdom of Gondor.Ithilien, or "Moon-land," is the easternmost province of Gondor, the only part of Gondor across the Great River Anduin lying between the river and the Mountains of Shadow , subdivided by the stream of...
of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
. The name translates from Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
as 'golden-red tree', referring to the colour of the tree's foliage. Culumalda was not mentioned by J. R. R. Tolkien himself in published writings, it only appears in Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
's Appendix to the published Silmarillion.
David Day
David Day (Canadian writer)
David Day is a Canadian author most notably known for his biographies about J. R. R. Tolkien and his works.-Biography:...
in his A Tolkien Bestiary conjectured that the elves found culumalda reminiscent of the Laurelin
Two Trees of Valinor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Two Trees of Valinor are Telperion and Laurelin, the Silver Tree and the Gold that brought light to the Land of the Valar in ancient times...
, and that it was thin and tall.
Elanor
A small star-shaped yellow flower, whose name means 'sun-star' in SindarinSindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
. It grew abundantly on the Cerin Amroth mound in Lothlórien together with niphredil, and also in Tol Eressëa
Tol Eressëa
In early versions of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium , Tol Eressëa was an island visited by the Anglo-Saxon traveller Ælfwine which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. The name is the Elvish for "Lonely Island"...
. On Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
's suggestion, Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...
named his daughter, Elanor the Fair, after this flower.
Lairelossë
An evergreen and fragrant tree that grew in the province of Nísimaldar in NúmenorNúmenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa
Tol Eressëa
In early versions of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium , Tol Eressëa was an island visited by the Anglo-Saxon traveller Ælfwine which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. The name is the Elvish for "Lonely Island"...
by the Elves. The name can be translated from Quenya as 'summer white-blossom'.
Laurinquë
A tree with "long-hanging clusters of yellow flowers" that grew in the province of Hyarrostar in Númenor, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa by the Elves. The name is derived from Quenya laurë 'golden'.Lavaralda
A tree with long green leaves, golden on the undersides that bears pale flowers, with a yellow flush, which "laid thickly on the branches like a sunlit snow". The tree was brought to NúmenorNúmenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
by Eldar from Tol Eressëa
Tol Eressëa
In early versions of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium , Tol Eressëa was an island visited by the Anglo-Saxon traveller Ælfwine which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. The name is the Elvish for "Lonely Island"...
. It is said by mariners that the scent could "be felt on the air long ere the land of Eressëa could be seen, and that it brought a desire of rest and great content."
This tree is not mentioned among the trees brought by the Eldar from Tol Eresseä
Tol Eressëa
In early versions of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium , Tol Eressëa was an island visited by the Anglo-Saxon traveller Ælfwine which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. The name is the Elvish for "Lonely Island"...
in "A Description of Númenor" in "The Unfinished Tales".
Lebethron
A species of tree that grew in GondorGondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
. The casket in which the Crown of Gondor was kept after the death of Eärnur and before the coming of Elessar
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
was made of lebethron, as well as the walking-staves presented by Faramir
Faramir
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Faramir is a fictional character appearing in The Lord of the Rings. He is introduced as the younger brother of Boromir of the Fellowship of the Ring and second son of Denethor II, the Steward of the realm of Gondor...
to Frodo
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
and Sam
Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...
in Ithilien.
Lissuin
A sweet-smelling flower from Tol Eressëa, "whose fragrance brings heart's ease." Some of these were brought by the Elves to Númenor for the adornment of a feast following AldarionTar-Aldarion
Tar-Aldarion is a character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium.He was the sixth King of Númenor, succeeding his father, Tar-Meneldur. He was a great mariner, and during his time Númenor started to invest more in its navy and strengthened its presence overseas in Middle-earth. He wedded Erendis in...
and Erendis
Erendis
Erendis is the fictional wife of King Tar-Aldarion of Númenor in J. R. R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales and, as such, the Queen Consort of Númenor. Erendis was beautiful, fell in love with Aldarion as a young maiden, and was approved by his parents as a suitable consort.-Fictional biography:Erendis...
's wedding. The first part of the name apparently derives from Quenya lis 'honey', being a reference to the tree's odour.
Mallorn
A huge Elven tree that grew in Tol Eressëa, Númenor and in Lothlórien. Mallorn (plPlural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
. mellyrn) is the Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
name of the plant, its Quenya equivalent being malinornë; both mean 'golden tree' and refer to the leaves' colour in autumn and winter. The tree is most fully described in Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...
:
Tol Eressëa
In early versions of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium , Tol Eressëa was an island visited by the Anglo-Saxon traveller Ælfwine which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. The name is the Elvish for "Lonely Island"...
(and likely in Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
also), where they were accounted to be exceptionally tall. Early in the Second Age
Second Age
The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....
seeds were brought by the Elves to Númenor
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
; there the trees grew only in the westward province Nísimaldar, "reaching after five centuries a height scarce less than in Eressëa itself". Later King Tar-Aldarion
Tar-Aldarion
Tar-Aldarion is a character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium.He was the sixth King of Númenor, succeeding his father, Tar-Meneldur. He was a great mariner, and during his time Númenor started to invest more in its navy and strengthened its presence overseas in Middle-earth. He wedded Erendis in...
presented some seeds to Gil-galad
Gil-galad
Ereinion Gil-galad is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, and featured in The Silmarillion.- Character overview :...
, Lord of Lindon
Lindon (Middle-earth)
Lindon is the land beyond the Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains, in the northwest of Middle-earth in the fictional universe of J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the westernmost land of the continent. The Gulf of Lune divides it into Forlindon and Harlindon...
, the westernmost realm in Middle-earth; but these did not take root in his kingdom, so Gil-galad gave them instead to Galadriel
Galadriel
Galadriel is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth legendarium. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
. "Under her power" the mellyrn had sprouted in the land of Lothlórien, but "they did not reach the height or girth of the groves of Númenor."
Tolkien stated that the original name of Lothlórien, Lórinand or the "Valley of Gold", was chosen by Galadriel with a reference to the mallorn trees; The Lord of the Rings adds that the trees became the most famous property of the realm among other peoples of Middle-earth, and the land was often known as the "Golden Wood". The Elves of Lothlórien after some time began to build their houses high upon these trees, constructing around the trunk a "flet", supported by the branches. Their main city Caras Galadhon
Caras Galadhon
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Caras Galadhon is a fictional city in his work The Lord of the Rings. It appears mostly in The Fellowship of the Ring, but it is also mentioned in the Appendices of The Return of the King....
was entirely built upon the mellyrn. They were also accustomed to wrap lembas in mallorn-leaves.
The only mallorn in Middle-earth outside Lothlórien was the Party Tree in the Shire
Shire (Middle-earth)
The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in...
which replaced the previous one, which had been destroyed during Saruman's occupation of the Shire. It sprouted out of the seed that Galadriel presented to Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...
. Tolkien seems to imply that it did sprout only because of Galadriel's "magic" soil that Sam had added at that spot.
In his drafts for Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin, Tolkien proposed that mallorn-trees grew in the city of Gondolin in the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
; however, Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
noted that later writings "do not suggest, though they do not deny, that mellyrn flourished in Gondolin in the Elder Days
Elder Days
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Elder Days are the first Ages of Middle-earth.During the Second and Third Age, the term referred to the First Age and before, but in the Fourth Age the term began to be applied to all three ages which came before: a time before the dominance of Men and the...
."
Mallos
This flower appears only once in Tolkien's writings. In The Lord of the Rings LegolasLegolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
sang of it thus:
- And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin
- In the green fields of Lebennin.
Its name can be interpreted in Sindarin as 'gold-snow'.
Nessamelda
An evergreen and fragrant tree that grew in the province of Nísimaldar in Númenor, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa by the Elves. The name apparently means 'beloved of Nessa' in Quenya.Niphredil
A pale Winter flower, whose name means 'snowdrop' in Sindarin. It first bloomed in the forest of Neldoreth in DoriathDoriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
at the birth of Lúthien
Lúthien
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...
. Together with elanor, it also grew in Lothlórien upon Cerin Amroth.
Oiolairë
A tree that grew in Númenor, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa by the Elves. It had "ever-green, glossy and fragrant" leaves and throve upon sea-air; its bough was believed not to wither "so long as it was washed with the [sea]-spray", which is the source of its name ('ever-summer' in Quenya). The Elves of Eressëa used to set a branch of oiolairë upon their ships "in token of friendship with OssëOssë
Ossë is a fictional character in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. She is introduced in The Silmarillion as an angelic being known as a Maia, associated with Ulmo, one of the Valar ....
and Uinen
Uinen
Uinen is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. A Maiar spirit known as "The Lady of the Sea".Her hair lies spread throughout all waters, and her love is given to the creatures that live in salt streams and also the weeds that grow there...
", and they passed this tradition to the Númenóreans. When a ship of the latter departed into a long journey to Middle-earth, a woman of captain's kin was accustomed to "set upon the vessel's prow the Green Bough of Return" cut from an oiolairë tree.
This bough forms an important plot detail of the story Aldarion and Erendis. According to the narrative, King Tar-Meneldur at one point refused to bless his son Aldarion
Tar-Aldarion
Tar-Aldarion is a character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium.He was the sixth King of Númenor, succeeding his father, Tar-Meneldur. He was a great mariner, and during his time Númenor started to invest more in its navy and strengthened its presence overseas in Middle-earth. He wedded Erendis in...
's sailing to Middle-earth and forbade his kin to set oiolairë upon the ship; and Erendis
Erendis
Erendis is the fictional wife of King Tar-Aldarion of Númenor in J. R. R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales and, as such, the Queen Consort of Númenor. Erendis was beautiful, fell in love with Aldarion as a young maiden, and was approved by his parents as a suitable consort.-Fictional biography:Erendis...
won Aldarion's love by doing this instead. She set it several times later, though her love for Aldarion gradually lessened; but after a bough became frozen during one journey, Erendis disapproved completely of Aldarion's journeys. Another woman used to bless his ships for some time, until Aldarion forsook the tradition and instead placed upon the prow an image of an eagle presented to him by Círdan
Círdan
Círdan the Shipwright is a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien. He was a Telerin Elf, a great mariner and shipwright, and lord of the Falas during much of the First Age. He was the bearer of the Great Ring Narya, which he in turn gave to Gandalf.He had a beard, which was rare for...
; by that time he had finally breached with Erendis.
Pipe-weed
Pipe-weed, a herb with sweet-scented flowers, was evidently brought to Middle-earth by the NúmenóreansNúmenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
during the Second Age
Second Age
The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....
, as Merry
Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings....
speculates in the Prologue, and as suggested by its common name in Gondor: westmansweed. It was known among the Dúnedain
Dúnedain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Dúnedain were a race of Men descended from the Númenóreans who survived the sinking of their island kingdom and came to Eriador in Middle-earth, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion...
as sweet galenas for its fragrance. As the Hobbit
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...
s' custom of smoking it became more widely known, the habit spread to Dwarves
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
and the Rangers of the North
Rangers of the North
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Rangers of the North, also known as the Dúnedain of the North, were the descendants of the Dúnedain from the lost kingdom of Arnor...
, and the plant became known as Halflings' Leaf.
Pipe-weed was first grown among Hobbits by Tobold Hornblower in Longbottom (a region in the Southfarthing of the Shire
Shire (Middle-earth)
The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in...
). Despite its foreign origins, the Hobbits (possibly those in Bree
Bree (Middle-earth)
Bree is a fictional village in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, east of the Shire and south of Fornost Erain. It is thought to have been inspired by the Buckinghamshire village of Brill, which Tolkien visited regularly in his early years at Oxford...
) were the first to use it for smoking. (As Merry points out, not even the Wizards had thought of that.) Popular Hobbit-grown varieties include Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, and Southern Star; its cultivation became an established industry in the Southfarthing.
The Wizard Gandalf
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
learned to smoke pipe-weed from the Hobbits. In The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
he turns smoke-rings into different colours. One palpable description of the weed's effects is given by Gandalf to fellow wizard Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
upon a meeting of the White Council
White Council
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the White Council is a group of Eldar Lords and Wizards of Middle-earth, formed to contest the growing power of Dol Guldur, at the request of Galadriel...
:
- "You might find that smoke blown out cleared your mind of shadows within. Anyway, it gives patience, to listen to error without anger."
Although Saruman initially derided Gandalf for smoking, at some point he took up the habit himself. After the destruction of Isengard
Isengard
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Isengard , a translation of the Sindarin Angrenost, was a large fortress. Both names mean "Iron fortress" In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Isengard , a translation of the Sindarin Angrenost, was a large fortress....
, pipe-weed is found among its food stores, but the Hobbits Merry
Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings....
and Pippin
Peregrin Took
Peregrin Took, more commonly known as Pippin, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Pippin is introduced as a Hobbit who plays a major role as one of the companions of Frodo Baggins, in his quest to destroy the One Ring.Peregrin was the only son of...
fail to realize the sinister implications of the discovery that Saruman has had commerce with the Shire.
The word pipe-weed first appears in the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings in the section called "Concerning Pipe-weed". Tolkien says the Hobbits of old "imbibed or inhaled through pipes of clay or wood, the smoke of the burning leaves of an herb, which they called pipe-weed or leaf, a variety probably of Nicotiana
Nicotiana
Nicotiana is a genus of herbs and shrubs of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America, Australia, south west Africa and the South Pacific. Various Nicotiana species, commonly referred to as tobacco plants, are cultivated and grown to produce tobacco. Of all Nicotiana species,...
." In the same paragraph, Tolkien as narrator refers to "the tobacco of the Southfarthing." Throughout The Lord of the Rings none of the characters ever uses the word tobacco. The word tobacco is only used in the narrative voice of the books.
For example; in The Two Towers
The Two Towers
The Two Towers is the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. It is preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring and followed by The Return of the King.-Title:...
, tobacco is used once. In the chapter "Flotsam and Jetsam" Tolkien as narrator says "He produced a small leather bag full of tobacco." Merry is then quoted saying "we found they were filled with this: as fine a pipe-weed as you could wish for, and quite unspoilt." Pipe-weed is used 4 times in The Two Towers.
Author T. A. Shippey
Tom Shippey
Thomas Alan Shippey is a scholar of medieval literature, including that of Anglo-Saxon England, and of modern fantasy and science fiction, in particular the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, about whom he has written several scholarly studies. He is widely considered one of the leading academic scholars...
speculates that Tolkien may have preferred the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
sound of pipe-weed, because tobacco, an Arawakan
Arawakan languages
Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....
name for a New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
plant, would be an anachronism, and have a "foreign feel" in the world of elves and trolls.
The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
, which was written before the The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, uses tobacco exclusively. Pipe-weed does not occur at all.
Seregon
A plant with deep red flowers that grew upon the summit of the hill of Amon Rûdh in BeleriandBeleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
, with the result that the hill looked as if dripped with blood. The name can be translated from Sindarin as 'blood of stone'. Christopher Tolkien also stated that it resembled the real-world plant stonecrop
Sedum
Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...
.
Simbelmynë
Rohan
Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy . It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry....
primarily on the burial mounds of the Kings, and most thickly on the grave of Helm Hammerhand
Helm Hammerhand
Helm Hammerhand is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. His story appears in the appendices of The Return of the King, and he is referred to briefly in the main story of The Lord of the Rings.- Literature :...
. The name, also translated from Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
as Evermind, is a reference to the plant's blossoming during the whole of the year.
Tolkien introduced flowers with similar characteristics into his later writings. In Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin it is stated that star-shaped white flowers of uilos, "the Evermind that knows no season and withers not", grew before the Gate of Silver in Gondolin in the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
; and in Cirion and Eorl white alfirin bloomed upon the mound of Elendil
Elendil
Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
on Amon Anwar in Gondor. Their names are also reminiscent of Evermind: uilos means 'everlasting snow' in Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
, and alfirin is 'immortal'. Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
expressedly equated them with the simbelmynë.
Taniquelassë
An evergreen and fragrant tree that grew in the province of Nísimaldar in NúmenorNúmenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa
Tol Eressëa
In early versions of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium , Tol Eressëa was an island visited by the Anglo-Saxon traveller Ælfwine which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. The name is the Elvish for "Lonely Island"...
by the Elves. The name means 'leaf of Taniquetil' in Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
.
Vardarianna
An evergreen and fragrant tree that grew in the province of Nísimaldar in Númenor, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa by the Elves. The plant's designation is derived from the name of VardaVarda
Varda Elentári is a deity in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium to whom the hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel is directed..-Character overview:Varda is one of the Valar, a group of semi-divine beings similar to archangels. Also known as "Queen of the stars", she is said to be too beautiful for words; within...
, one of the Valier
Vala (Middle-earth)
The Valar are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion develops them into the Powers of Arda or the Powers of the World...
, and Quenya rianna 'crown-gift'.
Yavannamírë
An evergreen and fragrant tree with globed and scarlet fruits that grew in the province of Nísimaldar in Númenor, where it was brought from Tol Eressëa by the Elves. The name can be translated from Quenya as 'jewel of Yavanna'.Hírilorn
The greatest of all the trees in the Forest of Neldoreth, the beech-wood which was the northern half of DoriathDoriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
. It stood not far from the gates of Menegroth, the capital of the kingdom. Hírilorn had three trunks, equal in girth, smooth in rind, and exceedingly tall; no branches grew from them for a great height above the ground.
Here the elven princess Lúthien
Lúthien
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...
was imprisoned to prevent her leaving Doriath, after she had decided to search for her beloved Beren
Beren
Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...
. A wooden house from which she should not escape was built far aloft between the shafts of Hírilorn, and there Lúthien was made to dwell. She eventually escaped by putting forth her arts of enchantment and putting the guards to sleep.
The name Hírilorn means "Lady-tree" in Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
. Tolkien also suggested that the Sindarin word neldor "beech" was a name of Hírilorn, being derived from neld- "three" and orn "tree".
Old Man Willow
A sapient willowWillow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
from the Old Forest
Old Forest
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Old Forest is a small forested area which lies east of the Shire in Buckland....
to the east of the Shire. When the company of Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
was passing nearby, Old Man Willow cast a spell of sleep upon them, trapping them; the hobbits were saved by Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil is a supporting character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in Tolkien's high fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, published in 1954 and 1955. In the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo Baggins and company meet Bombadil in the Old Forest...
.
Party Tree
A tree that grew near the Bag End in the ShireShire (Middle-earth)
The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in...
. During the renowned party held by Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist and titular character of The Hobbit and a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of J. R. R...
in S. R. 1401, a huge tent was erected around it, where the main guests were assembled. This Party Tree was cut down on Lotho Sackville-Baggins's orders in 1419, but next year Master Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...
planted at this spot a seed of mallorn presented to him by Galadriel
Galadriel
Galadriel is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth legendarium. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
, and the new tree grew there for a long time afterwards.
Two Trees of Valinor
Two magical trees that grew in the Blessed Realm of ValinorValinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
and illumined that land. After they had been slain by Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
and Ungoliant
Ungoliant
Ungoliant is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, described as an evil spirit in the form of a spider. She is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings, and plays a supporting role in The Silmarillion. Her origins are unclear, as Tolkien's writings don't explicitly...
, their light was only preserved in the Silmaril
Silmaril
The Silmarils are three brilliant jewels which contained the unmarred light of the Two Trees in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The Silmarils were made out of the crystalline substance silima by Fëanor, a Noldorin Elf, in Valinor during the Years of the Trees...
s. The elder of the trees, called Telperion, had dark-green leaves and white cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
-like flowers; the younger Laurelin had pale-green leaves and golden blossom reminiscent of that of laburnum
Laburnum
Laburnum is a genus of two species of small trees in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, Laburnum anagyroides and L. alpinum . They are native to the mountains of southern Europe from France to the Balkan Peninsula...
.
White Trees
A line of unique trees similar in appearance to TelperionTwo Trees of Valinor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Two Trees of Valinor are Telperion and Laurelin, the Silver Tree and the Gold that brought light to the Land of the Valar in ancient times...
, except that they did not give light. The first of these was Galathilion of Tirion
Tirion
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Tirion upon Túna was the city of the Noldor in Valinor...
, from which were descended Celeborn of Tol Eressëa, Nimloth
Nimloth
In the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien, Nimloth, Sindarin for "white blossom", was the name of the White Tree of Númenor. Nimloth was a seedling of Celeborn, which was a seedling of Galathilion, which was created by Yavanna in the image of Telperion, one of the Two Trees of Valinor.When the...
of Númenor and the White Trees
White Tree of Gondor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy universe of Middle-earth, the White Tree of Gondor stood as a symbol of Gondor in the Court of the Fountain in Minas Tirith....
of Gondor.
See also
- EntEntEnts are a race of beings in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world Middle-earth who closely resemble trees. They are similar to the talking trees in folklore around the world. Their name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for giant....
- Farmer MaggotFarmer MaggotFarmer Maggot is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe, introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring. He lived on a farm called Bamfurlong in the Marish region of the Eastfarthing of the Shire...
- Gallows-weed
- HuornHuornThe Huorns are fictional characters from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. They are described as "trees" that can speak to Ents and are capable of locomotion.- Description :...
- List of Middle-earth animals
- RadagastRadagastRadagast the Brown is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is one of the Istari or Wizards who were sent by the angelic Valar to aid the Elves and Men of Middle-earth in their struggle against the Dark Lord Sauron...
- TreebeardTreebeardTreebeard is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The eldest of the species of Ents, he is said to live in the ancient Forest of Fangorn and stands fourteen feet in height and is tree-like in appearance, with leafy hair and a rigid structure. Fangorn Forest...
External links
- Quenya and Sindarin wordlists at WiktionaryWiktionaryWiktionary is a multilingual, web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in 158 languages...
, which include Elvish names devised by Tolkien for real-word plants