First, many thanks to
Child for telling us about Dinah Hazell's book. Definitely a must-find! I know of at least one little, independent gardening store that would probably like to add that to its small library of gardening books, which are sold mainly before Christmas in an effort to expand sales beyond the gardening season, which is limited here.
I'm fascinated by the comment quoted in one review, that Hazell refers to "Tolkien as preserver and transmitter of English cultural expression." The Empire might have passed but the empire of cultural hegemony remains? Anyhow, thoughts most likely for another thread.
Of course, letter # 312 raises all kinds of scientific questions--enough that I'm sure
alatar could pose another thread as successful as the elven snow prints one! Would Tolkien's comment that those flowers contain a light--the same light that the Simarils trapped, the Light of the Two Trees?--suggest something about the botany of Arda? We know that two trees were elevated above others. Now he suggests that some flowers were, well, closer to the original music than others? Or does all of Middle-earth's plant life sustain this special light, which now for us is gone? What does it mean to extend the special effect of the Two Trees to Two Flowers?
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Originally Posted by Alfirin
If this is the case than it means that evermind is an imortelle (I have now idea what an imortelle is but it think it may be the same thing as a strawflower if tolkien says it's papery)
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I think what you are describing is called in North America an
everlasting.
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Originally Posted by Lal
Now there's a kind of Eastern balm or sage that could also be a good candidate for Athelas....but I can't locate the name yet....
EDIT - Found! What I was thinking of was Tulasi or Holy Basil, as used in the Ayurvedic tradition of medicine. Not sure about the leaf shapes but the traditions make it sound appropriate.
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There's no telling what Tolkien might have learnt in his study of philology. Who knows what he could have found in his studies of the sources of Indo-European languages. Is there anything in his letters to suggest that in family illness he sought out Ayurvedic traditions of medicine?