What does Athelas smell like to you? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Mnemosyne · 11-17-2009, 01:01 AM

The evidence we have is pretty scanty, but it seems that the smell of King-activated athelas changes based on who's getting healed. When Faramir's under treatment, it smells like roses, but Eowyn gets a clean mountain breeze and Merry gets heather.

Smell is a powerful thing--it goes directly to your brain instead of getting routed the way all the other sense are, and the part of the brain that processes it is closely linked to memories and their formation. So it makes sense on an innate level that in order to be healed of soul-hurts, athelas would activate on smell to make you feel comfortable and loved--the opposite, in a word, of the deleterious effects of the Black Breath.

So. Imagine that you've been plotholed to Middle-earth during the Siege of Minas Tirith, get whacked hard with the Black Breath, and get to experience the Healing Hands firsthand.

What kind of smells would the kingsfoil-steam give off?

Andsigil · 11-17-2009, 03:05 AM

Pine

Estelyn Telcontar · 11-17-2009, 07:02 AM

Minty - like peppermint tea. A very refreshing smell! As a matter of fact, I do have some natural peppermint oil that I use for rubbing my forehead when I have a headache, and it does me good.

Morsul the Dark · 11-17-2009, 07:13 AM

Hazelnut

mark12_30 · 11-17-2009, 08:29 AM

Wintergreen. Refreshing, calming, smells like home (grew all around our house) and thrives under the sun and the pines. It grows wild, and can be found in the winter....

Formendacil · 11-17-2009, 03:41 PM

A really good frankincense.

Some incense, however, can be absolutely foul--so not them.

Hakon · 11-17-2009, 03:46 PM

lavender

Pitchwife · 11-17-2009, 04:04 PM

Calendula.

Lush · 11-17-2009, 04:58 PM

Pot.

Or melted brown sugar.

But probably pot.

Loslote · 11-17-2009, 04:58 PM

Clover.

Alfirin · 11-17-2009, 05:46 PM

Freshly crushed krishna tulsi, a cultivar of holy basil I grow in the summer (imagine a mix of regular basil, anise, and watermelon)

Bêthberry · 11-17-2009, 08:34 PM

Victory?

Nerwen · 11-17-2009, 09:05 PM

Well, my association with a "healing" scent would be eucalyptus, which smells very clean and cool and is actually used medicinally (though the Black Breath might be a tall order).
But then, the question asks what makes you feel "comfortable and loved". I think maybe jasmine in that case.

Laurinquë · 11-17-2009, 09:19 PM

Spring air, the kind you get in late March and that makes you feel hopeful inside.

This reminds me of the Amortentia potion in Harry Potter (please don't eat me!) "the potion smells differently to different people according to what attracts them." Copying or coincidence?

Mnemosyne · 11-17-2009, 10:44 PM

As soon as I read about Amortentia in HBP I immediately thought of athelas.

However, there are some differences. First of all, HP states the personalized scent outright; in Tolkien it's only very lightly implied. Then there's the fact that athelas seems to correspond to who's supposed to be healed, not who's smelling it. And finally, presumably Amortentia would have considerable romantic elements to its scent.

For me (after a day's long thought), I'm going to have to go with the smell of sunshine, grass, and dirt, tinged with the faint whiff of freshly-laden sunscreen.

Morthoron · 11-17-2009, 10:55 PM

It smells like teen spirit.

No wait, that's what Nirvana smells like. After a shower more than likely.

It could smell like opium, as it seems to have the same relaxing effects. Not that I know what opium smells like, of course.

Hey! My eleventy-eleventh post! Another useless milestone reached with little or no effort. Woot!

Eomer of the Rohirrim · 11-18-2009, 04:25 AM

Bacon.

Thinlómien · 11-19-2009, 03:08 PM

Probably the sea and damp forest somehow combined. Or just one of them.

Or on a very different note... freshly printed paperbacks.

skip spence · 11-20-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Probably the sea and damp forest somehow combined. Or just one of them.

Yeah the sweet scent of the sea, and then I mean an actual ocean, is quite something, that might be it. I also enjoy a damp Scandinavian spruce and pine forest, but there's something stuffy, almost stifling about them too so I'm not sure it would be ideal bringing me back from the brink of death.

The pine forests of the Mediterranean region smells more like Athelas would I think.

Oh, and freshly baked cinnamon bun.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lush

But probably pot.

Have to admit that was the first thing that came to my mind too. Smells good. Or so I've heard.

Morthoron · 11-21-2009, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skip spence

Have to admit that was the first thing that came to my mind too. Smells good. Or so I've heard.

Yes, that's why I mentioned opium, which is very aromatic. It is not only the smell of Athelas, but the plant also has somewhat of a narcotic nature, allowing the grievously wounded a peaceful sleep.

I'm sure in the 4th Age bored Hobbit teenagers started putting Kingsfoil in their pipes to smoke.

skip spence · 11-21-2009, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Yes, that's why I mentioned opium, which is very aromatic. It is not only the smell of Athelas, but the plant also has somewhat of a narcotic nature, allowing the grievously wounded a peaceful sleep.

Which is why it's important to point out that the plant's ability to enhance feelings of relaxation, peacefulness and happiness is strictly for medicinal purposes. There's absolutely no need for any of that unless you already suffer from a mortal disease. In fact, that kind of well-being is a punishable offence. That's right, stay away from the Athelas leaves, kids!

Mugwump · 11-21-2009, 10:50 AM

It smells minty, but tastes quite bitter (which is why it remains a medicinal herb instead of one used in cooking).

The Sixth Wizard · 12-01-2009, 03:30 AM

Parsley.

musicofainur · 12-18-2009, 10:43 PM

Smells like napalm in the morning.

Just kidding!
I would believe it to give out a smell like the dewy glade in a beautiful morn.

onewhitetree · 12-20-2009, 03:42 PM

I'm torn between the ocean, fresh coffee, kittens, and sage. Some of your answers are hilarious. I can only imagine being torn from death's door by the aromas of bacon, pot, heroin, and eucalyptus. Jarirng, indeed.

Morthoron · 12-20-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Sixth Wizard

Parsley.

Which reminds me of my favorite Ogden Nash quote: "Parsley is gharsely."

Estelyn Telcontar · 12-21-2009, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Sixth Wizard

Parsley.

Elvish Parsley, of course.

Guinevere · 01-14-2010, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark12_30

Wintergreen. Refreshing, calming, smells like home

Smells like Bengay, I'd say!

In my imagination Athelas would smell something like Basil leaves. Or aromatic like the Cistus, a flowering shrub that grows in the Mediterranian macchia.

wilwarin538 · 01-14-2010, 03:12 PM

freshly mowed grass......or rain.....or lavender......or cookies

Dimturiel · 01-15-2010, 12:36 PM

Cinnamon, and wet wood, and cinnamon, and old books (seriously, old books smell really nice, much nicer than new ones). And did I mention cinnamon?

Lariren Shadow · 01-15-2010, 02:04 PM

For me it would be the smell after it rained.

As for what I thought in the books, I kind of thought it smelled like wet hemp.

Feanor of the Peredhil · 01-15-2010, 08:23 PM

A smell that can bring me into warmth and comfort from a dark and terrifying place?

The perfect warm blend of skin, soap, coffee, cinnamon, denim, and Old Spice.

Or dark chocolate. But that's a bit anti-dementor for this site...

If I had to pick a plant-ish scent to wake me up and make me feel alive, however, I'd choose lemongrass.

Valier · 01-15-2010, 11:04 PM

I would definitely have to say puppy breath. It sounds weird but it smell sooooo good when they are little.
If a plant smell, I would have to agree with Fea and say lemongrass, very refreshing.

Airaloske · 01-16-2010, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lush

Pot.

Or melted brown sugar.

But probably pot.

awesome.

the smell when i step outside when it is snowing. that cold icy wintery smell of frozen pavement and clear air.

Galadriel55 · 01-16-2011, 07:49 PM

It's just too much to give anything more specific - It would smell like summer, winter, spring, and fall at once, it would be snowy and rainy and sunny and cloudy and warm and cold and day and night and evening and morning, it would be the ocean and a pine forest... no, change that to any forest, and prairie and mountains and rivers and whatever else I forgot to mention.
I just couldn't decide!

I know what isn't going to be there - cities, or anything to do with them. And there's going to be a tinge of mint in it - for some reason I always assosiated athelas with mint.

Nessa Telrunya · 01-16-2011, 08:00 PM

Don't laugh, but it's gotta be the smell you get when you open a can of tuna. It brings back wonderful memories.

Galadriel · 01-28-2011, 05:24 AM

Sort of a mixture between mint and eucalyptus

With a hint of fresh mist.

Evisse the Blue · 02-06-2011, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valier

I would definitely have to say puppy breath. It sounds weird but it smell sooooo good when they are little.
If a plant smell, I would have to agree with Fea and say lemongrass, very refreshing.

No, it doesn't sound weird, you are totally right about puppy breath.

I think for me athelas would smell like fresh winter air. Or new spring grass.

Actually, the modern me would go for a combination of 'fresh coffee + good tobacco plus a whiff of special aftershave', but two of these ingredients are missing from ME.

Dilettante · 02-06-2011, 06:15 PM

Hmm.... The most healing and enchanting smell in the world.

I think athelas would smell like sun-warmed, dried pine needles. Sharp and pungent, but fresh and clean.

xMellrynxMaidenx · 02-07-2011, 12:51 AM

For me it would have a sort of lavender smell to it, maybe. With a hint of oak leaf (smells like the earth after it falls from the tree and decays, in case some of you don't know). So a real earthy smell to me, maybe the woods after a nice rainfall.

I'm thinking more so the latter of the options I listed.

11-17-2009, 01:01 AM	#1
Mnemosyne Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Between the past and the future Posts: 1,159	What does Athelas smell like to you? The evidence we have is pretty scanty, but it seems that the smell of King-activated athelas changes based on who's getting healed. When Faramir's under treatment, it smells like roses, but Eowyn gets a clean mountain breeze and Merry gets heather. Smell is a powerful thing--it goes directly to your brain instead of getting routed the way all the other sense are, and the part of the brain that processes it is closely linked to memories and their formation. So it makes sense on an innate level that in order to be healed of soul-hurts, athelas would activate on smell to make you feel comfortable and loved--the opposite, in a word, of the deleterious effects of the Black Breath. So. Imagine that you've been plotholed to Middle-earth during the Siege of Minas Tirith, get whacked hard with the Black Breath, and get to experience the Healing Hands firsthand. What kind of smells would the kingsfoil-steam give off? __________________ Got corsets?

11-17-2009, 03:05 AM	#2
Andsigil Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Deepest Forges of Ered Luin Posts: 733	Pine __________________ Even as fog continues to lie in the valleys, so does ancient sin cling to the low places, the depression in the world consciousness.

11-17-2009, 07:02 AM	#3
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Minty - like peppermint tea. A very refreshing smell! As a matter of fact, I do have some natural peppermint oil that I use for rubbing my forehead when I have a headache, and it does me good. __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

11-17-2009, 07:13 AM	#4
Morsul the Dark Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,448	Hazelnut __________________ Morsul the Resurrected

11-17-2009, 08:29 AM	#5
mark12_30 Stormdancer of Doom Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars Posts: 4,349	Wintergreen. Refreshing, calming, smells like home (grew all around our house) and thrives under the sun and the pines. It grows wild, and can be found in the winter.... __________________ ...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.

11-17-2009, 03:41 PM	#6
Formendacil Dead Serious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Perched on Thangorodrim's towers. Posts: 3,328	A really good frankincense. Some incense, however, can be absolutely foul--so not them. __________________ I prefer history, true or feigned.

11-17-2009, 03:46 PM	#7
Hakon Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Twilight Zone Posts: 736	lavender __________________ Medicine for the soul. ~Inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes

11-17-2009, 04:04 PM	#8
Pitchwife Wight of the Old Forest Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Unattended on the railway station, in the litter at the dancehall Posts: 3,329	Calendula. __________________ Und aus dem Erebos kamen viele seelen herauf der abgeschiedenen toten.- Homer, Odyssey, Canto XI

11-17-2009, 04:58 PM	#9
Lush Fair and Cold Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the big onion Posts: 1,770	Pot. Or melted brown sugar. But probably pot. __________________ ~The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories. This is one of mine~

11-17-2009, 04:58 PM	#10
Loslote The Werewolf's Companion Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Moon Posts: 3,021	Clover. __________________ I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night. Double Fenris

11-17-2009, 05:46 PM	#11
Alfirin Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 435	Freshly crushed krishna tulsi, a cultivar of holy basil I grow in the summer (imagine a mix of regular basil, anise, and watermelon)

11-17-2009, 08:34 PM	#12
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Victory? __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

11-17-2009, 09:05 PM	#13
Nerwen Wisest of the Noldor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: ˙˙˙ssɐןƃ ƃuıʞooן ǝɥʇ ɥƃnoɹɥʇ Posts: 6,694	Well, my association with a "healing" scent would be eucalyptus, which smells very clean and cool and is actually used medicinally (though the Black Breath might be a tall order). But then, the question asks what makes you feel "comfortable and loved". I think maybe jasmine in that case. __________________ "Even Nerwen wasn't evil in the beginning." –Elmo.

11-17-2009, 09:19 PM	#14
Laurinquë Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 347	Spring air, the kind you get in late March and that makes you feel hopeful inside. This reminds me of the Amortentia potion in Harry Potter (please don't eat me!) "the potion smells differently to different people according to what attracts them." Copying or coincidence?

11-17-2009, 10:44 PM	#15
Mnemosyne Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Between the past and the future Posts: 1,159	As soon as I read about Amortentia in HBP I immediately thought of athelas. However, there are some differences. First of all, HP states the personalized scent outright; in Tolkien it's only very lightly implied. Then there's the fact that athelas seems to correspond to who's supposed to be healed, not who's smelling it. And finally, presumably Amortentia would have considerable romantic elements to its scent. For me (after a day's long thought), I'm going to have to go with the smell of sunshine, grass, and dirt, tinged with the faint whiff of freshly-laden sunscreen. __________________ Got corsets?

11-17-2009, 10:55 PM	#16
Morthoron Curmudgeonly Wordwraith Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits Posts: 2,515	What does Athelas smell like? It smells like teen spirit. No wait, that's what Nirvana smells like. After a shower more than likely. It could smell like opium, as it seems to have the same relaxing effects. Not that I know what opium smells like, of course. Hey! My eleventy-eleventh post! Another useless milestone reached with little or no effort. Woot! __________________ And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision.

11-18-2009, 04:25 AM	#17
Eomer of the Rohirrim Auspicious Wraith Join Date: May 2002 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 4,859	Bacon. __________________ Los Ingobernables de Harlond

11-19-2009, 03:08 PM	#18
Thinlómien Shady She-Penguin Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a far land beyond the Sea Posts: 8,093	<- athelas leaf Probably the sea and damp forest somehow combined. Or just one of them. Or on a very different note... freshly printed paperbacks. __________________ Like the stars chase the sun, over the glowing hill I will conquer Blood is running deep, some things never sleep Double Fenris

11-21-2009, 10:50 AM	#22
Mugwump Wight Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Taconic Mountains Posts: 111	It smells minty, but tastes quite bitter (which is why it remains a medicinal herb instead of one used in cooking).

12-01-2009, 03:30 AM	#23
The Sixth Wizard Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stuck under a rock in Valinor with Ar-Pharazon. Posts: 480	Parsley.

12-18-2009, 10:43 PM	#24
musicofainur Newly Deceased Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 4	Smells like napalm in the morning. Just kidding! I would believe it to give out a smell like the dewy glade in a beautiful morn.

12-20-2009, 03:42 PM	#25
onewhitetree Seeker of Syntax Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: The Scene of the Crime Posts: 264	I'm torn between the ocean, fresh coffee, kittens, and sage. Some of your answers are hilarious. I can only imagine being torn from death's door by the aromas of bacon, pot, heroin, and eucalyptus. Jarirng, indeed. __________________ onewhitetree (also known as Kate) Well, I'M BACK.

01-14-2010, 03:12 PM	#29
wilwarin538 Fluttering Enchantment Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 2,508	freshly mowed grass......or rain.....or lavender......or cookies __________________ Comme une étoile amarante Comme un papillon de nuit C'est la lumière qui m'attire La flamme qui m'éblouit Fenris Muffin

01-15-2010, 12:36 PM	#30
Dimturiel Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2005 Location: the road less travelled by Posts: 910	Cinnamon, and wet wood, and cinnamon, and old books (seriously, old books smell really nice, much nicer than new ones). And did I mention cinnamon? __________________ Is this the end? No more the hunt, the journey and the goal? That terrifies me most: no more the goal! -Ray Bradbury, Leviathan '99

01-15-2010, 02:04 PM	#31
Lariren Shadow Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Where the day meets the night Posts: 607	For me it would be the smell after it rained. As for what I thought in the books, I kind of thought it smelled like wet hemp. __________________ Choose treachery, its more fun!

01-15-2010, 08:23 PM	#32
Feanor of the Peredhil La Belle Dame sans Merci Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: perpetual uncertainty Posts: 5,517	A smell that can bring me into warmth and comfort from a dark and terrifying place? The perfect warm blend of skin, soap, coffee, cinnamon, denim, and Old Spice. Or dark chocolate. But that's a bit anti-dementor for this site... If I had to pick a plant-ish scent to wake me up and make me feel alive, however, I'd choose lemongrass. __________________ peace

01-15-2010, 11:04 PM	#33
Valier Twisted Taleswapper Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: somewhere between sanity and insanity Posts: 1,706	I would definitely have to say puppy breath. It sounds weird but it smell sooooo good when they are little. If a plant smell, I would have to agree with Fea and say lemongrass, very refreshing. __________________ grand return?........

01-16-2011, 07:49 PM	#35
Galadriel55 Blossom of Dwimordene Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The realm of forgotten words Posts: 10,517	Nature. It's just too much to give anything more specific - It would smell like summer, winter, spring, and fall at once, it would be snowy and rainy and sunny and cloudy and warm and cold and day and night and evening and morning, it would be the ocean and a pine forest... no, change that to any forest, and prairie and mountains and rivers and whatever else I forgot to mention. I just couldn't decide! I know what isn't going to be there - cities, or anything to do with them. And there's going to be a tinge of mint in it - for some reason I always assosiated athelas with mint. __________________ You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera

01-16-2011, 08:00 PM	#36
Nessa Telrunya Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: In a paper bag Posts: 396	Don't laugh, but it's gotta be the smell you get when you open a can of tuna. It brings back wonderful memories. __________________ Joined together wrote our names upon the page Seven times alliance our loyalties we gave

01-28-2011, 05:24 AM	#37
Galadriel Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion Posts: 551	Sort of a mixture between mint and eucalyptus With a hint of fresh mist. __________________ "Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil

02-06-2011, 06:15 PM	#39
Dilettante Animated Skeleton Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: As my whimsey takes me. Posts: 43	Hmm.... The most healing and enchanting smell in the world. I think athelas would smell like sun-warmed, dried pine needles. Sharp and pungent, but fresh and clean. __________________ "One equal temper of heroic hearts,Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. " Tennyson, Ulysses

02-07-2011, 12:51 AM	#40
xMellrynxMaidenx Wight Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Riding with the Grey Company Posts: 120	For me it would have a sort of lavender smell to it, maybe. With a hint of oak leaf (smells like the earth after it falls from the tree and decays, in case some of you don't know). So a real earthy smell to me, maybe the woods after a nice rainfall. I'm thinking more so the latter of the options I listed. __________________ ~\|And all will turn, to silver glass. A light on the water, Grey ships pass, Into the West. \|~ "Few now remember them...yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folks that are heedless."

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