Lembas: Part of a Balanced, Evil-free Diet

[Aiwendil]

There's a very brief but interesting text concerning lembas - called, appropriately enough, 'Of Lembas' - in HoMe XII (it's the second of two parts in the short 'Dangweth Pengolodh').

Here it is said that lembas was not invented by the Elves, but was given to them by the Valar at the beginning of their Great Journey from Middle-Earth to Aman. It was made 'of a kind of corn which Yavanna brought forth in the fields of Aman'. This corn was later grown by the Elves in Middle-earth, but its origin in the 'Blessed Realm' would seem to at least partially explain its peculiar power. And perhaps most intriguingly, it is said here that if mortals were to eat too much of the bread they would become weary of their mortality and long for the fields of Aman. For this reason, the Valar commanded that the Elves not share it with Men except at great need.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by The Squatter of Amon Rûdh

There is no evidence that the elven rope or the lembas actually injure Sméagol, but he finds them hard to endure. I think that Gollum's reaction is intended to be typical of the fallen characters - those furthest from the service of the Valar. Perhaps the message is intentional that the further one progresses into evil the more distasteful become the means and products of good, until eventually they become impossible to endure.

Supporting that idea, there's Frodo's observation to Sam about the reaction of the Cirith Ungol orcs to the lembas.

'I've found my food-bag among some rags on the floor. They've rummaged it, of course. But I guess they disliked the very look and smell of the lembas, worse than Gollum did.

Originally Posted by The Squatter of Amon Rûdh

This suggests how great an effort of will it would take for Sméagol to be healed: he finds those things that will cure him painful to touch. When we compare LR to Carcharoth's swallowing of the Silmaril in the Silmarillion, we can see a more extreme example of the same process: evil things are burned by the most wholesome objects, although Sméagol is not so far gone that he is physically burned by the painful touch of elven artifacts.

I don't have all the books at hand, but I seem to remember at some point an orc, (maybe Uglúk?) described as throwing something (the Barrow-blades carried by Merry and Pippin, perhaps) away "as if they burned him". There's probably something metaphysical to be said about the apparent fact that evil is hurt by the mere touch of "good" objects, but the reverse is not generally true.

Originally Posted by The Squatter of Amon Rûdh

Frodo's insight does not have to be conferred by the Ring. Of the hobbits he is the eldest, best educated and most thoughtful, so it would be natural that he would come to an understanding of Sméagol's plight with or without the influence he could feel from the Ring.

Perhaps. The exchange there between the two just to me has the feel of something beyond intellectual understanding.

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

Here it is said that lembas was not invented by the Elves, but was given to them by the Valar at the beginning of their Great Journey from Middle-Earth to Aman. It was made 'of a kind of corn which Yavanna brought forth in the fields of Aman'. This corn was later grown by the Elves in Middle-earth, but its origin in the 'Blessed Realm' would seem to at least partially explain its peculiar power. And perhaps most intriguingly, it is said here that if mortals were to eat too much of the bread they would become weary of their mortality and long for the fields of Aman. For this reason, the Valar commanded that the Elves not share it with Men except at great need.

I've read that part of HOME before, though I don't own the book.

Notably, I think, the Fellowship is not given any sort of restriction on the use of the lembas. As a matter of fact, eating more is depicted as beneficial, or at least not harmful, in LOTR.

Referencing the initial passage I noted in the initial post in this thread, it was said that:

The lembas had a virtue without which they would long ago have lain down to die. It did not satisfy desire, and and at times Sam's mind was filled with the memories of food, and the longing for simple bread and meats. And yet this waybread of the Elves had a potency that increased as travellers relied on it alone and did not mingle it with other foods.

The "potency increased", but that is not there presented as a negative aspect.