LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 04 - Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bethberry

I will, however, take issue with your comments about "such frivolous things as gardens with water features". Of course any social habit or custom can be trivialised and sentimentalised, but gardens from time immemorial have had substantive cultural functions, as have water gardens and water features. One need only consider the traditions of water gardens in Middle eastern culture to recognise the significance of water to the human faculty of sub-creation. The loss of the hanging gardens of Babylon and the cedars of Lebanon stand as important cultural icons about loss. It suggests a lonely remnant of a once highly developed, sophisticated culture now lost.

I'm sure, however, that you could find frivolous garden features at the Chelsea Flower Show!

Yes, they are seemingly frivolous things in this day and age - though maybe not such mere trifles as they do create places for wild creatures to live and breed, turning our gardens into welcome space for nature. But I digress...

For a culture to be able to indulge in creating such spaces, it must have the time to do so, which would mean time not devoted to war and defence such as it is at the time of the War of the Ring. So if such gardens are indeed a remnant of lost cultures, then these cultures must have lived in peace to allow them the opportunity to sub-create. This makes it all the more sad that such things have been destroyed, as it is not only the 'thing' itself which has been lost, but the peace which allowed it to be created in the first place.

It's interesting that at this point along the journey, where we see a lost culture, we also have the entrance of Faramir, a cultured man who has been required to live his life out in the 'wilds', in military service. Not only are the products of a fine culture going to seed, but also the finest minds are in danger of being lost.