Tapestry of Dreams, Part 2 Discussion

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Hmmm.... I did not realize that I had written something that could have such potency - or unpotency, as it were, into Tharonwe's practices. This could make him more evil than I had really seen him as, or else more deeply deluded.... which amounts to the same thing I suppose. So the swamp lembas is a "forgery", or a second rate elvish way bread at best, not of the Eldalië, but of the Moriquendi. Since he is still Elvish and has the capabilities of an Elf, namely osanwë, and Elvish arts (so-called magic), he can make some things of superior quality as compared with human. It depends on how corrupted he is. So .... how corrupted is he?

More than enough...

You really need to find a copy of HoME Volume XII, as there is a chapter (short, but still a chapter) entirely devoted to an essay/text in which Tolkien discusses Lembas- specifically who grows it, and how.

Lembas is grown of a special corn, from the Blessed Realm- and, as noted, belongs culturally to the Noldor who returned from Valinor, and to the Sindar who had it of Melian who came from Valinor. It was made only by the Elven-ladies, and it was the right of the Queen to give to whom she wished- but it was given but VERY rarely to those of non-Elven race. Túrin and the Fellowship were astounding contradictions to the norm.

And, as a consequence of that, I take a tiny bit of canonical umbrage at the Tapestry plot- I recall a very minor point, when leaving Lórien, when they packed and shared Lembas as if it were mere cram... but I'm being pedantic, and I don't have a link to the offending text, so pay me no mind.

IF Tharonwë's "lembas" may be considered as either genuine Lembas (that is, coming from the Valinor-bred Lembas-corn), then he is certainly perverted in that he, a male, is the one baking it. Although we are told that Elven males were the normal food-preparers of the species, this particular right was reserved for the ladies.

On the other hand, if Tharonwë's "lembas" are mere imitations of the real thing- not grown of genuine "lembas-corn", then there are various implications that this could have.