(Being a letter sent from Lady Seregrían to Mistress Applecider Bolingbroke, by direct eagle-post)
Seregrían of Torech Besruth to her beloved friend Applecider Delphinium etc., greeting: may all warmth be yours in winter’s chilling grip.
Imagine my surprise and delight to see not only a letter from you on the Gallery table, along with an exquisite chocolate pie (which went very well with Dwarven coffee, a glass of fresh milk, a modest bowl of strawberries and cream, and a portion of leftover Berryblast pie that our Royzenberry so generously provided…). And imagine my further delight that you are engaged in such a scholarly endeavor – so much so that you are availing yourself of every possible source of lore regarding your subject!
Which brings me to the meat and main of my letter (Hmm, meat – a moment…)…
First off, dear Applecider, let me say how pleased I am that you came to the Lair to use my library. And yes, that work on Sindarin-Khuzdul translations is a rarity - a copy made at my request by Pennasseth when I first made acquaintance with the Dwarves – and I am fortunate to possess it. She made the renderings literally, as you observed in your letter; she feels it is important to know the precise origins of a word or phrase, to better understand how it means what it means.
Second, when I returned from my brief outing (and yes, Cutch was with me to make sure I actually got back to the Lair and stayed there), I read your letter carefully, and considered that if you truly wish more lore regarding the herb known as athelas, then perhaps I might assist you further. So I repaired to the Sanctum, where my deeper and more esoteric lore resides – and I began a line of research to assist you.
Athelas, as you already know, is an herb transplanted to Middle-earth by the Númenoreans of old, but it did not originate there. During the First Age, before Thangorodrim was broken, the herb grew abundantly in the lands of Beleriand. When the Númenoreans occupied their island home, they brought many plants, trees, and other flora with them, and the Elves also gifted them with many more; this is how athelas came to be in the hands of the Dúnedain.
After the Downfall, athelas could still be found in the Realms-in-Exile, both Arnor and Gondor, their virtues and properties still held in esteem by the Dúnedain. Indeed, during the days of the Great Plague in the recent age, it was discovered that this hideous miasma from Mordor could be halted by the humble kingsfoil – if only the herb could have been cultivated in larger mass, perhaps the Plague could have been averted – had they had an Applecider of their own to reason it out…
Now, I note your observations are thus far correct, regarding the conditions under which the herb can grow, and your attempts to recreate those conditions to better the herb’s growth, though less than successful. My dear friend, you are forgetting a crucial part of the lore: athelas only grows in places where the Men of Westernesse camped or lived! You have been attempting to force the herb to grow outside of its native soil, much the same as asking halflings to remove to the highest circles of the White City.
My dear halfling, all that you require is to mix the soil you are using in your planting boxes with soil obtained from places where the herb grows in the Wild – the lingering virtues of that soil should be more than sufficient, when combined with your peoples’ native love of growing things, and I think you shall see resounding success at last!
Now, after sending a swift message to my colleagues in Duillond, I am told there is a patch of ground northwest of that village where athelas grows in abundance; I would counsel you to avail yourself of some of the soil of that patch of ground and use it in your efforts, to see if my suggestion bears fruit (or in this case, leaf).
I look forward to tidings of your progress.
Manwë keep you, dear Cider, and Kementári grant you her blessings on your labors!
