Simbelmynë
Simbelmynë was a small white flower that grew in particular abundance on graves and tombs, like the Barrowfield of the Kings of Rohan beneath the walls of Edoras; and most thickly on the grave of Helm Hammerhand.
It grew in turf but smaller and white like the wood anemone. Though the plant bloomed at all seasons, its flowers were not 'immortelles'.[1]
Etymology
Simbelmynë was the name of the flower in Rohan, meaning "Evermind", a reference to the memories of the dead on whose tombs the flower grew. The name thus resembles 'forget-me-not', but a quite different kind of flower is intended. The Elves called them Uilos.
The spelling does not appear to be completely fixed. Within The Lord of the Rings, and in most other sources, its name is spelt simbelmynë. However, there is at least one recorded instance where Tolkien prefers symbelmynë. These variations do not affect the meaning of its name.
Inspiration
Tolkien mentioned that Simbelmyne is an imagined variety of anemone. In appearance, Tolkien compares Simbelmynë to the European anemone, a small white flower growing among the grass or Anemona pulsatilla, the "pasque flower"[1].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 780
