The Encyclopedia of Arda - Alfirin (original) (raw)

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Location Particularly associated with the southern lands of Rohan and Gondor (especially Lebennin) Pronunciation a'lfirin Meaning Literally 'immortal'1 Other names Evermind, Simbelmynë, Symbelmynë, Uilos Indexes: Alphabetical: A Animals and Plants About this entry: Updated 4 August 2016 This entry is complete The Elves’ name for simbelmynë "And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirinIn the green fields of Lebennin" Words of LegolasThe Return of the King V 9_The Last Debate_ An Elvish name meaning 'immortal', it was one of the names in that language for the flower Men called simbelmynë (the Elves also used the name uilos for the same flower). The name comes from its habit of growing thickly on the tombs of Men: it was found among the Kings' mounds of Rohan, and also on the Tomb of Elendil. The flower is described as being bell-like in shape, and could appear in many soft shades, though white seems to have been the most common. In his comments in Unfinished Tales, Christopher Tolkien points out that Legolas' description of 'golden bells ... of mallos and alfirin', quoted above, isn't quite in harmony with other descriptions, and he suggests that this particular use of the name may refer to a different flower altogether. Alternatively, the golden flowers of Lebennin might simply be a differently-coloured variety of the white alfirin commonly seen on Men's tombs. Notes 1 The name 'immortal' here does not seem intended to mean that these flowers literally lived forever. In his Letters (No 312 to Amy Ronald, dated 1969), Tolkien relates the name to an 'immortelle', a memorial flower or arrangement placed on a grave. Thus alfirin (from Sindarin al- 'not' and firin 'mortal') refers not to literal immortality, but to keeping alive the memory of the dead. In this sense, the name reflects its Mannish alternatives simbelmynë or 'evermind', the grave-flowers of the Rohirrim. See also... Uilos Indexes: Alphabetical: A Animals and Plants About this entry: Updated 4 August 2016 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2003, 2016. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.Take the FREE myDISCprofile personality test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Location Particularly associated with the southern lands of Rohan and Gondor (especially Lebennin) Pronunciation a'lfirin Meaning Literally 'immortal'1 Other names Evermind, Simbelmynë, Symbelmynë, Uilos Indexes: Alphabetical: A Animals and Plants About this entry: Updated 4 August 2016 This entry is complete The Elves’ name for simbelmynë "And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirinIn the green fields of Lebennin" Words of LegolasThe Return of the King V 9_The Last Debate_ An Elvish name meaning 'immortal', it was one of the names in that language for the flower Men called simbelmynë (the Elves also used the name uilos for the same flower). The name comes from its habit of growing thickly on the tombs of Men: it was found among the Kings' mounds of Rohan, and also on the Tomb of Elendil. The flower is described as being bell-like in shape, and could appear in many soft shades, though white seems to have been the most common. In his comments in Unfinished Tales, Christopher Tolkien points out that Legolas' description of 'golden bells ... of mallos and alfirin', quoted above, isn't quite in harmony with other descriptions, and he suggests that this particular use of the name may refer to a different flower altogether. Alternatively, the golden flowers of Lebennin might simply be a differently-coloured variety of the white alfirin commonly seen on Men's tombs. Notes 1 The name 'immortal' here does not seem intended to mean that these flowers literally lived forever. In his Letters (No 312 to Amy Ronald, dated 1969), Tolkien relates the name to an 'immortelle', a memorial flower or arrangement placed on a grave. Thus alfirin (from Sindarin al- 'not' and firin 'mortal') refers not to literal immortality, but to keeping alive the memory of the dead. In this sense, the name reflects its Mannish alternatives simbelmynë or 'evermind', the grave-flowers of the Rohirrim. See also... Uilos Indexes: Alphabetical: A Animals and Plants About this entry: Updated 4 August 2016 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2003, 2016. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.Take the FREE myDISCprofile personality test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.