"How fair are the bright eyes in the grass!
Evermind they are called,
simbelmynë in this land of
Men, for they blossom in all the seasons of the year, and grow where dead men rest."
Words of
Gandalffrom
The Two Towers III 6
The King of the Golden Hall
A small white flower that grew in particular abundance on graves and tombs, most famously on the barrows of the Kings of Rohan beneath the walls of Edoras. Simbelmynë was the name given to the flower in Rohan, a name translated as 'evermind': a reference to the memories of the dead on whose tombs the flower grew.
The spelling of this flower's name 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.
Notes
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Together the elements of the name simbelmynë combine to mean 'forever in mind' or 'always remembered', hence the English translation of the flower's name, 'evermind'. The same idea is present in the Elvish name for this flower, alfirin, though in that case the translation is not literal: directly translated, alfirin means 'immortal'. The name arose because this flower commonly grew on graves and barrows, particularly among the tombs of the Kings of Rohan on the Barrowfield of Edoras, and also because simbelmynë remained in flower throughout the year.
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- Updated 5 November 2017
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