athae

noun/adjective. *healing herb, healing

A word appearing as an element in athelas “kingsfoil”, derived from primitive ✶aþayā based on the root √ATH “ease, comfort, heal” (PE17/49, 148). In the context of the compound athelas Tolkien represented it as athe, which is probably an example of how ae sometimes became e in polysyllables. The word athae may mean something like “✱healing herb“ or “✱healing”, and may be a noun or adjective or both. In notes from 1969 Tolkien said the Sindarin word was borrowed from Quenya, even though the related herbs were native to Middle-earth, since they was first discovered by the Noldor (PE22/166). It is unclear how this aligns with Aragorn’s statement that athelas was “a healing plant that the Men of the West brought to Middle-earth” (LotR/198); perhaps the herb was discovered in Beleriand, then given to the Men of Númenor who then spread it to the rest of Middle-earth.

athae

asea

Q. asea. F athe, athelas

athe

asea

Q. asea. F athae, athelas

athaelas

noun. *healing herb