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Originally Posted by mark12_30
Swamp-lembas-- hmmm. Theoretically, Lembas was made by the Lady of Lorien who alone had the true recipe. So any lembas that Tharonwe might concoct would be (a) insufficient (b) a fruit of pride and rebellion and (c) probably something that tastes good but turns sour, if not in the stomach, then in the soul. (Think Turkish Delight.) If we consider the Roman Rite (and Eastern and Greek etc) as primarily one where the Real Presence is taken very seriously, then Tharonwe's making unreal / less-than-real / worse-than-real swamp lembas might give us a little insight into his twisted character, and maybe a little insight into an inner longing that he himself might not admit.
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Do be careful not to over-Clive Staples Lewis-ize Middle Earth. The process and dynamics would be much more subtle. Thus the "sour" would be a matter of the soul rather than the belly, I think, and only over time.
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......lmp, if Raefindan had had more than a day's worth of Swamp Lembas, what might have happened to him?
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The above said, it would probably wokr like any toxic substance we take into our bodies in modern times, depending on the type. Sugar is toxic, for example, especially the processed kind, but we like it so much we ignore the harm it does to our bodies. Preservatives in food are toxic, but not as much as wall paint. I didn't realize that lembas was Galadriel's own recipe. That changes things. However, that begs the question: was Galadriel's lembas the best, or the only? If the best, then Tharonwe might have swamp lembas that he could tell was inferior, and made with his own spirit's ill, would be toxic in some way. If the only, then Tharonwe only has waybread that may be toxic the same way preservatives are. Okay, I'm going to stop beating this dead horse before I come up with a really weird answer.
In short, Raefindan would get much more soul damage from having his mind invaded than from dark-elvish waybread. Don't you think?