Lembas: Part of a Balanced, Evil-free Diet

[Inziladun]

As the casual LOTR reader knows, lembas was the waybread given by Galadriel to the Fellowship. Tolkien said it was not a "food concentrate", and that "no analysis in any laboratory would discover chemical properties of lembas that made it superior to other cakes of wheat-meal" (Letters # 210).

Nevertheless, it was invaluable to Frodo and Sam.

The lembas had a virtue without which they would long ago have lain down to die....this waybread of the Elves....fed the will, and it gave strength to endure, and to master sinew and limb beyond the measure of mortal kind.

ROTK Mount Doom

When Frodo and Sam were joined by Gollum, they offered him lembas. Gollum tried a bite, but spit it out. Frodo's reaction was this:

I think this food would do you good, if you would try. But perhaps you can't even try, not yet anyway.

TTT The Passage of the Marshes

Being a Ring-bearer talking to a former Ring-bearer, I think Frodo might have had some sort of insight there. If Gollum had been able to choke down some lembas, what would the effect have been?

[Galadriel55]

Gollum hates all things good. Elvish things are "very good", if you forgive the phrasing. He hates them even more than the Sun. He couldnt stand the rope and spat out the lembas.

I think that the bread, having some elven "magic" in it (as is made obvious by the amount of energy it gives to the eater), would help Smeagol get rid of the Gollum side. But if it was forced into his mouth and rammed into his throat, all it would do is build up his hatered for all. He had to take it himeslf, and he wasn't ready for that yet, as Frodo points out.

I think we can safely say that it's a ringbearer-to-ringbearer connection with Gollum, since Frodo has it all the time, and Sam can only find a corner for it only after he wore the Ring. (I'm not sure if we can incluse Bilbo in this, but he certainly fits the criteria). Maybe the lembas was like the last "real" piece of all things that he remmbered from before he entered the "monochromatic" Mordor. He told Sam waaaay later that he could not remember what grass and strawberries were like. I have the feeling that he remembered before because somehow lembas kept the memmory going. It's like it has all the "good" concentrated in it. It stretched that mental support as as much as it could. I think Frodo would have "forgotten" much sooner if he ate omething else all the time.

So lembas would help Gollum. The Smeagol woke up in him when Frodo awakened memmories of the distant past in him. Maybe lembas could do more, if only Gollum accepted it.

But that is a really shaky theory. I want to find out what the rest of you think.

[blantyr]

I would also note that when Gollum was tied with elven rope, he was in real pain, a pain not caused by an excessively tight knot. I am not sure he has a 'hatred' for things elven or good, or that it is only a 'hatred'. It might also be a magical allergy. Gollum might react poorly to the boats the Fellowship was given, the Phial of Galadriel, or any other product of elven craft where the maker has put something extra in the making.

I could only attribute it to corruption caused by the Ring. While perhaps it might have been possible to recover from such an effect after having borne the Ring so long, I would be dubious.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Gollum hates all things good. Elvish things are "very good", if you forgive the phrasing. He hates them even more than the Sun. He couldnt stand the rope and spat out the lembas.

Interestingly, Gollum shunned the lembas and was burned by the rope without foreknowledge of where they'd come from. So, it couldn't have been a mere hatred of "good" that caused his reactions. I wonder if it wasn't the lasting influence of the Ring, beyond his own personality, that had a hand in that. The Negative tends to be more affected by the Positive than vice-versa. For instance, Merry and Pippin could drink the orc-draught, disgusting though it was, but could Orcs have drunk miruvor?

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I think that the bread, having some elven "magic" in it (as is made obvious by the amount of energy it gives to the eater), would help Smeagol get rid of the Gollum side. But if it was forced into his mouth and rammed into his throat, all it would do is build up his hatered for all. He had to take it himeslf, and he wasn't ready for that yet, as Frodo points out.

I'm leaning toward that also; that lembas might have empowered the Sméagol persona and strengthened it against the Gollum side. But for how long? And how well?

Originally Posted by blantyr

It might also be a magical allergy. Gollum might react poorly to the boats the Fellowship was given, the Phial of Galadriel, or any other product of elven craft where the maker has put something extra in the making.

Then again, Gollum did touch one of the boats with no apparent effect.

A long whitish hand could be dimly seen as it shot out and grabbed the gunwale; two pale lamplike eyes shone coldly as they peered inside, and then they lifted and gazed up at Frodo on the eyot.

FOTR The Great River

Originally Posted by blantyr

I could only attribute it to corruption caused by the Ring. While perhaps it might have been possible to recover from such an effect after having borne the Ring so long, I would be dubious.

I can't see lembas ultimately allowing Gollum the strength to completely conquer the Gollum personality indefinitely. After all, that persona was basically the Ring itself, and lembas did not prevent the Ring from mastering Frodo when it came down to it. And Frodo was from the start much more inclined toward "good" than Sméagol ever was.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Interestingly, Gollum shunned the lembas and was burned by the rope without foreknowledge of where they'd come from. So, it couldn't have been a mere hatred of "good" that caused his reactions. I wonder if it wasn't the lasting influence of the Ring, beyond his own personality, that had a hand in that.

What I meant is what blantyr well summed up with "alergies". He isnt conciously aware of it, but the "better" a thing is, the more "allergic" he is to it.

And I think that his personality and the influence of the Ring are very intertwined. His personality was affected as part of the "lasting influence".

The Negative tends to be more affected by the Positive than vice-versa. For instance, Merry and Pippin could drink the orc-draught, disgusting though it was, but could Orcs have drunk miruvor?

Miruvor is too precious a drink to give to orcs as an experiment.

But, really, I think you're right here for the most part. The only counter-thing I can think of is the Nazgul. A lot of men seemed to be absolutely helpless when they came. But on the other hand, they collectively found the strength to stand and fight. In that same battle, we are told that orcs fled from Aragorn because of Anduril and just who he was. They could not find the strength.

This probably comes from the fact that the "goodies" have all at stake - they fight not only for their lives, but for their land, their kin, their nation, country, revenge, you name it. They have motivation beyond saving their own skins. The "baddies" largely care about themselves only. An exception could be the Dunlendings that were misled into believing that they should fight for revenge.

Gollum's goodie side of him was able to find the strength of mind and will to stand the Sun when it was needed, to walk into Lorien (al all!), and to overcome those "hate"s that he was aware of. He could not overcome his "alergy" to the Elven rope and lembas because he was not read for such a great callenge yet. He did not have sufficient motivation and understanding.

[Mithalwen]

I hesitate to bring this up because I don't want to trigger one of those arguments but I am going to mention the pachyderm I at least can see lurking in the corner trying despite its bulk to keep a low profile.

Yes it is the C word..... Catholicism. Not a direct correlation obviously but it seems to me that there is something sacramental about the lembas. It is the vehicle spiritual as well as physical benefits - a kind of grace. The mass is more central to Catholic observance than say the Anglicanism into which Tolkien was born,
I need to check references and try to be more coherenct when I have slept but I think this is a factor.