The grass was studded with small golden flowers…. Among them, nodding on slender stalks, were other flowers, white and palest green: they glimmered as a mist amid the rich hue of the grass…. “Behold! You are come to Cerin Amroth…. Here ever bloom the winter flowers in the unfading grass: the yellow elanor, and the pale niphredil.”
J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2, Chapter 6: Lothlórien
Following the theme of Courage and Hope in Tolkien Reading Day 2021, I found myself reverting from the grand ideas, preferring to peer at the smaller, humbler things that are also parts of Middle-earth legendarium. Just like how the home-loving Hobbits turned into unexpected heroes in Tolkien’s stories, the presence of small, seemingly insignificant objects like flowers symbolized grander meaning than their humble appearances. One that received meaningful treatments in Middle-earth legendarium is niphredil, a small white flower that first grew in the magically hidden land of Doriath, and could be found among the golden trees of Lothlórien.
Niphredil blossoms are both humble in appearance and etymology, yet no less captivating. In the Appendix of The Silmarillion and the Parma Eldalamberon journal, the name is explained as rooting in Sindarin word nim (“white”) and niphred (“pallor”), giving niphredil its full meaning: “little pallor.” In a 1969 letter to Amy Ronald, Tolkien explained that niphredil is the more delicate kin of snowdrop, but in his created world, they were lit by a light that would not be seen ever in a growing plant of our world, and cannot be recaptured by paint.
Niphredil first grew in the forest of Neldoreth at the birth of Lúthien, daughter of Elven king Elu Thingol, as if welcoming her. The delicate white flowers sprang forth in large numbers, bringing to mind the image of stars that suddenly burst out of the soil. Niphredil later appeared several times in The Lord of the Rings. They welcomed the Fellowship of the Ring when they approached Cerin Amroth in Lothlórien, gloriously depicted as winter flowers that always bloomed. Later, when Frodo walked in almost dream-like state in Lothlórien during his stay there, niphredil flowers were present as one of the most notable images that stayed in his memories.
The image of delicate white flowers that created strong impression in characters’ minds is always fascinating. Simbelmynë were known as graveyard flowers that covered the burial mounds of rulers, causing the characters to ponder the nature of death and the meaning of their mortality. However, niphredil were depicted as companions of birth or parts of dreamy images, carrying unique weight behind their seemingly fragile looks.
The Feats of the Hidden Power
Aside from referencing creative efforts by “creatures of the Creator” in Middle-earth legendarium, Tolkien used the term “sub-creation” to describe the process of world building and myth creation in the real world, like what he did with his own works. Within his world, nothing was useless, and everything was always meant. Are there reasons why Tolkien associated niphredil with snowdrops beyond their physical similarities?
First of all, let’s see the connection between Lúthien and niphredil. The flowers became strongly associated with her, Tolkien designed not only one, but two heraldic devices for her with these flowers as the main elements.
The story of Lúthien and her mortal lover, Beren, was considered “the kernel of Middle-earth.” Their love story transcended the land of the living and the literal hall of death, and their descendants later played important roles in the history of Middle-earth, long after they passed. Lúthien herself was a unique figure. At first, she was depicted with the description of a traditional fairy-tale princess, with raiment as blue as unclouded heaven, eyes grey as the starlit evening, mantle sewn with golden flowers, and hair as dark as shadow of twilight. However, Tolkien later subverted her seemingly fragile image, turning her into the actual heroine in the story.
After her father sent Beren into a dangerous mission to win her hands, Lúthien refused to be confined at home. Using her magical power, tenacity, and wit, she embarked into a dangerous mission to save her lover, who had been captured by Sauron and tortured in a dungeon surrounded by wolves. She showed even more remarkable exploits later, literally bringing down the fortress of Sauron, and finally using her extraordinary singing voice to move the inexorable heart of the Lord of Doom after Beren’s death, which granted the lovers the very first instance of union between an Elf and a Man, both physically and metaphysically.
Connecting the adventures of Lúthien with niphredil as her birth flower, along with real-life comparison to snowdrops, is interesting. Her exploits were typically assigned to male heroes in various stories, yet just like snowdrops, there are hidden powers behind the seemingly gentle, fragile look. These delicate blooms hide amazing powers of courage and hope, the only things that moved Lúthien forward in moments of weakness, fear, and desperation in her mission.
How do we relate them with snowdrops?
In our world, one of the most impressive feats of snowdrops is their ability to grow through frozen soil. They are among the first flowers that grow at the start of the year. They may be tiny, but their leaves have specially hardened tips to help them break through the hard surface, and their sap contains a form of antifreeze to prevent ice crystals forming. They are also hardy plants, well equipped to withstand low temperatures, able to simply slip into suspended animation, slowing down or going dormant until their surroundings become ideal again for growth.
The image of snowdrops pushing through layer of ice at the start of spring is a sight to behold. They are life manifesting through the “season of death”, and seeing these tiny flowers growing through ice must capture the imagination in an almost dream-like way, just like how the characters in The Lord of the Rings viewing niphredil when they rested in Lothlórien. How would you react when you see these tiny flowers pushing through ice? What an impressive feat from such minuscule plants!
The power of snowdrops is similar to the strength of Lúthien. She did not use brute force, and despite having magical power, she largely depended on bravery, wit, and inner strength. The ability to adapt with situations, the will to love and hope tremendously, and the courage in the face of challenges were her main qualities, just like how snowdrops quietly facing the bane of harsh season to bloom despite their sizes. They are not large trees with impressive trunks, but they do not need to be, and it is alright.
The image of snowdrops growing through frozen soil signals the coming of warmer season, making them a perfect symbol of hope. Tolkien placed “courage” and “hope” as great themes in his legendarium, from which his characters clung to during the harshest ordeals and desperate situations, and the story of Beren and Lúthien was not the only one. Note that Frodo was the one transfixed by the presence of niphredil in Lothlórien, as if Lúthien herself whispering to him: do not be afraid. Have hope.
When he had gone and passed again into the outer world, still Frodo the wanderer from the Shire would walk there, upon the grass among elanor and niphredil in fair Lothlórien.
J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2, Chapter 6: Lothlórien
In the end, niphredil disappeared from the face of Middle-earth, along with the death of Lúthien’s descendant, Arwen. However, as Tolkien described, these white flowers manifested in the new era as equally delicate but stronger snowdrops. As the hidden strength of Lúthien and niphredil proved, snowdrops stay to show us courage and hope in the face of challenges, even behind the most unlikely physical appearances. They forever prove that the quiet, subtle courage, gently touched with hope, is as important as the bold declaration of bravery.
Sources
Carpenter, Humphrey. 2000. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Tolkien, J. R. R. 2002. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (edisi Indonesia). Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka.
Tolkien, J. R. R. 2003. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (edisi Indonesia). Apendiks A: Sejarah Para Raja dan Penguasa: Rumah Eorl. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka.
Tolkien, J. R. R. 1999. The Silmarillion (ed. Christopher Tolkien). London: HarperCollins.
Tolkien, J. R. R. 2007. Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings (ed. Christopher Gilson). Parma Eldalamberon. 17: p. 55.
Tolkien, J.R.R. 1988. Unfinished Tales (ed. Christopher Tolkien). New York: Del Rey.
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