I apologize if I chose the wrong place on the site, I tried looking in Adaptations but couldn't find anything specific for the original movies.
So here's my question.
Does anyone know the plant that was actually used in the Lotr or Hobbit movies as Athelas?
I even started a stackexchange thread on this topic and in a few hours there are already a bunch of people trying to figure it out from the pictures, but if anyone has infos, that would be even better, and I thought this would be one of the best places on earth to find them.
Yesterday I even wrote to Weta -the only mean to get to Peter Jackson unless you are Frodo himself- to ask him directly.
I don't think there is an answer to that, not that I have seen at least, but an article at Middle-earth News that I kept among my notes might offer at least the basics of what the plant is similar to in the real world.
I personally, as a gardener, relate Athelas to basil in quality but what they used in the film to represent it is beyond me. From the images they appear to use a bushy herb, or ornamental plant which does not match the description of a long leaf from the (from memory right now iirc).
I would be interested to hear more if you discover the answer.
Thanks so much onthetrail, my pleasrure for joining such a nice and elegant group.
Yes, Basil has been over the years recognized as one of the prominent candidates for the role, both for the king-related ethimology of its name and the balsamic scent, rarely matched from other plants.
One of the last comments on this very thread I mentioned, claims that The Professor himself in a private letter stated clearly that Athelas has no IRL counterpart.
I can't be sure of the source, but I think that's quite reasonable to think of Athelas as a mix of positive properties gathered from different plants.
Therefore my concern regards solely the movie choice, since is the one entered in the collective imagination and recognized as Athelas worldwide.
Along with the stackexchange thread, I started similar ones in two different bothanical forums (one based in New Zealand) and even tried to write to Weta, the only mean I could think of to try reaching for Peter Jackson.
Luckyshot yes, here you are. These are the stills I have gathered, slowing to 0.25x the scenes
I had not looked at the Hobbit movies as a source, which I should have given how much more obvious the plant is from it. It does have a Periwinkle look to it. The irony of them using Periwinkle (if it is the case) is not lost on me, take its Italian name fiore di morte, the flower of death. Our American friends here will likley know it as dogbane and hav elikely had a another plant strangled to death by it over the years.
Thanks Urulókë, if you could remember anything it could be very important Yes onthetrail, the Periwinkle thread is quite charming. I'm waiting for the response of the other botanical forums I'm in touch with, one in NZ and the other of British Columbia University
Hello everyone, I'm here just to happily confirm the species announced before.
Two different botanical forums agreed on the official IRL Athelas used in LOTR and Hobbit movies: the species is Chaenostoma cordatum, probably var. Snowflake (the small-flowered variety)
Cheers from Italy to anyone who joined and followed
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