Episode 6 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” by Peter Jackson and the Battle of Helm’s Deep. But that’s actually not the only connection between the two adaptations.
Because even behind the Alfirin seeds, which Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) received from Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) in episode 1, there is a connection between “The Rings of Power” and “The Two Towers”. “Alfirin” is Tolkien’s Elvish word for the Simbelmynë flower that grows on the tombs of the dead kings of Rohan in The Lord of the Rings film.
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This is what the Simbelmynë flower looks like in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Simbelmynë appears in only one short scene in the film trilogy, in which Theoden (Bernard Hill) talks to Gandalf (Ian McKellen) about the flowers growing on his ancestral burial mounds and mourns the death of his son Theodred.
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The tumuli covered with Simbelmynë in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
In other works by JRR Tolkien we also learn that Simbelmynë or Alfirin also grew on the tomb of Elendil, who also appeared in The Rings of Power (played by Lloyd Owen). But how does this tie in with the healing powers of the plant showcased in The Rings of Power?
Simbelmynë, a word in the language of the people of Rohan, is translated as “Always Faithful” in the German edition of The Lord of the Rings, However, the Elvish word “Alfirin” has a different meaning, namely “non-mortal” or “immortal”. – and this is exactly what “The Rings of Power” ties into:
Already in episode 1 Bronwyn mentions that she got the Alfirin seeds from a healer she traded with, and that the people of her village make a healing ointment from the leaves of the plant. It is prepared so early that the seeds will then be used in episode 6 for an emergency operation including cauterization – these apparently also have certain healing powers.
Incidentally, as with some other subjects, there are some contradictions in Tolkien’s writings about Simbelmynë and Alfirin being different names for the same flower. Maybe in a future episode or season of “The Rings of Power”, despite the destruction caused by the eruption of Mount Doom, a small, white flower will grow from the planted seeds and clarify the matter for good…
There will be more from Bronwyn, Arondir and possibly also from the Alfirin seeds shortly: “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Episode 7 will be released on October 7, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video.
