Museum-Quality Matte Paper Print available:
12" x 16" (30cm x 40cm): $35.00
 
“'...unless, of course you give heed to rhymes of old days which women such as our good Ioreth still repeat without understanding. 
When the black breath blows
and death's shadow grows
and all lights pass, 
come athelas! come athelas!
Life to the dying
in the king's hand lying!'” - The Return of the King, Book 5, Chapter 8: The Houses of Healing
 
This bright, soft, healthful-feeling watercolor celebrates Ioreth of the Houses of Healing, who is reputed to remember the ancient verse connecting the athelas plant with the healing power of the king's hands. Here, you see her busy at her work in herb-lore, while a convalescing Faramir and Éowyn pass by the window grating, strolling in an herb garden outside this hospital in Minas Tirith.
 
Many of Tolkien's academic peers thought old wives' tales, fairy-stories, and folklore beneath their academic notice, but I have come to see the character of Ioreth as the Professor's excellent rebuke of such narrow thinking. The Brothers Grimm eagerly recorded the wisdom of old wives, and Tolkien studied their ancient lore more deeply than most. Even the fragments of age-old yarns may have something very important to teach us. 
 
Do you know a Tolkien fan who works in the healing professions? A museum-quality print of this original hand-done watercolor could be a very thoughtful gift for them. It will bring a sense of hope as the fragrant, healing steam rises from Ioreth's vessel on the brazier. Want a closer look at what Faramir and Éowyn are doing? Faramir and Éowyn in the Houses of Healing is one of my most popular prints. One might even suppose that it was Éowyn's encounters with women like Ioreth who inspired her future high-status profession as a healer.