AUTHOR'S NOTES -
CHAPTER 16: GIVE AND TAKE
It went beyond stubborn, and Gandalf had spoken truly when he named Frodo Bronwe athan Harthad.
History of Middle-earth, vol. 9, Sauron Defeated, Many Partings: “‘And I name now those who shall not be forgotten and without whose valour nought else that was done would have availed; and I name before you all Frodo of the Shire and Samwise his servant. And the bards and the minstrels shall give them new names: Bronwe athan Harthad and Harthad Uluithiad, Endurance beyond Hope and Hope unquenchable.’”
And now he still hoped. Hoped that Frodo would be able to settle into Bag End, to wrap the smial around him again, as he used to wrap his father’s old coat.
An unconscious influence of Mirabella here, as I realised when I was enjoying (yet again) her story Divarifications: “It was late afternoon before Frodo's relations left. Sam was almost finished in the garden when Frodo wandered up to him again, with his shirt buttoned right this time and his hands stuffed into the pockets of a threadbare jacket with holes at the elbows; Sam knew that the jacket had been Frodo's father's, and knew that Frodo wore it when he was feeling unsettled about something. The jacket was too big for him.”
‘Now there’s a thought,’ said Frodo, in mock seriousness. ‘But we’d need the servants to go with it, and that underfloor heating system they use.’
‘And that special ridged ceiling that kept the condensation from dripping on our heads. Very clever that was. And I fancy some of those fish mosaics on the walls. Very fetching they’d look, to my way of thinking.’
Pompeii meets Hobbiton... And yes, there is a ridged ceiling in the public baths at Pompeii, and yes, it is to stop the condensation dripping down on peoples heads.
He were ever so helpful. He reckons as how yellow star-wort might help, though Frodo were looking cheerful enough just now, I have to say.’
“Yellow star-wort” is St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), a yellow, five petalled flower. In a randomised trial (Linde et al, BMJ vol. 313, 1996) there was evidence that extracts of hypericum were more effective than placebo for the treatment of mild to moderately severe depressive disorders.
He idly picked up the packages on the table. ‘So what are these for? Cow-itch and horny goat weed. I’ve never heard o’ them. Horny goat weed?’ He raised his eyebrows and looked quizzically at Rosie. She was blushing.
Here is what a site selling Horny Goat weed (Epimedium sagittatum) has to say: “Horny Goat Weed is used in traditional Chinese medicine, and is native to China. Hundreds of years ago, a goat herder noticed incessant sexual behavior in his goats. He observed the goats and noticed whenever they ate certain weeds, the goats promiscuous behavior became even more noticeable - hence, Horny Goat Weed.
Horny Goat Weed is also called Ying Yang Huo in Chinese, and has been used to treat kidney, joint, liver, and back disorders, and it's also used as an aphrodisiac. Horny goat has testosterone like effects, stimulating sexual activity, desire, increases sperm production, and stimulates sensory nerves.”
Cow Itch was listed as an ingredient in a product being sold for impotency, but I can’t now find the site. The seed pods are actually irritant, so hopefully that’s not the part used in the remedy.
Being a leap year there would be the Overlithe celebration, in addition to the normal three days spanning the Lithe Days and Mid-year’s Day.
Return of the King, Appendix D: “The Mid-year’s Day, and in leap years the Overlithe, had no weekday name. The Lithe before Mid-year’s Day was called 1 Lithe, and the one after was called 2 Lithe... The Overlithe was a day of special holiday, but it did not occur in any of the years important to the history of the Great Ring. It occurred in 1420, the year of the famous harvest and wonderful summer, and the merrymaking in that year is said to have been the greatest in memory or record.”