Jim Deutch
Well-Known Member
All my life I've made the same mistake and had the same confusion as this blog author:
http://khkeeler.blogspot.com/2014/12/plant-confusion-hemlock-both-umbels-and.html
Hemlock is a tree, in my experience. The plant Tolkien names in the Tinuviel poem is known around here as "poison hemlock", but is not seen in the wild. I had never, ever -- until the incredible 3-hour discussion of the poem -- even realized that Tolkien and I were not thinking of the same plant.
It was only once I actually thought about "hemlock umbels" -- which I would, naturally, do when thinking so much about the poem -- that I realized: hemlock trees do NOT have umbels! Not even close! And then for quite some time I was doubting not my own interpretation, but Tolkien's mastery of botany instead. Maybe he thought that hemlock trees had some sort of umbel form, or maybe he was confused about the meaning of the word "umbel" or ... that was, of course, stupid of me. Tolkien had it all right: I was the confused one. As usual.
I concur with the blogger's final words:
"I wonder, of course, how many other literary images are wrong in my mind because I didn’t know the same plants the author did."
It is telling that the link above is the second hit on google for the query "hemlock umbels". This confusion is apparently very common indeed.
http://khkeeler.blogspot.com/2014/12/plant-confusion-hemlock-both-umbels-and.html
Hemlock is a tree, in my experience. The plant Tolkien names in the Tinuviel poem is known around here as "poison hemlock", but is not seen in the wild. I had never, ever -- until the incredible 3-hour discussion of the poem -- even realized that Tolkien and I were not thinking of the same plant.
It was only once I actually thought about "hemlock umbels" -- which I would, naturally, do when thinking so much about the poem -- that I realized: hemlock trees do NOT have umbels! Not even close! And then for quite some time I was doubting not my own interpretation, but Tolkien's mastery of botany instead. Maybe he thought that hemlock trees had some sort of umbel form, or maybe he was confused about the meaning of the word "umbel" or ... that was, of course, stupid of me. Tolkien had it all right: I was the confused one. As usual.
I concur with the blogger's final words:
"I wonder, of course, how many other literary images are wrong in my mind because I didn’t know the same plants the author did."
It is telling that the link above is the second hit on google for the query "hemlock umbels". This confusion is apparently very common indeed.