#I wrote this a while ago when cosmologicalhedgehogephemora asked me my thoughts on pipeweed

[middle-earth-mythopoeia]

The origins of pipeweed

We know that pipeweed was originally brought to Middle-earth by the Númenóreans, who called it sweet galenas. But where did it came from before that?

Númenor was created by the Valar at the beginning of the Second Age, so the island can’t have had native flora or fauna. I’m sure the Edain brought animals and plants with them from Middle-earth when they settled there, but that still begs the question, where did pipeweed actually come from?

And I have a theory! It came from Valinor.

Númenor received ship visit from Tol Eressëa for a time. The Elves definitely could have brought plants or seeds with them as gifts. It also says in The Silmarillion that flowers grew on Tol Eressëa:

“Then through Calacirya, the Pass of Light, the radiance of the Blessed Realm streamed forth, kindling the dark waves to silver and gold, and it touched the Lonely Isle, and its western shore grew green and fair. There bloomed the first flowers that ever were east of the Mountains of Aman.”

I mean, I know this is far from conclusive proof. But it doesn’t say there wasn’t sweet galenas among those flowers! And pipeweed had to come from somewhere.

All of this is to say: there’s totally pipeweed in Valinor and that’s really good news because it means when Gandalf returns home at the end of ROTK he can still have a good smoke. And so can Bilbo, Frodo and Sam! :)