I was wondering about that, too, and your question made me think some more. My guess is that this is a spiritual as well as physical healing because of the Nazgul, so it would have been the Middle-earth equivalent to a prayer spoken by a priest or minister, where the words would invoke help from beyond Arda.
Or poss. he was even speaking to the athelas, commanding or beseeching its power to heal.
Lots of room for individual interpretation, as usual with Tolkien!
I think you're right that the spiritual is at least as important as the physical aspect of healing. Look at the preceding sentence, too - He sat down on the ground, and taking the dagger-hilt laid it on his knees, and he sang over it a slow song in a strange tongue. As if he's somehow trying to counteract the evil of the blade with a Elvish incantation. And didn't he tell Frodo that the name of Elbereth did more harm to the Witch King than his blade did?
I like your journal, too. Armadillos! I lived in Austin for 7 yrs, south of Enfield Blvd., west of Mopac. I walked the hike and bike trail to work across the river through Zilker to Lamar Blvd. *waves to Austin and caplinsea*
I kept that Aragorn calendar page picture up for weeks, too!
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I wonder what he said!
:D
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Or poss. he was even speaking to the athelas, commanding or beseeching its power to heal.
Lots of room for individual interpretation, as usual with Tolkien!
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I'm new to your journal, but I really like your entries :)
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I like your journal, too. Armadillos! I lived in Austin for 7 yrs, south of Enfield Blvd., west of Mopac. I walked the hike and bike trail to work across the river through Zilker to Lamar Blvd. *waves to Austin and caplinsea*
I kept that Aragorn calendar page picture up for weeks, too!
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