Spring Solstice Quest for the Kingsfoil Leaves

Kingsfoil from the LotR movies

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(¸.•´ (¸A knight-errant is a figure of medieval chivalric romance literature. "Errant," meaning wandering or roving, indicating how the knight-errant would typically wander the land in search of adventures. NightBlooming has a quest for those that would dare to take it. Though a challenge, the reward is great!

As NightBlooming's signature style is well known to our customers, we're offering up this Middle Earth pair of a fork and a dangling finishing pin as a reward for the one who can unravel this riddle! The answer lies within one of my sold items, so the better you know NightBlooming’s work, the easier this may be.


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(¸.•´ (¸Quest for the Kingsfoil Leaves


In Tolkien's Middle Earth Athelas was a plant with healing properties. The athelas plant had long leaves that gave off a sweet and pungent fragrance. The scent had a refreshing and invigorating effect on those who inhaled it. Athelas could be used to ease pain, and it also had the power to counteract the effects of the Black Breath exuded by the Nazgul. Only in the hands of a King of the line of Elendil could the full power of athelas be released, lending to its common name of Kingsfoil or king's leaf.

Kingsfoil Leaves Pin and Fork Set- the reward for this quest!

Aragorn used the athelas plant to help ease the pain of Frodo's Morgul-wound after the Lord of the Nazgul attacked him on Weathertop. He crushed the leaves into boiling water and bathed Frodo's shoulder. Frodo felt the pain and cold lessen, but the athelas could not cure him since there was still a sliver of the Morgul-knife in his body that had to be removed by Elrond. When Frodo and Sam were injured during the battle in Moria, Aragorn used what remained of the athelas he had gathered on Weathertop to treat their wounds.

After the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Eowyn, Faramir and Merry were all gravely ill as a result of their contact with the Nazgul. In the Houses of Healing, Aragorn asked for athelas. The wise-woman Ioreth recognized the plant by its common name kingsfoil, but the herb-master said he had none since it had no virtue that he knew of, except as mentioned in an old rhyme:

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: "The Houses of Healing," p. 141


At last six leaves were found, and Aragorn crushed two leaves into steaming water for each patient. As he did so, a freshness filled the room, each time evoking a different feeling to those present, and the patients awoke.

This set seeks to capture these amazing leaves, most potent for those that share the line of a king. This alluring beauty is topped with an oxidized brass leaf and a bronze knotwork filigree. The accompanying finishing pin has a brass know and a spill of brass leaves.

Both the pin and the fork have usable lengths of 2.75 inches and overall lenths of 4.5 inches.

We'll do another quest for the Winter Solstice! So even if you don't win please try again then :)


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(¸.•´ (¸Rules:
Use the clue to find the right listing, then look in the item description or photos to answer the question. The contest will run for a bit more than a week (closing at 12am on Saturday the 25nd of March), and a winner will be randomly drawn from all those that submitted the right answer.

To submit your answer you can either convo me on Etsy or you can email me the answer directly. You are allowed only ONE GUESS and cannot amend your answer, so make your submission count! The winner will have the sticks shipped to them for free++ anywhere in the world!

Once the winner is announced they may check out with the sticks. Best of luck to you all!

You can see all the sold items here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NightBlooming/sold

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(¸.•´ (¸The Quest

Your Hint:
Kronos was the Titan god of time and the ages, especially time where regarded as destructive and all-devouring. He ruled the cosmos during the so-called Golden Age, after castrating and deposing his father Ouranos (the Sky). In fear of a prophecy that he would be in turn be overthrown by his own son, Kronos swallowed each of his children as soon as they were born. Rhea managed to save the youngest, Zeus, by hiding him away on the island of Krete, and fed Kronos a stone wrapped in the swaddling clothes of an infant. The god grew up, forced Kronos to disgorge his swallowed offspring, and led the Olympians in a ten year war against the Titanes, before driving them defeated into the pit of Tartaros.

Many human generations later, Zeus released Kronos and his brothers from this prison, and made the old Titan king of the Elysian Islands, home of the blessed dead.

The Question:
Praytell, what animal is in the center of the crest?

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++Free shipping is via First Class USPS. If you would like a different shipping method or insurance, a small charge will apply.

Though the listing is for $0.20 as that is the lowest amount that Etsy will allow an item to be listed for, these fees will be covered by NightBlooming for the winner.