We are told that lembas possesses “a virtue” that is life sustaining in a supernatural sense, without which Frodo and Sam “would long ago have lain down to die.” It has “a potency that increased as travelers relied on it alone and did not mingle it with other foods.” It feeds the will and gives strength to endure, providing mastery over the body “beyond the measure of mortal kind”—that is, above what is humanly possible.
