![]() ![]() There you have it: the Ring-bearers were mortal, they remained mortal, and they eventually died in the manner of mortals, albeit after a time of their own choice. ‘purgatory’, but one of peace and healing and they would eventually passĪway (die at their own desire and of free will) to destinations of which The right to confer ‘immortality’ upon them. So he went both to a purgatory and to a reward, for a while: a period of reflection and peace and a gaining of a truer understanding of his position in littleness and in greatness, spent still in Time amid the natural beauty of ‘Arda Unmarred’, the Earth unspoiled by evil.Īs for Frodo or other mortals, they could only dwell in Aman for a He would have eventually to ‘pass away’: no mortal could, or can, abide for ever on earth, or within Time. Frodo was sent or allowed to pass over Sea to heal him - if that could be done, before he died. ‘Alas! there are some wounds that cannot be wholly cured’, said Gandalf - not in Middle-earth. We can turn to Word of God in the form of The Letters of J.R.R. The case of Dwarves may be less well-established but nothing indicates otherwise. Although Hobbits are not mentioned, they are probably close enough cousins of Men to be mortal in the same way. This is a gift of Ilúvatar and not even the Valar can affect it. Mortality is a gift to Men (this is clearly established in the Silmarillion). That's all you'll find in The Lord of the Rings: that story is told from the point of Middle-earth and does not chronicle what happens in the Elven lands that Man cannot reach. The Ring is destroyed in 1422 by Shire reckoning, Sam sails West in 1482 when his wife dies, and Legolas and Gimli (“it is said”) are the last of the Fellowship to leave Middle-earth in 1541. One of the appendices provides a timeline for “later events concerning the members of the Fellowship of the Ring”, but strictly limited to Middle-earth. Gandalf, Galadriel and the others do not make any prophecies regarding what will happen in Valinor. I don't remember this being explicitly stated in The Lord of the Rings. I'd also appreciate canonical references to age at death if it did happen.įrodo is mortal, and going to Valinor doesn't change this. So, did the Ring Bearers live until the End of Days in Valinor, or did they eventually expire, and at what age? Were they mortal once again because the Ring's power had been broken by its destruction, or the magic of the Undying Lands, or did the Valar themselves reverse it? My impression was that because of the Ring's influence they were expected to live forever, and their residence in Valinor served not only to make them comfortable, but also (perhaps even moreso) to protect them from becoming wraiths due to the Ring's effect. Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam all aged slowly before making their way to Valinor, even after the Ring's destruction. Gollum lived for over 500 years because of it. The Undying Lands might not prevent death, but the One Ring seems to. Is there any direct reference to his death (preferably with age)? Failing that, what canon states or implies that mortals will still die there? If this is correct, Gimli certainly would have died. maybe sixty years (or more, if his life was prolonged) after the end of the story. The Undying Lands doesn't prevent mortals from dying so, in fact, died. ![]()
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