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If you’ve read the Lord of the Rings novels or watched the film trilogy, then you’ll remember the emotional conclusion to the third installment in the series: The Return of the King.
After destroying the One Ring and defeating Sauron, Frodo leaves his friends and joins an entourage of Elves as they leave Middle Earth forever.
But while this ending gives a heartfelt and bittersweet conclusion to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you might be left wondering why the Elves left Middle Earth, and where they went.
Luckily, we’ve done all the hard work for you! Here, we’ll take you through everything there is to know about why all the Elves sailed into the West.
So let’s get started!
Valar And The Undying Lands: A Quick Breakdown
Before we take a look at exactly why the Elves left Middle Earth after the downfall of Sauron, we need to do a quick recap of the events surrounding it.
All the Elves in Middle Earth are either the descendants of or incarnations of Valar – these are essentially deities in the world of Middle Earth, and live in a realm known as Valinor, or ‘The Undying Lands’.
After the defeat of Sauron and the destruction of the One Ring, all the Elves in Middle Earth set sail to The Undying Lands.
For Elves, Valinor is essentially their homeland, and Elves that journey to The Undying Lands live as immortals among the Valar.
The end of the trilogy isn’t the only time where Elves sail into the West – Arwen was meant to sail to The Undying Lands with an entourage of Elves after falling ill.
In fact, one of the first times Elves appear in the trilogy is when Frodo and the hobbits spot a procession of Elves on their way to Valinor.
So Why Did All The Elves Leave Middle Earth?
Now that we’ve taken a look at where the Elves traveled to after leaving Middle Earth, let’s look at the reasons why.
After the One Ring was destroyed and Sauron was finally defeated, all the Elves in Middle Earth felt the call of the Valar, summoning them to The Undying Lands to fulfill their destiny of living among the Valar as immortals.
The call of the Valar led the Elves to journey from Middle Earth to Valinor, as the defeat of Sauron meant that their presence was no longer required in Middle Earth.
Another reason for the Elves to leave was world-weariness. As immortal beings, Elves spent thousands of years living in Middle Earth.
All this time, they were subjected to the dark presence of Morgoth and Sauron; this corruption and darkness made the Elves weary, causing them to leave Middle Earth and journey to The Undying Lands for a better life.
Not every elf left Middle Earth, however, and some stayed behind. Without traveling to Valinor, however, these remaining Elves eventually faded until their presence disappeared from Middle Earth.
While he did eventually travel to The Undying Lands, Legolas didn’t actually leave Middle Earth with Frodo and the other Elves. Instead, he vowed not to leave Middle Earth while other members of the Fellowship remained.
After Aragorn’s death at the end of the Fourth Age, Legolas and Gimlli sailed to Valinor together.
Why Was Frodo Allowed To Sail To Valinor?
You might be wondering why Frodo was allowed to leave Middle Earth with the Elves – after all, Frodo is a hobbit and only Elves are allowed into Valinor.
In fact, Frodo wasn’t the only non-Elf to sail into the West: he left Middle Earth accompanied by Bilbo and Gandalf along with Galadriel and Elrond.
The reason why Frodo, and Bilbo were able to travel to Valinor is because they were both Ring Bearers, just like Elrond and Galadriel.
This, along with Frodo’s incurable wound from a Morgal blade, gave them special passage into Valinor where they became some of the few mortal beings to enter The Undying Lands.
Gandalf, while also being a Ring Bearer, had a different reason for being allowed into Valinor. As one of the Maia (spiritual beings who helped the Valar shape the world), Gandalf was tasked with helping the people of Middle Earth in the fight against Sauron.
Following Sauron’s defeat and the destruction of the One Ring, Gandalf’s mission on Middle Earth was complete. This meant that he was allowed to return to The Undying Lands to live among the Valar.
What Happens When Elves Die?
So what about those elves that died in Middle Earth – is Valinor the same as heaven? Well, sort of.
When an Elf dies in Middle Earth, their spirit is sent to a place in Valinor known as the Halls of Mandos. After a time, the Elf’s spirit will be reincarnated in an identical body to that on Middle Earth.
However, once an Elf has left Middle Earth to travel to Valinor, they very rarely travel back to Middle Earth.
Valinor isn’t exactly like the heaven of The Lord of the Rings, though. First of all, it isn’t the realm of Iluvatar (the equivalent of God in The Lord of the Rings) – that would be The Timeless Halls, which exists outside the boundaries of the universe.
Additionally, not all beings travel to Valinor when they die. Only the Elves and those chosen by the Valar can travel to The Undying Lands, living or dead.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it – now you know everything there is to know about why the Elves left Middle Earth at the end of Lord of the Rings!
While it might not be totally clear in the movies (and even the books), now you know exactly where Frodo and the Elves traveled to and why they left!
Lord of the Rings is well-known for its massive world-building and immense story; knowing a little bit more about the context of things happening in the story lets you get even more immersed in Tolkein’s world.
So next time you’re reading the books or marathoning the movies, you’ll know exactly what’s happening when the Elves leave Middle Earth and sail into the West forever!
I first had the idea for Seeking A Good Book when I was in college and everyone would come to me for book recommendations. More often than not, everyone I recommended a book to would always come back with a glowing review of it.
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