Summary
There are plenty of mysterious locations inThe Lord Of The Ringsseries, but there aren’t many that are quite as mysterious (for those who only watched the movies) as the Undying Lands. This strange land is the one that is talked about toward the end of the trilogy, the destination that Frodo and the rest of his group were set to sail to, never to return. Not much is known about the Undying Lands, but what is known is that those who leave for the lands certainly won’t be coming back.
It isn’t uncommon for Elves to make the journey to the Undying lands, but it is a bit more uncommon for other beings to do so. Gandalf is a bit unique thanks to him essentially being a mythical being inThe Lord Of The Ringsseries, but it wasn’t common for Hobbits like Frodo or Bilbo to ever be allowed entry into the Undying Lands. It’s clear that the lands serve a special purpose, so some may wonder why it’s so secretive and whether or not anyone in the realm of Men was allowed to sail there for a visit.
Why Were The Undying Lands Relevant?
The Undying Lands (also known as Valinor) is an incredibly important location inThe Lord Of The Ringsseries the deeper one looks into the lore of the universe. The Undying Lands, made up of the lands of Aman and Tol Eressea, were the landswhere the Ainur and Eldar resided. The Ainur are more or less the mythical holy beings ofThe Lord Of The Ringsand the Eldar are the Elves who made the journey to the lands. It is said that the Undying Lands is an area of pure bliss, tucked away from the evil and brutal lands of Middle Earth.
Being a place in which some of the purest beings in the series reside, and additionally being a place that is more or less perfect, it only makes sense that those residing within the lands were choosey about who could enter. It’s the more mythical nature of the Undying Lands that makes them especially interesting, as it isn’t as simple as just sailing to it to get there. The Undying Lands were essentially in another plain of existence that was only accessible through a highly specific routeknown only to the Elves, and once again, only certain beings were ever going to be allowed in any way.
What Characters Traveled To The Undying Lands?
While there is no definitive list of all the characters that ever traveled to the Undying Lands, there is a fairly clear list as well as some unique history. As seen at the end ofThe Lord Of The Rings, Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, Frodo, and Bilbo are some of the major characters who make the journey to the Undying Lands. Frodo and Bilbo normally wouldn’t have been permitted entry to the lands considering they were Hobbits, but the fact that they had each taken on the One Ring for extended periods of time was enough for them to be granted passage to the lands.Gandalf was not actually of the race of Men, and instead, was one of the Ainur that were known to inhabit the Undying Lands.
Later in his life, Samwise Gamgee would also be permitted entry to the Undying Lands thanks to him also being a ring bearer for some time. Surprisingly,Gimli would set sail for the landsalongside Legolas after Aragorn passed away, though it’s unclear how that would have ended up going. Dwarves weren’t exactly looked upon kindly by many there, though it is possible that with the vouching of the Elves, Gimli was able to live a long and happy existence there with his old companions.
Would Men Have Been Allowed To Enter The Undying Lands?
While there aren’t many other named characters known of that traveled to the Undying Lands, the early ages did have more contact with the mysterious location. The early mortals of the world were able to trade with those within the Undying Lands, although they were never actually allowed to visit the land.After Sauron’s treachery in Numenorthe Undying Lands were then forever sealed off from the realm of Men, for the fears that they may foolishly attempt to invade the land one day.
The Fall of Numenorwas essentially the last time that the realm of Men had any meaningful contact with the Undying Lands and its inhabitants in any way. From there, no men were ever allowed any kind of entry. Should any of the realm of Men attempt to reach the fabled Undying Lands, they’d likely be turned around, have their shipwrecked by some kind of disaster, or simply continue sailing, never coming across the land at all.
Sadly, there is no telling whether or not there would have been certain criteria that could have allowed Men to visit the land. If anyone was close to being allowed entry, it was likelyAragorn himself for having led the realm of Menin a final desperate stand against Sauron’s forces, the very thing that allowed Frodo and Sam to destroy the One Ring for good. Though it is likely obvious to the biggest fans of Aragorn that he likely wouldn’t have accepted any offer to head there anyway, wanting to be a good king to his people, a good husband to his wife, and a good father to his children.
The Lord Of The Ringsseries is available to stream on MAX.
