Sam Gamgee, a gardener in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, is a character with a salt-of-the-earth quality that is mainly a plot device. He is physically capable of chasing animals with sticks and getting a garden box from Galadriel. Sam is not considered the chief hero, as others beside Frodo did not carry the Ring due to concerns about its potential corruption. Sam knows Gollum from Bilbo and their mutual wanderings, and when he finds Frodo at the brink of a chasm, he sees Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age, striding with a flaming sword.
Sam grows in stature and does what only two others are known to have done: once holding the Ring, he gives it back freely. As Frodo starts to fail, slowly, Sam becomes tempted to claim the Ring. He has a fantasy of leading an army to overthrow Sauron and making Mordor into a “garden of flowers and trees”.
Tolkien’s works are filled with references to flowers, symbolizing life and peace, such as in Lórien. Sam is a unique character who doesn’t resist The Ring but doesn’t want anything that The Ring might have tried to tempt him. He is tempted to claim the Ring and has a fantasy of leading an army to overthrow Sauron and making Mordor into a “garden of flowers and trees”.
Sam is learning his poetic experience through the “stories of the old days” and has learned to read and write. However, he is disappointed when the books give him special soil to use in his garden. From Sam’s point of view, he has only two choices: to forbear the Ring, though it would torment him, or to save himself.
📹 Why Couldn’t Men Live in the Undying Lands? | Lord of the Rings Lore | Middle-Earth
The mortality of Men was a gift, though to most mortals it almost seemed ironic… for how could death be a gift when they would …
Why couldn t Sam destroy the Ring?
In The Lord of the Rings, Sam, carrying the Ring for a short time, faces the debate of whether he will throw it. Isildur and Frodo, who had been carrying the Ring for a year, couldn’t bring themselves to destroy it due to its corruption. Sam, with his kind-heartedness and short time, may be tempted to destroy the Ring. However, the Ring’s growing corruption with each step closer to Mount Doom is evident in the Lord of the Rings novels. As Sam’s burden grows closer to Mount Doom, he realizes that the Ring’s power grows, becoming more fell and untamable except by a mighty will.
With Sam not even at the mountain, he feels the corruption is too much to handle and that the Ring is already gnawing at his will and reason. The weight of the Ring’s power is evident as Sam’s journey towards Mount Doom continues.
Why can’t Gandalf touch the Ring?
Gandalf, a compassionate and affectionate character, is hesitant to touch the One Ring, which, like Sauron, is a corrupting force. He fears that if he does, it would make him just as bad as Sauron, who has incorporated his evil into the Ring. Despite their equal power, Gandalf is firmly on the side of good and would not risk the possibility of the Ring corrupting him. The One Ring is a corrupting force, and if Gandalf were to be corrupted, the people of Middle Earth would have no chance against Sauron, leading to a tragic ending for the Lord of the Rings story.
Why was Aragorn not allowed in the Undying Lands?
The Undying Lands, also known as Valinor, are a mysterious and mythical location in The Lord of the Rings series where pure and holy beings reside. Elves often journey to the Undying Lands, but Hobbits like Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo, and later Samwise Gamgee are rare exceptions due to their unique circumstances. Men were never allowed to enter the Undying Lands after the fall of Numenor, and any attempts to reach them would result in failure or disaster.
The Undying Lands are the destination that Frodo and his group were set to sail to, never to return. Not much is known about the Undying Lands, but it is clear that those who leave for the lands certainly won’t be coming back. It is not uncommon for Elves to make the journey to the Undying Lands, but it is more uncommon for other beings to do so. Gandalf is unique due to his mythical status, but it wasn’t common for Hobbits like Frodo or Bilbo to ever be allowed entry into the lands. The lands serve a special purpose, and some may wonder why it’s so secretive and whether anyone in the realm of Men was allowed to sail there for a visit.
Is Gandalf immune to the Ring?
The Ring, a powerful weapon, extended the life of a mortal possessor indefinitely, preventing natural aging. It did not protect its bearer from destruction, as Gollum perished in the Crack of Doom and Sauron’s ‘fair’ body was destroyed in the downfall of Númenor. The Ring physically corrupted mortals who wore it, eventually transforming them into wraiths. Hobbits were more resistant to this, as Gollum, who possessed the Ring for 500 years, did not become wraith-like because he rarely wore it.
In Mordor, the Ring’s power increased significantly, allowing even without wearing it, the bearer to draw upon it and acquire an aura of terrible power. Frodo, who had the Ring, warned Gollum that if he touched him again, he would be cast into the Fire of Doom.
The Ring contained much of Sauron’s power, and it strove to return to him by manipulating its bearer to claim ownership or abandoning its bearer. The Ring’s malevolent agency was evident in its actions, as it was endowed with much of Sauron’s power.
What is Khonshu’s real name?
Khonshu, also known as Atum or Ammon Ra, was the son of Atum and Amaunet, the air goddess of the Ogdoad pantheon. He was the brother of Montu, possibly Bes, Ptah, Bast, and Sekhmet. According to Knull, Khonshu was an “elder shadow” dressed in local legend. Around 1, 000, 000 BC, Khonshu was offended by not being offered membership in the Stone Age Avengers and chose a mortal avatar, the first known Moon Knight, to enforce his will on Earth. This led to the establishment of the Cult of Khonshu and a succession of Moon Knights.
Khonshu and Ra have been warring for millennia, with Khonshu winning every instance. Khonshu is the God of Time and Vengeance. In Ancient Egypt, Khonshu posed as a human pharaoh at Thebes, the seat of worship of Ammon Ra, while Osiris posed as a mortal ruler in Heliopolis. Kang the Conqueror arrived in Ancient Egypt to seek the God of Time, but his plot is hampered when the staff is broken, scattering the necessary components.
What is Chillrogg’s real name?
Joey Urbinati, also known as @chillrogg, is a prominent figure on the social media platform Instagram, renowned for his ability to engage his audience with his photographic and video content.
Why are Men banned from the Undying Lands?
In the Second Age, the Númenóreans were entrusted with an edict by the Valar to prevent them from sailing too far west from their island, preventing them from visiting the Undying Lands. Despite the easternmost part of Tol Eressëa being visible to Númenor, they were banned from visiting there or any other part of Aman. The Dúnedain, the greatest mariners of all time, lived under the Ban of the Valar, exploring the world to its farthest boundaries.
However, the Ban caused dissent, and King Ar-Pharazön spoke openly against it. The Men of Númenor believed they could achieve immortality by visiting the Undying Lands, leading to the creation of the Ban. After being corrupted by Sauron, Ar-Pharazön attempted to break the Ban and invade the Valar’s land, resulting in the downfall of Númenor and the destruction of almost all its people.
How could Sam resist the Ring?
Sam’s resistance to the Ring is likely due to his innate goodness and loyalty, which allowed him to overcome the pull of the Ring. His love for Frodo helped him overcome the Ring’s pull, and his inner pureness was never fully pierced by it. He knew that great power was not his fate and didn’t crave it, making him less easily corrupted by the Ring.
The Ring’s choice of its bearer may have been aware of Sam’s innate goodness. Every other Ring-bearer had to kill the previous owner to gain possession of the Ring. Bilbo and Sam both came into possession of the Ring peacefully, with Sam holding onto it while he thought Frodo was dead, and Bilbo outwitting Gollum to keep it. Bilbo’s possession of the Ring was characterized by compassion, as he showed compassion to Gollum by not killing him.
Tolkien’s work is fascinating because there are many questions in The Lord of the Rings that are never fully answered, leaving fans to read deeper into the texts or movies to try and figure out these complications for themselves. While there is no official answer for why Bilbo and Sam were able to be rid of the Ring without much issue, supporting evidence suggests it was partly due to their inner morality and partly because of the Ring choosing its own path. This thought experiment proves the Hobbits’ unique nature and the special creatures they are.
Why is Sam less affected by the Ring?
Sam Gamgee, a Hobbit, was nearly immune to the One Ring’s corruption due to his purity of heart. His natural resistance to the Ring made them key to its destruction. Sam’s support for Frodo was crucial for the Ring’s destruction, highlighting the importance of friendship. Sam Gamgee never became corrupted by Sauron’s One Ring, despite much stronger Lord of the Rings characters falling to its influence. This demonstrates Sam’s character, as he possessed a quality that kept the Ring from gaining control over him.
Frodo Baggins, on his journey in The Lord of the Rings, learned the danger of the One Ring. Boromir, who never carried the Ring, was corrupted by it and attacked Frodo to get his hands on Sauron’s dark weapon. Frodo decided to leave the Fellowship to prevent others from falling prey to its influence. Sam, however, refused to leave, and he never even tempted to take the Ring for himself.
What is Samwise’s real name?
Samwise, meaning “simple minded” or “half-minded”, is a Sindarin term derived from the Westron form of Sam’s name Banazîr Galpsi. The name Gamgee is a corruption of Gammidgy, a Shire village. Tolkien’s English translation, Samwís Gamwich, could have been a possible translation. The Sindarin version of Samwise is Perhael, which King Elessar refers to Sam as “Halfwise” in the unpublished “Epilogue”.
Why was Sam allowed in the Undying Lands?
Elanor’s father, Sam, left for the Grey Havens and set sail for Valinor, the Undying Lands. Sam, like Frodo and Bilbo, had been a Ring-bearer for a short time, so he was allowed by the Valar to live out his days in paradise. Although there is no information about Sam’s reunion with Frodo Baggins, it is comforting to know he spent the final days of his life with his beloved friend. Elves have no high king during The Lord of the Rings.
📹 Did Frodo and Master Samwise meet again in the Undying Lands? | Tolkien Explained – Hobbit Day 2021!
Hey Tolkien geeks! Hobbit Day is the annual celebration of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ in-universe birthday of September 22nd, …
Technically, Ar-Pharazon and those of his men who landed in Valinor did achieve immortality. Just not in the way they had hoped. They weren’t killed by the landslide that covered them, but rather imprisoned there until the ending of the world. So TECHNICALLY, Sauron was honest with them when he told them that they could seize immortality by travelling to Aman…
The fate of Men isn’t necessarily the less desirable as Tolkien wrote that by time even the elves would envy them for not having to endure age after age of the world. Also Men will play an important role in the second music of the Ainur whereas the Elves may completely vanish when Arda is reforged because they are so strongly bound to it
Sympathetic to men. The elves revolt and screw up constantly, and the Valar forgive them over and over. Men suffer and are corrupted by a Maiar (who should be the Valar’s problem), and their greatest civilization is destroyed and the survivors are left to fight Sauron, who they’re not even capable of killing.
Well if the whole World is going to disappear someday. And if the elves and their spirit are “bound” to it, they will also disappear one day. So … they are not truly immortal. Their destiny is to live … and disappear forever with the World itself, which is also a curse. If the human spirit goes elsewhere when they leave their flesh, (we don’t know where) it might actually be better.
If there’s going to be a discussion on which is better, the Gift of Men or the Gift of Elves, I think the best person to ask would be Arwen. Her last words to Aragorn before he died were: “But I say to you, King of the Numenoreans, not till now have I understood the tale of your people and their fall. As wicked fools I scorned them, but I pity them at last. For if this is indeed, as the Eldar say, the gift of the One to Men, it is bitter to receive.” Sure, the Silmarillion states that the Elves and even the Valar envy the mortality of Men, but Men envy the immortality of the Elves and the Valar. And seeing as Arwen is the only individual in Tolkien’s Legendarium to have actually experienced both and given her opinion on the matter, I’d say she’s the closest thing we have to an expert on the topic.
Of course it was unfair. Elves had a choice – they could have lived in Valinor. Both sindar and noldor made their choice to stay in the case of the first ones or go to Middle Earth in case of noldor no matter the suffering inflicted on them by Morgoth. People had no choice but to live on a spoiled land of Middle Earth and fight against Morgoth and Sauron. They were unwillingly used as a tool to weaken Morgoth – how could this be fair?
People don’t realize that the nature of the elves actually makes them profoundly limited in many ways. They don’t change things. They don’t advance. In many ways they lack the same level of free will which humans enjoy. Humans are meant for a higher purpose, that’s why Eru wants them to leave Arda. They appear to have humble beginnings, but their increased ability to choose and cause change reveals that in the future beyond death they will surpass the elves.
Disclaimer: Sorry if I’m just writing the things mentioned in the article. I’m just tiping my thoughts before perusal the article. The great mistake men have when thinking avout the undying lands: Travelling there does NOT mean that they become immortal themselves. Undying lands basically means, that the immortal race (elves) lives there. Not that everything entering those lands becomes immortal. Just look at Frodo, Bilbo, Gimli and (later) Sam. All were allowed to travel there. Bilbo, Frodo and Sam as a reward for being ringbearers of the one ring, Gimli as a symbol of friendship between elves and dwarves. His friendship with Legolas basically ended a deep hatred that started with the murder of King Thingol of Menegroth in the first age. But all of the fore mortals that were allowed to enter the undying lands had to die at some point. They probably lives without any worries or illnesses until their end, but they had to die some day. The undying lands were not designed as a thing prohibited to men in a evil way. They were made to make the very concept of immortality bearable to elves. Immortality might seem tempting to a race that has to die after a rather short live. But really living forever can be a heavier burden than death itself.
A few thoughts occurred to me during the article: 1. The Undying land was not so. Elves (specifically the Noldor) brought conflict and death with them both by postpartum weariness and also by bloodshed. Though these elves could reincarnate, those who died this way seldom choose or are allowed to do so. 2. Numenor was too close to Aman. I think this is why Eru sank it beneath the waves and turned Arda into a sphere. The Ainur and the Eldar turned Numenor into Tol Eressea East. It’s flora and perhaps fauna came from the West. They were taught the Arts and Crafts of the West by Eldar and Maiar. The Numenoreans were given every gift they were authorized to give, but in the end men desired the one gift the Valar could not give. All of the effects of living in Aman that you describe happened, at perhaps less intensity, in Numenor. In the end it robbed them of their nobility and peace and turned them into tyrants. 3. It is not for the Children to say who have been given the better Gift. Each Gift looks better to the other at some point. Weary elves long to be free of the confines of Arda. Men crave the immortal agelessness of elves. However, men cannot ken what it means to be tied to fate, to have your near endless days laid out for you with no ability to alter their course. Elves on the other hand do not know the fear of death and do not have to rely on faith for what happens after their bodies die. For either kindred, rejection of their gift and envy of the other leads only to conflict, misery, and sorrow.
An interesting question: What were the spirits of Elrond and Elros like? They were both given the coice to become mortal or to stay immortal. But did the coice mean that there was something changed in their personality as well, so they’d fit more into their chosen race? Or was their choice predestined by what their spirit was like (more elven-like vs. more human-like)? Although Elros died when he was 500 years lod, being the longest-living man of all time, was he like all other humans, changing and forming the world around him like mankind always does? Or was he more like the elves, preserving things like they were? And did Elrond pursue changing the world around him more than other elves did? Or did it mean some profound change in their spirits / souls, when those brothers chose their path, much deeper than just choosing death or immortality?
True immortality really would be a curse, because as much as I’d like to say I’d want to live forever right now, I might feel quite differently a thousand years from now.. Its a dark thought, but if you truly lived on forever there might be a time where you feel like you’ve truly experienced everything life has to offer, that there is no sensation or extreme stimulus in existence that you haven’t already experienced either in more number than you can remember or in such a truly profound way once upon a time that feeling something like that again is simply impossible, like the love of a soul mate who is now gone or is an entirely different person from the one they were 1,000 years ago.. Perhaps as a “young” person of just a few hundred years of age you were quite optimistic about the world, perhaps you were excited to see it change and evolve steadily into the better world you had hoped for as a child, but instead you lived to see a slow, painful, and irreversible path of self destruction, or maybe a massive disaster or series of global events that completed upheaved the world’s bright future for thousands of years more, if not indefinitely.. If you ask me, if I wanted a immortality of any kind, I’d ask for the ones they give you in The Sims. Just live on forever, eternally youthful, until you can go press an internal button somewhere that turns on aging. If you’re tired of life, let yourself fade a little bit and finally experience what its like to have a body that grows old..
This was a rather interesting concept to think about. I always thought that death itself was more of a gift, a gift of mortality. Elves and men have their own gifts. Elves have the gift of Immortality, because if they die, their spirits would be bound to the world of Arda, never an eternal afterlife which is a gift given to the race of men. In other words, the men go into an afterlife without being bound to the world, and the elves’ spirits forever remain bound to the world of Arda, becoming ‘one’ with it. This is why elves have immortality, so that their spirits throughout all of time can strengthen and endure. The men on the other hand, aren’t bound to the world of Arda, but their souls are able to pass beyond the world of Arda, perhaps being able to rejoin Eru Illuvatar and become Maiar themselves. So in my opinion, the spirits of the elves would never leave the world of Arda, but remain until the end of time. The only problem I have is this. The Valar seemed to “favor” the elves more than men in the sense that the elves have a piece of land where they could live without constant changes that the men of middle-earth desire from time to time. But unlike the men, the elves also had great protection from the Valar, therefore the men were most vulnerable to corruption. Therefore, it’s unwise to blame men for being envious of the elves’ immortality when Morgoth was the one who corrupted their hearts to see mortality as a curse than a blessing. Yet, who didn’t bother to stop Morgoth from corrupting the race of men?
I would imagine that many men could learn to appreciate and even thrive in the undying lands, living there as guests. Especially if they came later in life, after many hardships, the way Bilbo and Frodo did. I agree though that a settlement or larger society of men would founder, and those born there would certainly resent the seemingly unnatural passage of time.
Thank you for what you have done, Numenor’s loss is due to their heinous actions, human beings are constantly changing because of their nature. I am one of your Arab followers I have something I like to say The word “aman” is pronounced in Arabic (أمان) “aman”. In Arabic it means tranquility (security) serenity
What’s most interesting to me is that at first the Edain were accepting of death, for when Bëor died (Page 149 of the Silmarillion) it was said that “But Bëor had willingly abandoned life and died in peace”. This probably means that at first the Edain were, due to not being tainted by Morgoth’s influence, able to embrace their gift?
I think it’s good to note that the men of Numenor originally embraced death and saw it as a blessing, often choosing to die willingly rather than continue living a longer life when they could. And the Oathbreakers where what they really wanted was a final death, to be free of their oath so they could pass from the mortal world. Their spirits had a sort of immortality, but what they wanted was death.
When I first read The Lord of the Rings back in the early ’70s (on my own accord, it was not an assignment of the public school curriculum, at least not in the Kansas City North School District at the time), I found many things quite fascinating and admirable about the Elvish people, but the gift of immortality was not particularly one of them. In fact, it barely registered in my teenage psyche compared to their other attributes. Upon later musings, immortality in a finite world would eventually render all things uninteresting. Even Abby Road, e.g., would likely become boring after 42000 listenings or so.
Sorry i just want to point out that the legendary Tuor of house Hador in the first age? Lord Elronds grandfather on his father, Erändils side is the ONLY man to be granted access to Aman and more so..Tuor, not a half-elven but a mortal man of house Hador was granted to be counted among the Eldar since they saw him as practiaclly family and he married the elf princess of Gondolin, Idril. Tuor was well liked by both the Valar ulmo and rose in favour with the elfs of Gondolin. So there is acutally ONE exampel of a man in Tolkiens works that was granted the fate of the Eldar as a mortal man and to live with them in Aman. That is intresting.
I always wondered why Arwen had to forsake immortality to be with Aragorn even though it was obvious she was still going to outlive him? Couldn’t they just got married for a few decades with Arwen leaving when he dies? Elrond could’ve even waited for her. I am assuming this was a requirement from the gods but what’s the story behind it?
The “Gift of Men” is the element of Tolkein’s writing that I struggle with. The idea was to have two separate races – elves and men – that were equal but different. And yet this seems to me to be manifestly untrue. Elves can live forever, unburdened by death. They used their immortality to build great realms, craft great artifacts like the Simarils, and on and on the benefits run. Man? Oh, they die and go somewhere beyond Arda. Well, what is so good about this place ‘beyond Arda’? Not a word on that. So these two races are not equal but different; one is simply better. Elves are immortal, unphased by disease or old age. And men are worse; they are mortal, on the whole generally weaker and less capable, vulnerable to disease, prisoners of circumstances of their birth, and of course uniquely susceptible to corruption by Morgoth and then later Sauron, and why? Because this “Gift” sucks.
Fascinating analysis and impeccable narration. Thank you for this content rediscovered Tolkien again thanks to you. This reminds me a lot of non canonical narration of the book of Enoch when Angels became jealous of mortal men. Phenomenal Tolkien changes it up in his world building. I prefer the gift of the elves, however, all beings have a function, a purpose, from the insect to mankind. Mortality for both hunter and hunted, so acceptance or understanding of the function and purpose of the specific race, elven, man, dwarvish and so on, I think is the key in Tolkien’s writing to mitigating or quenching said desires of power, immortality etc… For example, much like Galadriel passed the test of the ring of power, as you’ll recall she desired power, in the end she accepted her part or purpose in middle earth and she diminished in power, but her banishment from the undying lands was lifted, boom she returned to the undying lands. Much like the hobbits too, both Bilbo and Frodo were resistant and rebuked the evil of the ring, so another test that they managed to pass…and boom off to the undying lands, anyways those are my thoughts, thank you and stay safe.
This poses some good questions. If in our universe we had immortality how would the effect us humans? Would what’s currently important to us change? How would we think about the planet? Would we be more willing to build space ships and go look for other species? Could we do it without abusing the universe and each other?
Probably saved it with the last connotation that the immortality given to the elves was bound to their liking of the unchanged aspect of the world, forever stagnant, and if it is so, then THAT immortality is indeed a sad one, as you don’t see further than the limits imposed on the existing world. On the other hand the mortality of Men allows this “fortune seeker” and the need for change and innovation, so I’d prefer this route, albeit longer, though you would always say “longer” I suppose. Abiding by tolkien’s rules if I could be an immortal elf and SEE the changes made by Men and/or other races I would happily be immortal, however I wouldn’t much enjoy immortality in the Undying lands. On the other hand being a mortal sounds like an adventure, but this is all assuming you know the afterlife that awaits you, otherwise its hard to say “yeh you enjoy life…….for a while then you’re gone lol”, in that scenario frick mortality and adventure lmao if you’re gone and “you” cease to utterly exist, might as well be immortal in w/e setting. On the broader spectrum and IRL a bit, immortality is desirable at an individual level and we all say it would be awesome, but even if you discard the fact it would mean endless wars due to overpopulation, it would mean stagnation of evolution really, but we can’t fathom 100 years into the future much less 50k years.
Dear GZ, great article on men and immortality. One thought as an add for future article on this topic. The blessing of mortality, from a spiritual benefit perspective, goes back to why Eru made them mortal to begin with. The Sil./Tolkien states men were made this way to bring energy and vitality to middle-earth due to their nature to build and expand and explore the corners of the created world. The comparative brevity of their life, is consistent with the nature of their spirits to achieve this purpose. Elves seemed to have too much contentment (minus Morgoth’s marring of almost everything) at pace almost too deliberate, serene and slow-paced even for Eru. Not a design flaw, but the counter-balance of what men brought to the energies of the world are apparently a design fulfillment- instead of design correction. All the best to you. ~The LoreMaster
I understand what those who want immortality feel like, my hatred for death is extreme, so much that I find it very hard to enjoy a mortal life. Somehow it feels like, as long as my life will end one day, it’s the same as not having existed to begin with, like everything is just an illusion. That thought drives me mad sometimes.
This is one of my favourit articles from this website so far, although Karl was amazing as narrator, you are doing a wonderful job too (I follow this cannel for a long time, but still don’t know your name, sorry!). I must also add that subjects evolving Elves are among my favourit topics always (ever since I started to read Tolkien in my teenage years I became fascinated with the Elves’ stories, specially the Noldor ones)… So what can I say more? Well thank you very very much for all the information and metioning the sources, you’ve doing a wonderfull work! Cheers from Portugal!
I have two thoughts: one on my opinion on immortality and one in my opinion on how it was handled by Tolkien/Eru Illuvitar. First I think living a long life is good and living forever is a curse. Easy. Second I think Eru Illuvitar basically tortured humans by giving elves immortality and realms of peace and the creating humans that specifically could not reap any benefits that the elves could. Eru Illuvitar was afraid they would want the better lives and lands that were straight up gifted to Elves when that was how it was designed.
Humans fear death but at the same time, we eventually grow tired of the uncaring world around us and death becomes, as Harry Potter says, a friend to us. Immortality is a soul-draining concept because you’d watch everything else die around you. Our minds can only handle so much of that. I write my own high fantasy world (known as All World) and while I have many long-lived species, there are only five specific characters that have true immortality (as far as time’s passage goes). The five in question are the World Masters and their enduring lives are part of the purpose given to them by All World’s creator-deity, the World Weaver. Their job is to guide an otherwise fallen world from the beginning of time to the very end of it. I made them all beasts since they can be trusted with that level of power and have greater fortitude over the soul-draining effects of Time’s passage. Their immortality is tied to their planet. As long as it endures, they will as well. I make it no secret that the Masters are completely exhausted and worn out after only 6,000 years. The only things keeping them going right now are their various relationships and knowing that none of it will last forever. They may not know the exact “when” but they have a clear view of what the End will look like for them. They will survive the seven-year-long Tribulation War, the week-long Battle of Armageddon, linger for another forty days while they travel to where they were given Masterdom, and then die (triggering the Apocalypse).
Interesting, but I can’t help to regard Eru almost as much as a tyrant as Melkor. He create inescapable fate to people and races, none of them having a say in it or being asked if they liked their gifts. At least Elves could chose mortality, either by killing themselves or going to a hopeless war or as Arwen marrying a human. Humans had no choice whatsoever to ever change their status. I have a hard time to imagine any human seeing age and death as a gift. So Eru, being immortal, gave a “gift”, mortality, which he himself had not the SLIGHTEST sense what that actually meant to endure.
Before I watch this article which I know would be great anyways. I want to ask you about your opinion of this (what if scenario), so what if all elves agreed to take the journey to valinor when they were called upon after their awakening, how would that change the main events that happened in middle earth ? Because that’s basically how the valar planned and where the elves were supposed to go from the beginning. Idk if this is worth to be a article idea but like no one ever thought of that.
@GeekZone Please clarify: Aman burns men up but Tol Eressa heals them? The Sun heals you if you’re on earth, but cooks you if you’re on it sort of thing? Tol Eressa isn’t like being on earth though. More like being on Mercury, since it’s within sight of Aman. Seems a bit contrived. It’s been a minute since I’ve read the books, but I thought the Valar visited Tol Eressa in disguise, or maybe that was somewhere else? Tol Eressa contains Teleri and Noldor of Valinor, exiled from Aman though some Noldor may be. And the Teleri sailed back and forth between Aman and Tol Eressa, IIRC. Men would still be surrounded by permanent creations of the Noldor and Teleri, and works that might take centuries to complete. Plus they would receive light from Valinor through the gap in the Pelori. Looks like the only thing missing from Tol Eressa is the Valar and the Vanyar. To sump up, men are still surrounded by undying creatures, undying creations, undying land, and undying light. Is the implication that the handful of non-Elves permitted to live in Tol Eressa: Sam, Frodo, Gimli, and Bilbo are sufficiently “noble-spirited” to not be corrupted by the undying lands? And to circle back to my second question about the Sun, Tol Eressa is still within eyesight of Aman, so still quite close to Valinor. I’m not buying it. Tolkien is giving Sam, Frodo, Gimli, and Bilbo some thick plot armor to survive the effects of Tol Eressa.
The whole idea of mortality as a “Gift” is the biggest nonsense Tolkein ever came up with, because the death of men HAS NOTHING AFTER. Nothing I have seen in Tolkein gives them an afterlife of any kind, meaning they are given the “gift” of absolute oblivion and destruction, which is one of the worst fates I can imagine. “Oh, no, you die. Nothing after that. We go to an eternal land of milk and honey, with joy forever and celebrate all that is. No, but you have a GIFT, you get to cease to exist forever!”
I think it can be accurately summed up in this way; if men lived forever they’d just get bored. The Elves might be content to just sit around existing but I believe they’re actually chronically depressed all the time whereas men appreciate and enjoy every moment of life, good and bad, more than an elf ever could. As for living forever for real, we kind of have to at least extend our own lives to escape this little rock of ours or we will perish.
If death is such a blessing and if living in Valinor would lead to corruption of the soul…then why did the Valar allow passage and in fact let Bilbo, Frodo, Samwise, and Gimi live in the Valinor? Even though they’re not technically men and may have eventually died in Valinor… it seems like that was a huge reward rather than a curse. The fact that the Númenoreans were gifted with long life (even though finite) suggests to me that mortality/life especially the relatively short life of man is not really a gift at all. If it were such a gift it seems like a shorter life for all mortals would be a reward rather than a longer one….
Knowing this subject as described by Tolkien, and very well parsed here … I have come to see the parallel to our world. We wish to time travel and be immortal and things like this that we can not have, and we wish them simply because we can not have them. Our own existence is intertwined in this limitation. If we had immortality, we wouldnt be able to do it in the long run, we would fail. The world around us would change and we would not. We would learn … be driven to … hate change itself. I think Tolkien realised this, and presciently put it into his story as a harbinger against this inner desire we have for immortality. He tells us, in the realm of his story, why we should not want this. Possibly the most important lesson from Middle Earth; be careful what you wish for.
An incredible article, but It is a pitty that Tolkien thought so little about the nature of men. It is true that there are those who are conflictive and destructive, but there are also those who are great beings of infinite compassion and neverending goodness. It seems Tolkien never met the latter, for those would have incredibly thrived along the spirits of Elves and Fae and the very Valar and who knows they would have grown to such lengths in their cosmic understanding of the very nature of MIddle Earth, that they would have become parts of the very Land Itself, much like the Elves. Thank You for your articles
me thinks Tolkien got it wrong on the nature of men – he describes very well the FALSE nature, or CORRUPTED nature, of men – to be restless, controlling, greedy, etc. – but most of us humans are NOT like that – we want to live in peace, harmony and perfection – any man or woman who would desire imperfection and suffering over perfection and happiness is a fool
I like how Eonwe explained in the Silmarillion that mortality and immortality both have their good and bad points. While it seems like humans got the short end of the stick, at least they leave the world before time becomes a burden for them, like for the elves. Imagine being as old as Cirdan and Galadriel and experiencing all the pain and horrors of 3 ages, witnessing the rise and downfall of many kingdoms. Just reading all of it in the Silmarillion was depressing, but imagine being actually there and living through all these events.
If there’s one constant in every age and universe, real or fictional, is the complete ignorance of Gods and Deities (and their fanatical worshippers) to the suffering and realities of mortals. It’s pretty much a scientific fact by now that people in power are completely apathetic and removed from the realities of those lesser tham themselves, if not completely sociopathic. Gods, if they exist, are no different. In fact, I think the whole “Eru vs Morgoth” conflict is the best example of this. Either Eru is completely ignorant to the minds and conflicts of his own children (thus not as omniscient and inescapable as he claims to be), or you have to confront the fact that he purposefully alienated his own son from himself and his other children and enabled almost 50.000 years of war, suffering and tragedy among Valar, Eldar, Dwarves, Men and other races as part of some fucked-up grand plan only he knows the full scale and purpose of (if any exists at all). Because, when you read the story outside of Tolkien’s catholic mentality lenses, this whole carnival of horrors could have been avoided if Eru, you know, walked up to Morgoth and said “Hey, son! I got that flame you’re looking for! I know you’re impatient, but just help me build this universe I’m planning, and then I’ll lend it to you for a spin, kay? Let’s go home, this Primordial Void gives me the creeps!”
The “gift” of mortality? Ha. So let me see: humans were created with such a nature as cannot deal with immortality, so they were “gifted” with mortality. How about being gifted with a nature that can handle immortality, and also immortality? — I love Tolkien, but in this case I suspect his theological views come through into his mythology, and not in a particularly palatable way.
If ever the Race of Men were to somehow be permitted to dwell in Aman, methinks they’d end up in an existence akin to the Ring Wraiths. In essence, having bodies that failed with time, yet with spirits that desired release from the the Circles of The World, but wills that sought endless life in Aman. Basically, a life in Paradise, yet at the same time, an endless, living hell-on-earth.
Immortals have no reason to “seize the day”. Every creation of a Valar would be a singularity that changed everything. Living with immortals would be insufferable. They feel no caution, fear no injury, recreating the rules while you have to play by them. I’d rather be a man than elf since you know the world the elves will live in, so if Eru has somewhere else for you to be outside of that, it has to be better, possibly with Eru, which the elves don’t have. Far enough in the future, they may exist as the same in the same place and way anyhow.
Can someone explain to me how exactly the elves were fine in abandoning the rest of Middle Earth? To clarify, I’m not talking about why they wanted to leave for the Undying Lands or why, I already know that. What I’m having trouble getting my head wrapped around is that the Elves knew perfectly what would happen to the other races: Man, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents, Etc, if Sauron won the war, likely a fate worse than death and yet when they were dominant they had no problem helping fight Morgoth and Sauron, mostly because thy’re own dominance over Middle-Earth was being challenged by the two, but when Sauron returned and the Elves lost interest in Middle-Earth most decided to leave. I understand the elves feel an urge to return to the Undying Lands sooner or later otherwise they can no longer feel happy in Middle-Earth, but even today people will tell you that their are responsibilities far more important than your own happiness, especially responsibility towards others. So they didn’t feel any obligation to help the peoples with whom they had shared Middle-Earth for so long? I mean I understand evacuating civilians but couldn’t they have delayed their departure until either Sauron was defeated or, after they had done all they could, until it was clear that he was going to win leaving them no choice but to flee? I’m probably not understanding the context but almost seems like the elves wanted to abandon the other races, when it no longer suited them to stay, with a big fuck you to the other races (which I’m surprised that in the books we never see any of the other races feeling betrayed by the elve’s abandonment).
One thing I’ve learned for sure is that if I can find no happiness in my current situation, I won’t find happiness in what my heart desires. If the Numénoreans couldn’t find happiness with their gifts, they would have found no solace in the undying lands because ultimately, they would have been looking for happiness in the material. The first sign of a suffering soul is lusting after what you do not need and you wouldn’t know that you don’t need it because you have ceased and/or lost the ability to understand greatest gift of all, being in tandem with your soul.
I remember it saying in the Simlarilion somewhere that not even the Valar knew of the true nature of the gift of men. It was only Illuvatar who knew what happened to men once they passed into the void. It would have been and was far too easy for men to grow envious of the immortality of the elves as well as their sole exclusion from Aman, they would have been forgiven for feeling forsaken. This is why Numenor was so easily corrupted by Sauron, his words touched on the most desperate fear/ desire of men’s souls, the fear of death. The elves had a connection with Arda that men didn’t have, they are bound to the world which is why they are immortal. Men get to experience the wonders of Arda whilst at the same time they aren’t confined to the world the same way the elves are, they are able to be free after a while. Trust in Illuvatar was the key, however hard it may have seemed. Men are children of Illuvatar the same as the elves, he would not forsake his children once they pass into the void.
There used to be a time I treasured mortality and the idea of even a shorter life. If you’re living a difficult life and you’re unhappy – the idea of living another 100 years, 200 years, 1000 years, immortality, etc. frightens you as you see that as prolonged pain and suffering. Now however, my mind has changed. I’ve turned my life around for the better, I’m no longer suffering unbearably as I once did, but it has cost me half my lifespan to do so. There’s so much more I want to do, but another 40 years seems too little time.
Very true. Because life has an end, everything is more beautiful. As Bruce Willis said refusing immortality in Death Becomes Her: “what am i going to do? What if i get bored? This not a dream, this is a nightmare.” Elves dont mind if nothing changes for a thousand years, but we are not built for much more than 120 years. I would mind having to work without a pension date in sight as well.
Honestly i think i could live out a happy long life in the Undying lands and pass away peacefully. But i think that may strive from my desire to stay the same because i do not like change especially if what i have is what makes me happy. But what little change i would want would be satisfied by leaving middle earth and discovering a new paradise like land of magic and wonders. So the last half of my life would be spent in a place of endless wonders. I couldn’t think of a better place to live out your twilight years. Just like bilbo. He had his adventures on middle earth. Then it was time to move on. What a way to go. i would be a ring bearer just to get the chance to live out my days there. Fantastic article! Instant subscription from me (:
The elves just get resurrected again if needed and their spirits are eternal. Humans got shafted in every way. They just got some vague promise about afterlife. With no real evidence there is actually something waiting for them afterwards. And this: ‘But look, you’d really hate it being immortal, because errm… reasons! Look at the elves, you’d hate it, they really hate it.’ is stupid beyond caricature. The reasoning behind it was just a cheap trick akin to dangling keys in front of a toddler to distract him. As for Melkor, he was a version of a snake in the garden. The one that brought self-consciousness and self-awareness, combined with reasoning and intelligence.
If I could select? Immortality, but without stagnation! I’d probably want to be like Fëanor and elf, but also a supreme craftsman (ok: He had negative traits, too I wouldn’t want those), someone who wanted change, who grasped for the heavens with his crafting! Men’s lot in Middle Earth is basically: “Have fun suffering! Look over there are people who don’t suffer, who don’t age, who don’t die and who can even easily escape this land, whenever there is trouble!” – Seriously, death is not a gift, it is a curse! It would be different if men got some reward at the end for their suffering, but no! They will always pale in comparison to the elfs (and even the dwarfs who also live longer than humans!), especially since they can never achieve the mastery at anything the way elfs can who have infinite time to perfect their craft! It’s a thankless existence! In their place I’d also turn to Sauron and his former master! Hell, if the god of the Bible (who Iluvatar is based on, because Tolkien was probably a believer!) were real, I’d start worshipping Satan, because he at least is honest about being a total psycho-asshole!
Morgoth’s corruption of Arda was a necessary event that helped prepare the world for the arrival of Men. In the Silmarillion it’s not until Melkor puts his power into the world that “the air became thick with the breath of growth and mortality.” In some sense Eru has a plan that entails Melkor inviting mortality into the world thus preparing it for the arrival of Men. If the original Arda had been left alone, the elves and Valar would have dominated it and Men would have withered before they could even be established.
I have written on this topic, in light of Tolkien’s (and my) faith before. Given the fall, how much a burden to good men would immortality be? How terrible the immortality of fallen, evil men, given all time to pursue their whims and attempting to mow down those doing the same, and those trying to quietly bear long life in better fashion? I think you absolutely nailed it on this one.
I am not sure whether being a man or elf was to be desired, as in one over the other was preferable. It might seem unfair that man had no choice to leave the world by death, yet one might also argue that the elves had no choice but to remain. It’s a very interesting philosophical and theological paradox. But with men everything was underpinned by fear, just as Melkor feared and brought fear. Melkor was not satisfied to trust in the goodness of Eru Illuvatar, hence his need to change the Music of the Ainur. When he was finally called out on it he burned with shame and this brought forth in him anger and eventually hatred. The parallels with Tolkien’s Christian faith are apparent all through his amazing works. A very interesting article 😊
How can mortality be “a gift”? I mean, why were men “designed” to leave Arda (i mean their spirit) in the first place? And WHERE TO, should it leave? Sorry that I’m not so familiar to the Silmarillion, where it probably stands… but it’s an interesting philosophical question and a very intriguing topic too 🙂
I found this interesting it’s interesting to view mortality as a gift or a curse through this lens. But like Luthien was gifted with the choice of being mortal or mortal after her death. Beron and Luthien are the ancestors of Elrond, Arwen and Aragorn. Elrond halfelven as some call him chose to return to the undying lands where Arwen stayed in Middle Earth. So it would have been interesting to see as a what if scenario if man could have chosen to accept the gift of mortality or reject it and see the consequences both good and bad of these possibilities
I love your website even more, you always discuss the question we all have related with middle earth lore. As for your question, after learning elves fate and human fate. I would prefer human fate. I can see myself grow weary if my spirit bound to earth until the end of time just like elves because after all they must fight once again in Final Battle with Morgoth. As for men, although it is said that the afterlife is unknown, I think it is safe to say that their spirit goes back to Eru Iluvatar once they are dead. Knowing Eru character in the Lore, I believe that men spirit will be release from all the burden and pain of Arda and finally got their real peaceful eternal life.
I love when writers explain death as a great gift in their fantasy worlds. Being human in reality me personally would not want to live forever for a lot explained in this article about man is true. We ashumans believe that in death our spirit does “go somewhere else”. That idea makes death so more adventurous and in tune with the restless nature of man. If any thing the elves should envy man not the other way around. So my question is. Is there any lore that elves did envy this gift of man in Tolkien’s world?
Yes I think it was completely unfair that so many Elves basically abandoned Middle Earth, not even because of Morgoths corruption on the world itself nor because Middle Earth lands became more mortal. Galadriel herself comments about this about the Elves who remained in Middle Earth that they love Middle Earth and all about it, but would rather cast it all away than to submit to Sauron (evil). There are Elves who left Middle Earth, because they have been fighting the same war against evil all their lives and finally growing weary would want to be at peace, others who were mortally wounded by darkness such as Elronds Wife Celebrian who was poisoned and tortured by Orcs. Yet there are so many other Elves who willingly chose to abandoned Middle Earth and not even try to help fight against the darkness and that is a truly selfish choice. And don’t forget to mention that Elves are actually more envious of Men because their spirits are free to leave the world.
The concern with men is that they don’t quite know what happens after they die. Perhaps if they had some knowledge or full knowledge like the elves, maybe men could reconcile their gift. As far men having to fight in all the wars, I guess it paid off. Middle earth would become their dominion exclusively as the remaining elves sailed west and the remaining races like the dwarves and presumably the hobbits disappeared altogether over time.
Death doesn’t seem so much a gift as much as a curse. For example a man has two sons and gives each of them a gift: 1. To one gives eternal life. 2. To the other he gives limited life, aka death. That father is playing favorites and is pretty much a POS. Not only is this a death sentence for one son, but the other son has to live FOREVER without their brother.
Does that mean that Frodo, Bilbo and Gimly suffered during their last days in the Undying Lands? Or was it different for Hobbits and Dwarves, since they were allowed to go? And does that mean that all elf-human couples, like Aragorn and Arwen, were destined to be separated from each other for Eternity? Because that seems cruel.
I had thought that when mortals go to undying lands such as frodo and gimli, bilbo that they achieved immorality along with the elves but I learned awhile back that mortals still grow old there and they still die too. I heard that back in the 1970’s that there was a t-shirt that said “frodo lives!” It was the common thought back then that mortals who went to the undying lands would be immortal along with the elves so the saying took off and people all over would shout at one another in passing, “frodo lives! Frodo lives!’ I thought that was a neat little peice of history lol maybe back then it wasn’t yet clarified by Tolkien what actually happened with mortals who were so privileged that they were invited to sail west with the elves
I disagree with saying the Undying lands were not influenced by Morgoth. He attacked and killed the Two Trees with Ungoliant and he spread evil ideas to Feanor and his sons. I believe some Elves killed other elves to get ships to chase Morgoth. I think it was more that the two kindreds were different and followed different paths.
While I agree that men should not go to the Undying Lands if for anything to not infringe on a sacred place for the elves or change a place so perfect, I absolutely fail or disagree that man’s mortality is a gift at all. A gift bestows something more, or an added feature in which to benefit from. It can’t be considered a gift if it just holds back another consequence. It would be like saying lungs are a gift because you won’t suffocate. Well if we didn’t have lungs we wouldn’t be here in the first place and therefore no one would be there to receive a “gift”. It’s like saying you being here to have a gift is a gift. But that’s not a gift. There is no objectionable way to see mortality as a net gain. Elves, have the true gift. They are immortal AND get to go to the Undying Lands. If we can draw any parallels to reality, it was purely a mistake for Eru Iluvitar to create humans, or he delights in suffering, because to create a creature whose very existence is tied to his demise is in itself wicked. As a the God Yahweh would be had he been real and created humans. In truth no one created humans and so it is natural hapinstance that we are mortal, so no one to blame and it is just unlucky. But if a being did created AND we were mortal then it is only our destiny to rebel against mortality. And so what of the consequence, the deity destroys our home? Well who cares? We weren’t going to live to enjoy it anyways. All of those humans from from the Island of Numenor would not have been alive to enjoy it even had they lived, they are mortal.
That’s an interesting philosophy with man. They desire change and for them to impact the world around them as they saw fit. Inevitably creating conflict with other men who desired something that could not coexist with the other’s goals. This ability also came at a cost. To change the world is to put your very essence into your efforts, which weaken over time. Eventually tiring out the soul where someday the soul will want rest from the pain and suffering…for good. Death being its gift for man’s hard efforts and hard path to which he takes. Eternal rest for us all.
So what happens if an elf bored of life commits suicide ? Will he just perpetually respawn in these undying lands ? Because if not, having a choice of ending ones life at desired moment would be far better than inevitable death forced by biology. Even if its sweetened by murky perspectives of some kind of afterlife in Illuvatar’s company
So according to Tolkien man would eventually grow to hate life if he ever gained immortality? While I guess everyone grows weary of certain aspects life, would this weariness really eventually become irrevocable and turn into a hatred of life? My view is that Tolkien may be confusing depression with an inevitable weariness of life. Or am I wrong?
I think this begs the question ‘Are Men really that fond of change?’ Obviously in the last few centuries humans have experienced immense change and have mostly thrived in it. But before that it wasn’t unusual for a mans life to be the same as his grandfathers in every way; and if we go back to the bronze-age and before, people lived happily for tens of thousands of years with almost zero change. While it can be argued that when your day is taken-up with just basic survival it’s not unusual to be content with a fully belly and a warm bed and if the simple things were granted then you would immediately become restless – it remains true that both our body and our nature were moulded in a time when change was unusual and when it came it was generally a Bad Thing. I have a funny fan-theory that the elves had a lower baseline level of testosterone! T drives the urge to be ‘the Best’ to be acknowledged as being greater than your fellows, and this drives competition and innovation – bigger buildings and new weapons. Hoarded gold and bloody wars. Lower T levels could account for their fair appearance, their beautiful voices, and their not seeming to enjoy violence as a hobby or the go-to solution to every problem as Men and Dwarves do, as well as their desire for stability and ‘unchangingness’. They could of course increase it when necessary, like during wars or when they desired to have children, but they weren’t ‘at it’s mercy’ during times of peace and plenty, the way others are.
I have always believed that these misguided ‘men’ failed to understand the nature of the undying lands. In that they assumed that immorality came from merely being there. They never understood that it was the creators purpose that mortality was a ‘gift’ possessed by men. Had they managed to sail to the undying lands they would still have been mortal. Men are mortal, and that is what it is.
Consider Immortality IRL. We can’t die of old age, but we can still have our lives taken by disease, murder, and anything that cuts our lives short. Remember when Theoden said “No parent should have to bury their child”, well if immortality were a thing IRL but our lives could still be cut short, it would be a VERY REAL possibility that you could outlive your children, your grand children, and possibly even your great grand children, as any number of bad could happen to them. Furthermore, we would exhaust the space of the world really quickly, we would cause many more species of plants & animals to go extinct due to our need to eat, drinkable water would become a luxury that likely would be reserved for the wealthy & important, wars would be far more common, we’d have to have enact a global law where people would have to apply to become parents of just one child (to stave off overpopulation and depletion of vital resources), life would be much much less appreciated, just lots of life style changes would happen because of immortality. Then lets say, we somehow develop a drug or procedure that makes us immune to all disease, and then somehow alter our bodies to where we require less & less food & liquid to survive. Then death by murder, wars, suicide, and accidents would be the only way to die. But there’s one final bit to worry about if immortality an that stuff were real; may not seem like it, but our planet will die on it’s own one day, sure it may be billions of years from now, but it will happen – Planets and Stars (Suns) are not immortal.
First of all, and despite that essay in Morgoth”s Ring, I would say that the Valar were perhaps not a reliable source of information on the subject. Ar-Pharazon’s army was trapped alive under a mountain until the end times, by Eru, not the Valar. Perhaps they would have achieved some form of immortality, but it may not have been a pleasant experience. Secondly, the initial plan of the Valar, was to prepare a home for both children in Middle-Earth, were they would live side-by-side. It wasn’t until after Melkor’s destruction of the lamps they retreated to Valinor and decided to create a safe haven for elves there, while leaving men to untold suffering in ME. Any clear cut truth on the subject remains hazy. The only thing we can say for sure is that the Ainur sucked at their job.
Uh… the article premise is that BECAUSE Numenoreans craved immortality, they were banned from Undying Lands… but Numenoreans were banned from sailing to the Undying Lands from day one, way before they became anywhere near afraid of death, jealous of Elves and their immortality, and way before they started wanting immortality themselves. In fact, Numenoreans at the beginning were perfectly fine with their “Gift of Illuvatar” and it took a long time (millenia) before they started fearing death. The ban of sailing west had nothing to do with Valar being afraid of Men and their jealousy of immortality of Elves. This article begins wrong.
Sometime in the 6th age after Eru dies and is reborn as Christ the elves would not see much change as men still similar to how they left them. Then they’ll blink and they’ll see flying machines, nuke tests, internet, Eru being reborn as Cristiano Ronaldo, and theyll be amazed of how much the earth has changed while they remain as what they were
I think that, for the most part, it were the Elfs that were supposed to have fought Melkor, even though eventually having the Valar and even Eru intervening and Men also partook in it. In the same way, Men were supposed to be the vanguard in regards to fighting Sauron. Eru allowed Melkor’s dissonance to be and as such it was part of His plan. I think the moral behind it is that, even though faced by great evil and heavy loss, both races prevailed in the struggle against the Dark Lords. Good prevails over Evil might sound like a really crude way to put it, but it really seems to be the trope here. Meanwhile I like to believe Melkor is allowed to watch over Middle Earth and see Good prevailing while he – and eventually also Sauron and all the Balrogs, I assume – rots in prison. For eternity :’) * edit for consistency
OK, but Men had spent centuries among immortal Elves in Beleriand. If the plan was to stop Men from envying the immortality of the elves, wouldn’t it have been safer not to allow them to ever meet the elves in the first place? And immortal elves often visited the Numenoreans up to, and even after, the emergence of the King’s Men, bearing gifts from the Blessed Realm. Men had grown old and died while seeing elves remain young immortal during all their time in Beleriand, long before the creation of Numenor. To let Elves and Men co-exist in Beleriand and Númenor and then say, “Ah, but if you went to Aman you would feel your mortality more acutely,” just doesn’t make sense. If an elf came to me and said, “Hey, I knew your great-great-grandfather and I will meet your great-great-great grandchildren and your descendants for many generations beyond that,” I think I would get his point without having to go to Valinor. Yeah, you’re immortal and I’m not. I get it and I wish I could be there too.
Then I have a question that would conflict with everything stated in the article? Its about the time of the twin lamps, when the whole world was that of the undying lands, the first ordering as it were that the Valar created for the children of Eru. What would the fates of man be like then? How would the “gift” of man be perceived then? Would the restlessness of man conflict with the Valar and Elves?
The great gift…. was Mans Mortality. Not elves immortal lives. For knowing that there was an end in sight, meant that Man could/would give their all in pursuit of something great. Knowing that a Legacy of who they were would be left behind. And Man being Immortalized, seems like the bigger win compared to an Elf who lives “forever”.
Perhaps some men who were wise and good should have been allowed to visit Tol Erresea for a vacation while in the prime of their life. That way they could appreciate the beauty of the undying lands but also come to understand why living there permanently was not a good fit for a mortal creature. Similar to how the fellowship visits Lorien except on a grander scale.
I think a happy medium would be to have the allowance to visit for a short period of time, meet the Valar and the elves and then depart after a few years. I think it would make for more understanding to the gift of death, that there is something even more stunning awaiting mankind in the timeless halls, than the fate of the elves to bound on the earth forever “until it’s complete”. A few visits, temporary pilgrimages to it would have enlightened mankind and made them love their life more in the middle earth realm and look forward to the ever changing that is the fate of mankind. To know the difference between the fates, and to embrace the restless spirit of mankind rather than be ignorant of it. To see the stunning beauty that is the undying lands, and to imagine the beauty that awaits them even more spectacular in the timeless halls and into realms only known to Eru. This would sate mankind’s curiosity about the immortal lands and elves, but would play on our (mankind’s) unquenchable curiosity of their own fates that departs Arda to the Timeless Halls and into some other realms of Eru and to Eru… if such stunning glory can be achieved within the lifespan of Arda, just imagine the glory that awaits upon the gift of death. Death then would be glorious. A gift well accepted, and appreciated. Only issue is that this too much loving of death may make some too eager to depart Arda altogether. It might not be a completely bad thing that some dread or rather hesitate or at least have some bitter sweet sadness in leaving friends and family behind concerning the gift of death.
I think that the gift is not dead, the real gift is going to the after life which i think is leaving Arda and go where Eru Iluvitar lives something similar to heaven in real life The problem is that Humans don’t know that yet But if Humans know about it, it would lead to something happening real life War between Humans.
Both Vala and elves were stagnant and stuck to the world as it was, with their potential being limited from the beginning and with no chance of outliving Arda. Humans had the ability to truly grow, and despite our limited perspective, they could choose whether to grow and accept true immortality that would outlast the world. The first problem is that we only see the epic wars and events, so we miss that we are only seeing the point in time when life was at its worst for the average being. Most humans lived many generations between the attacks of Morgoth and Sauron, so they had the opportunity to live happy and content lives. Regardless, humans were only stuck in the imperfect world for a little while before they could quickly grow into a version of themselves capable of experiencing true immortality in a better place where elves could not follow or even comprehend. The second problem is that like the Numenorians, we look at the elves from an incorrect perspective. All elves were in twilight, already declining, and they knew it. By the 3rd age, their entire species was depressed and hopeless, ready to fade away. Many were tempted by Melkor to seek progress like mortals (such as with ringcrafting) and because of that, many became corrupted and hastened their own downfall. They had already received their reward, and they knew it wasn’t as good as humans thought it was. Meanwhile, humans could either demand the immediate but smaller gift of the elves that wasn’t even physically possible for them to handle, or accept their own greater gift after about 50-70 years of waiting on average.
They wouldn’t want to….Put in perspective, Valinor is a Slow place while to the average person a place of beauty would seem like a paradise. Much like in the Shire “Change is slow if ever observed” Elves and Men are basically the same. But Elves from the beginning have a greater understanding of their own nature and thus are able to keep body and soul united in harmony. They also have a better capacity for learning the nature of their own self and of the world, and because they are immortal they can hang around learning for prolonged periods of time. Humans by contrast are designed to be restless, and to question and seek and not be content with the world. This makes them both more powerful to affect change in the world around them; but potentially corruptible. Even so Valinor is a place of contentment, which humans with mortality would find boring and unfulfilling, a man already dying (Sickness/age) would find happiness there, however brief. Elves are bound *to Arda, and must share in its sorrows until the end of days thus they sustain and fulfill themselves and do nothing quickly, men are free to leave it. Hence Valinor was made so elves have a place of rest and contentment for the time Arda remains. A mortal would feel embittered there since everything is deathless there except for them; as they age sicken and die. A human in Valinor is like perusal a movie in ultra slow motion………If you’re immortal there’s no need to rush ANYTHING you do, making a sculpture of huge magnitude out of ultra hard stone; it’ll take one artisan 1000 years.
It realy speak of the sheer intelligence of tolkien when you ponder the fact that elves, even hundreds of years old, are controlled by their emotions, for example Thorin Okakensheild is mostly controlled by his emotions, despite being well over a hundred years old, the same goes for the elves, wisdom comes with age, parrallel to humans or hobbits, the number of years you liv in the end is irrelevant, what you make of the time you have in life, in the end, decides who you become s an person
I’m 70 yrs old. 4 people I knew.. my own beloved husband, being one of them, have died in the last 2 yrs. Death isn’t a distant fate. It breaths down my neck, so to speak, every single day. Death may be many things but it isn’t a gift. It is a cruelty, a punishment a final joke, a fate worse than any hell of the ancients’ imagination. We human beings suffer because we suffer the fate all living things, but we do it fully consciously, We KNOW we will die. We know we must say farewell to those we love. Saying farewell is never easy. I don’t fear it. I know it will come, I know that I fear diminishing, losing everything I have learned and been, as my body deteriorates. The Light going out. That, I fear. I do not know, honestly which would be better. I think I would have done fine living a Numenorian or an immortal life. Decades or centuries, more, pursuing crafts, scholarship, loving my husband … 100 yrs learning every nicety of knitting, drawing, writing or weaving sounds like a wonderful adventure. But already, generations arise, I don’t understand, and they don’t understand me and mine. I have little in common with them. I think it would be very difficult to live in a world that seems entirely alien to my sense of rightness and morality. I should know, I am already doing it. — YET, I would have loved to grow old with my husband.. a hundred years of love seems not long enough.
topic suggestion: How much was Tolkien’s work dependent on christian, greek or norse mythology/theology? Could it be understood without knowledge about either of the three? The topic in this article made this appearant to me. The possible separation of a ghost/soul and body seems a very christian thing to me… And I did wonder throughout the article whether (people of) other cultures/religions could have a completely different reading of this topic…
Hm, I recall that Tolkien once started to write a sequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but gave it up after a chapter or so because it was such a lesser tale compared to what he had already written. The story would have taken place after Aragorn’s death and the antagonist would have been a Man. Hearing the description of the second possible outcome of a Man who had achieved immortality, with the spirit leaving the body and the body becoming a “monster that the Valar would fain destroy” I wonder if Tokien had intended for the antagonist of this new tale to be such a man.
And that is exactly why Tolkien’s writing should never be called “a christian fantasy”, nor should his Eru Iluvatar be confused with God. For God did not create men mortal, He did not create death and no branch of Christianity considers death “a gift”. No, it is a terrrible consequence of sin. Death is the Final Enemy: “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1Cor 15:26).
I think you can understand this as mens soul being part of Eru, somehow. Their spirits leaving the spheres of the world, beyond space and time, to get closer to Iluvatar then any elves or ainur. Just my speculation, but that is how I understand it when Eru claims mortality to be humanity’s greatest gift, for they can depart beyond the world which the elves cannot, thus pointing at a connection with the maker. Regarding the fact that men had to face evil lords without an escape plan, I blame the elves and not Eru. For if Eru’s plan had been fulfilled, men and elve would have inhabitted Middle Earth in peace. But someone made sure the valar wouldn’t keep middle earth save. And Im not talking about Morgoth, but about him who gave him that name.