![]() ![]() Some determined nerd is bound to point out to me at this point that mortals who set foot in the Undying Lands burn through their lifespan and die because they are not meant to live there, and that’s true. Although he does not become immortal, Frodo’s journey has more in common with that of a Greek hero brought to Olympus by the gods than someone sent to the underworld. So when Frodo decides to go to Valinor, it does not represent his actual or metaphoric death. Valinor is more Mount Olympus than Elysium. Although Tolkien’s Catholicism must have influenced his writing, we shouldn’t read in Christian imagery when it simply isn’t there. Mandos isn’t heaven either, and it’s not hell. They don’t just continue hanging out with their bros, because Valinor is not heaven. Elves can die in battle or from grief (being immortal is great) and when they do die, they go to the Halls of Mandos, which is similar to the Greek underworld. Valinor is a home for them where there is no mortality, except when Melkor, who is way bigger and badder than Sauron, gets loose once in a millennia and wreaks havoc. This is why Valinor is a haven for the Elves, and they eventually leave Middle-earth after the destruction and death of the War of the Ring. Tolkien created a fascinating dichotomy between mortal humans-who long for immortal life-and immortal Elves-who are doomed to witness hundreds of years of grief during their lifetimes. The “Undying Lands” are a place where the immortal Elves and their creators reside, surrounded by nature that never fades. To mortals in Middle-earth-and Earth-the concept of Valinor sounds like Heaven. Many people interpret Frodo’s departure for Valinor as his death, but the message I took from The Grey Havens is more complex and meaningful. I believe Frodo’s journey holds a specific meaning about recovering from war that has been lost on some audiences. The damage of war is one of these themes. It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Although The Lord of the Rings is not an allegory, there are some things that remain inseparable from the heart of the story. The villains are industrialists who cut down forests and blacken the land, and some of the heroes are basically talking trees, though they would quibble with the term. Tolkien’s love of nature pervades the entire story. For example, you cannot possibly read an anti-environmentalist message from The Lord of the Rings. ![]() That being said, there are some interpretations of LOTR that are just plain wrong. He wanted readers to find their own meaning instead of the moral coming from the author himself. ![]() Mount Doom erupts as Sauron meets his demise, while Aragorn's army emerges victorious as its enemies flee.Tolkien was not a fan of allegory. Gollum dies while the One Ring disintegrates in the lava. However, the ring and Gollum fall into the mountain of doom. He understands that the ring should be destroyed. As they fight for the ring, they fall off the ledge, but Frodo manages to cling on. There, he succumbs to the Ring's power, putting it on his finger, but Gollum manages to bite off his finger and reclaim it. As soon as Frodo reached the mountain and was attacked by Gollum, who survived the fall. The journey saw them fighting so many enemies and getting manipulated by Gollum who wanted the ring for himself. As soon as the ring was thrown into the volcano, it marked the end of Sauron’s terror and finally, the days of peace were upon Middle Earth. The nerve-wracking journey taken by Frodo and Samwise Gamgee through Middle Earth takes them to Mount Doom, which represents the endpoint of Frodo’s quest to destroy the ring. Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ ended with Frodo destroying the One Ring by throwing it inside a volcano and showing the world not everyone craves power and domination. ![]()
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