Do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

Do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? - Man in Black Long-sleeved Shirt and Woman in Black Dress

Elrond mentions that going to The Undying Land which is west of Middle Earth allows Elves to be immortal.

Does this apply to other creatures such as Hobbits?

I know Frodo and Bilbo Baggins go there at the end of the Lord of the Rings but do they go there to die or to be immortal?



Best Answer

I am delivering here a relevant portion of a forum thread concerning the immortality of mortals who pass to the Undying Lands. It seems that Christopher Tolkien used many of his father's letters to accumulate a fair body of knowledge about Middle Earth and its rules in The Silmarillion, but that some letters specific to the life and death of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins were unclear, (perhaps intentionally so - my interpretation - The whole thread is a very interesting read).

Here is the relevant passage I found:

But in this story it is supposed that there may be certain rare exceptions or accommodations (legitimately supposed? there always seem to be exceptions); and so certain 'mortals', who have played some great part in Elvish affairs, may pass with the Elves to Elvenhome. Thus Frodo (by the express gift of Arwen) and Bilbo, and eventually Sam (as adumbrated by Frodo); and as a unique exception Gimli the Dwarf, as a friend of Legolas and 'servant' of Galadriel.

I have said nothing about it in this book, but the mythical idea underlying is that for mortals, since their 'kind' cannot be changed for ever, this is strictly only a temporary reward: a healing and redress of suffering. They cannot abide for ever, and though they cannot return to mortal earth, they can and will 'die' - of free will, and leave the world. - Letter #154

Or from letter #325:

As for Frodo or other mortals, they could only dwell in Aman for a limited time - whether brief or long. The Valar had neither the power nor the right to confer "immortality" upon them. Their sojorn was a "purgatory", but one of peace and healing and they would eventually pass away (die at their own desire and of free will) to destinations of which the Elves knew nothing.




Pictures about "Do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy?"

Do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? - Positive blogger asking questions to African American speaker and recording interview on cellphone at table with microphones
Do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? - Positive African American female beauty influencer recording makeup tutorial on cellphone while applying eyeshadow on client
Do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? - A Woman Using a Smartphone in Blogging



What happened to Frodo and Bilbo at the end?

Frodo and Bilbo sail with the elves and Sam returns home. While it is not explicitly stated that they stay alive, we do not see them die; we see them literally sail away.

What happened to Frodo and Bilbo in the Undying Lands?

In those final pages of The Return of the King, Frodo, along with his friends Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf, board the last ship leaving Middle Earth, known as the White Ship. They sail away on the Elven vessel alongside Gildor, Elrond, Celeborn, and Galadriel, and a whole host of other Elves.

Does Frodo have eternal life?

Frodo, Sam, and Bilbo would likely be treated no differently them then, as they largely played the same role as the N\xfamen\xf3reans in fall of Sauron (sort of). So the key is the Ring gave it holder eternal life. And they were taken to the Undying lands with the elves in order to not suffer the decay of the world.

Why did Frodo go to the Undying Lands in the end?

\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bThough it may not have been a driving factor in his choice, the biggest benefit to Frodo going to the Undying Lands is the mental peace and healing that it offers him. It was quite evident through the trilogy's story that Frodo endured a lot of mental trauma and trust issues during his mission.



Why did Frodo have to leave Middle Earth? and other questions




More answers regarding do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

Answer 2

The elves are immortal by nature and it isn't Valinor that makes them immortal (they would have lived forever in Middle Earth, too, they just go to a nicer place to live). Likewise does it not cause the mortal hobbits to live forever. It is called the Undying Lands because only immortals live there and not the other way around.

But on the other hand, this Wikipedia site says:

...only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself, while blessed, did not cause mortals to live forever. Amongst the exceptions to this were the surviving bearers of the One Ring — Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and...

But the phrasing here is a bit unclear. It could be they were an exception to only immortals being allowed there, or they could be an exception to the fact that it didn't cause mortals to live forever.

It's been quite a long time since I read LotR and The Silmarillion, but I don't think Frodo and Bilbo were going to live forever. They just got a nice place to die.

Answer 3

No, The phrase "Undying Lands" is not a place of immortality bestowed. It was a realm inhabited by Ainur (spiritual beings) and Elves whom are already immortal. The "Undying Lands" do not grant immortality, the Valar do not have the power; OR the authority to bestow immortality upon mortals (though they did "bless" the Men loyal to them during the War of the Wrath, the "Numenoreans", with extended lifespans).

The Undying Lands are simply named for the immortal inhabitants. The Ringbearers travel there to receive healing for the wounds (spiritual or physical) incurred as a result of ownership of the One Ring; the effects of the Ring is ubiquitous (albeit differing in time) to all beings immortal or otherwise. They would still die, but the hope was that they could live the rest of the time without Suffering or if they could be healed; allowed to return. The elves that bore rings of power also went there after the power of their rings was "spent" thus their domains would deteriorate.

In Tolkiens letters he describes... Frodo was sent or allowed to pass over Sea to heal him - if that could be done, before he died. He would have eventually to 'pass away': no mortal could, or can, abide for ever on earth, or within Time.

—Letter 246

Also stuff in Valinor happens very... very slowly since all its usual inhabitants are immortal there's little need to rush tasks, and 100 years would seem like just a mere blink of an eye, so really its not a nice place for a mortal person to reside; less they're left to rest.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Jasmine Carter, George Milton, George Milton, Kampus Production