The Return of the King -- the Appendices

[[deleted user]]

There is some interesting history in the Appendices, along with a very nice summation of what happens to the members of the Fellowship after the War of the Ring.

[Sylvia]

Do we start in June?

[[deleted user]]

I think you could start now, if you like. I will try to get through RotK over the weekend, and I am sure there are people who will be happy to discuss the Appendices with you before that. I've got the big A Tale of Two Cities read in June, as well as a trip to Europe, so I have to get through LotR, soon! :)

[Sylvia]

Jeannette wrote: "I think you could start now, if you like. I will try to get through RotK over the weekend, and I am sure there are people who will be happy to discuss the Appendices with you before that. I've go..."

I've almost finished ROTK, following Sam and Frodo on their last leg. I'll join you (and others) reading
A Tale of Two Cities in June. when are you coming to Europe? Are you staying for some weeks?

[[deleted user]]

Three weeks 17.06 - 06.07, two in Germany, and one week in Belgium and France. I'll get to meet Chrissie. :)

[Sylvia]

Jeannette wrote: "Three weeks 17.06 - 06.07, two in Germany, and one week in Belgium and France. I'll get to meet Chrissie. :)"

Nice. I was wondering if it was Chrissie, because she lives in Brussels, isn't she?

[[deleted user]]

Yes. We visit Oma & Opa every year, and we try to take at least a week to see some place new. We'll spend two days with Chrissie, her husband, and Oscar. It's always fun to see a new place with someone who lives there.

[[deleted user]]

Someday we'll visit you in London!

[Sylvia]

Jeannette wrote: "Someday we'll visit you in London!"

Ha, ha, this is an invitation to visit me and my hubby in Holland.

[[deleted user]]

What part of Holland are you in, Sylvia?

[Sylvia]

Near Rotterdam. I live in Hellevoetsluis which is near the coast. My home town was the naval base in the 17th and 18th century. Several buildings of that time have been preserved.

[Colm]

Hello everyone, I'm not sure if this is the correct spot to be asking this.

However I was browsing the internet trying to find out what happens in LOTR.

What happens at the end of ROTK when Frodo and Gandalf leave middle earth, where do they go, what happens to them, do they die?.

What is to come of Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas among many others. Do they die, where do they go.

I know there is many questions to be answered here, but could someone try and solve my puzzle and help me out.

I really do appreciate any help in advance.

Thanks from a LOTR enthusiast, perhaps not the right word for it. I'm border line obsessed with this trilogy, perhaps I'm excused as I'm Irish :)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Gandalf, certainly, does not die. He's a maiar, and returns to his true form.

Aragorn: dies (very old indeed) in one of the appendices.

Frodo and (later) Sam: "cross the water" by the straight path to the elves' homeland. Probably do die, because they are mortal; but it is a place of healing.

Gimli and Legolas: suggested in one of the appendices that they go to the Blessed Lands as well. Gimli would die there; Legolas is an elf and would not.

[Tracey]

Hi, Colm, and welcome! Wait, there's something wrong with Tolkien obsession? Uh oh.

Let's see. I'm rusty, but I'm resorting to The Barrow-Downs and The Tolkien Gateway here and there. A lot of this comes from the subject of this thread, the Appendices of RotK.

Let's see. Of the Fellowship, we know Boromir's story. *snif*

Frodo and Gandalf boarded a ship in the Grey Havens with Elrond and Galadriel and Bilbo and sailed into the West, to the Undying Land, Valinor. From what I understand, Bilbo and Frodo's long long lives would eventually end even there, but the elves would go on forever, as they tend to.

Samwise married Rosie Cotton and had 13 children and a long and happy life with her, and then one day after Rosie died he left Middle-earth himself, sailing into the West to join Frodo again. (Ah: "though it should be noted that as they were both born mortals, they would still eventually die a mortal death.") I would have sworn he went with Legolas and Gimli, but I can't find that.

Because when Gimli was very old he and Legolas set sail themselves. Because he had friends in high places, Gimli was the first and only Dwarf to do so. Up till that point the two of them remained good friends, and Gimli did great work in Aglarond, the Glittering Caves.

Pippin married a young Hobbit lady named Diamond (not too sweet-natured, iirc), wrote a book of history, and served as Thain for 50 years; Merry became known as Meriadoc the Magnificent and became the Master of Buckland; he married Estella, and after her death headed off to Rohan to spend his waning years with Eomer. When Merry and Pippin died, "it was said that they were laid beside King Elessar upon his death".

Aragorn lived to age 210. "He founded the House of Telcontar, and was succeeded by his son Eldarion. He also had a number of daughters, whose names were not recorded." (Hmph.) After his death, Arwen, as I recall, basically willed her own death, having given up her immortality to be with him and also having given up the chance to sail into the West.

Slainte!

[[deleted user]]

Legolas and Gimli went together. Sam was given a place on the last(?) ship to sail into the West (I wonder if Celeborn went on that ship?) Poor Arwen wandered the woods, and faded away in them, I guess.

But, as the West is referred to as the Undying Lands, I wonder if those mortals who sailed there found some eternal afterlife? Is any of this explained somewhere else among Tolkien's writing?

Thanks for posting, Colm. I was just thinking about this today.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I'd suggest The Silmarillion; it has a lot more about the "Undying Lands" in it. It's not as reader-friendly as the Rings trilogy, though.