Does Frodo live forever in the Undying Lands?
Frodo is mortal. The Undying Lands (aka: Aman/Valinor et al) is just a continent just like Middle-earth is a continent on Arda (aka: ancient Earth). The Elves and the Istari living in Middle-earth are from there. The Elves are going home after being in exile in Middle-earth. Mortals are not allowed, but special dispensation is given Bilbo, Frodo and later on Gimli (who takes sail with Legolas) and Sam also make it over. For a mortal, it is a place to forget and heal. Heaven on Earth as it were, but it's not the afterlife. The mortals allowed over hopefully get peace while they yet live, but they will eventually die there.
Does Frodo die at the end of Return of the King?
No he does not die, Tolkien said he did not, he was still a mortal, but he did receive healing before his death. This is probably the most common question asked about LOTR, so here's the answer I generally give, it's a bit lengthy though: Frodo has been through a lot, he has carried the Ring for a long time, it was a great strain on the body and mind. He went through torment everyday that he bore it. It was a constant temptation. When it was destroyed life did did settle down a bit, but not completely, once the Ring takes hold of you it never lets go. Therefore even after its destruction Frodo thought about it and about the hard times he had went through. Though the mental anguish was not as much as when the Ring was still there. He was also stabbed at Weathertop and although he received healing, it was only temporary. He had violent attacks of pain many times afterward because of that wound. He was sometimes sick for days at a time even after his quest was achieved. He was also stabbed by Shelob, which still at times bothered him. He was restless and in pain a lot while still in the Shire. The only healing would be for him to sail over the sea, and go to the Valinor, where after being healed and live in peace, he would die- in peace. Frodo had also been struggling with the Ring for so long that his mind was filled always with debates with it, and after the Ring was gone all was quiet and empty, and he was in a way missing the struggle, now that it was gone he didn't know what to do. He deserved to sail over and find peace. It was not a bad thing, it was very good that he had that honor. I could go on forever on this and all about Frodo, but I have run out of time. I hope this has cleared things up for you a little. Best wishes, ~aranel
At the end of the lord of the rings, why does frodo have to board the ship with gandalf, but nobody else does?
They're going to the 'grey havens' ~ Where the elves go when they leave Middle Earth ~ as they are immortal, the grey havens is the land of the undying. Gandalf goes there because he came from there to begin with ~ he was not from Middle Earth ~ he was a Maia (He is mentioned in the book ~ the Silmarrillion ~ his name is Olorin in this book) ~ a Maia is a spirit which was created by Eru (a god like figure) ~ He was sent to Middle Earth to defeat Sauron ~ after that he could return to the grey havens. Frodo was able to go on the ship because he had been a Ring Bearer who directly intervened in the demise of Sauron & because Arwen chose to stay in Middle Earth & become mortal, Frodo was allowed to take her place on the ship & go to the grey havens in her stead. Hope this answers your question ~ Now you're going to ask ~ why didnt Sam go ~ he bore the ring briefly too... In the appendixes in the book ~ Sam does get to go to the grey havens ~ many, many years later. After Rosie Cotton dies. (his wife)
Nobody knows except Tolkien. The last we hear about Frodo is his sighting of the coast of Tol Eressëa:And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.Tolkien said in his letters that Frodo was granted a “purgatorial” sojourn in the Undying Lands, on Tol Eressëa, for the purpose of finding healing. It is reasonable to assume that he and Bilbo were well cared for for however long they lived, given that they kept company with the likes of Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond.Tolkien emphasized the fact that Bilbo and Frodo, and later Sam, were not given immortality via their sojourn in the West. They eventually died a mortal death. In fact, their lives may have been shorter than they might otherwise have been—it was said in The Akallabêth that mortals would “wither and grow weary the sooner [in Aman] as moths in a light too strong and steadfast.” On the other hand, they had the specific permission of the Powers to be there; plus they resided on Tol Eressëa rather than Aman proper, so Frodo at least might have lived a while. The Hobbits remained alive long enough to enjoy the healing benefits of their time there.Any further speculation is fan fiction. There is plenty that deals with the Hobbits’ lives on Tol Eressëa, if you are into that.
At the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo had to leave his friends to board a ship. Why?Was he dying?
No, but he was physically and psychologically worn from his trials and would not have been able to enjoy his remaining years in peace without the magic of the elves' haven. Elven haven are wholly peaceful and healing but they had left middle earth to make way for the reign of men. Frodo was only in his fiftys but hobbits could live well beyond 110 years. He would have only known sorrow and every day troubled over the loss of the ring that had possessed him. The ring had lengthened Bilbos years but as soon as he gave it up, they all caught up to him at once. The vigor that it had instilled left with the ring. The same happened to Frodo but morso because the ring was taken from him at the end and caused alot of trauma. Bilbo had given it up willingly, but only with Gandalf's help.
Probably not. It is possible that the healing he found in the Undying Lands included regrowing his finger by the power of Este (the Lady of Healing, one of the Valar). However, even the Elves cannot naturally regrow missing body parts, in spite of their immortality and resulting tendency toward incredible levels of self-healing. Maedhros (an Elf of the Eler Days) never got his right hand back after it was cut off.Generally speaking, good powers in Tolkien’s world, even those of the Valar, do not work contrary to nature; they just sort of influence, shape, and enhance it. In the case of healing, that means it is the healer’s job to help fight infection or other things that are hindering natural healing, and to nourish and guide the body as it heals itself, only more quickly than it could on its own.So regrowing a finger — something that no material body, let alone a mortal one, would do on its own — is probably not something that any healer could help Frodo to do, not even Este.
Every Elven spirit will live for as long as the world lasts. When an Elven body is slain, the spirit goes to the Halls of Mandos, where it may remain indefinitely, or emerge with a new body (except for some special circumstances).The half-Elven can choose to become mortal, and one Elf - Luthien - became mortal. Apart from those, every Elf will live until the end of the world.EDIT: The question has been edited to include (outside of undying lands). The Halls of Mandos are in the Undying Lands.It is known that an Elf's body can die from severe injuries, such as in battle. Extreme cold, or drowning, may also kill them, it's not made clear. And they may die of weariness. Even those in mortal lands who do not die, will ‘diminish’: become less substantial, and/or smaller. Less able to interact with the world, and harder for us humans to see, or talk with.It is strongly suggested that all Elves not already in the Undying Lands will, at some time, die of weariness. But, that is not certain.
They probably didn't go to Valinor itself, except perhaps briefly for Frodo to be healed. Mortals can't stand to live in Valinor for long. The intensity of its spiritual power shortens their lives. So it’s likely that they lived on Tol Eressëa, the island just off the coast of Aman (the continent where Valinor was). This is where the Sea-Elves lived, so they could hear the sound of the ocean.They would have been greatly honored, and I imagine they would have been given living space in some large community, just as Bilbo was in Elrond's house. They wouldn't have had to keep house for themselves; everything they might want would be provided. For hobbit-like company they had each other, at least until Bilbo died. It's an interesting question whether Frodo would still have been alive when Sam arrived many years later.