What Are The Undying Lands And Why They Matter In Lord Of The Rings
The Undying Lands, or Valinor, have become important in understanding The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It is the place the Elves call home.
Those who are watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power through the first couple of episodes have been treated to a stunning visual display that’s taken eager fans back to Middle-earth. Though the series is far from perfect to start, there are many of the classic LOTR pieces front and center so far and it’s at least in line with the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. And one thing that’s become apparent, at least at the beginning, is that there are other places in this world that will hold significant importance where the overall story is concerned. This isn’t just the Shire, Gondor, Rohan, and Mordor we’re talking about folks. We are also traveling across the oceans of Belegaer to Valinor or The Undying Lands and getting a look at another critical component in the larger story.
Let’s take a look at the Undying Lands, or Valinor, and why it’s so important in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and the franchise as a whole.
WHAT ARE THE UNDYING LANDS?
Those who tuned into The Rings of Power saw that in the opening sequence of the show we were given a glimpse at Valinor in The Undying Lands. Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel and her brother, Will Fletcher’s Finrod, are contemplating the difference between a rock and a boat in the high grasses and stunning beauty of this land in one of the first on-screen looks at this mythical spot in Tolkien lore. Valinor is the other name for the Undying Lands, a place oft-referred to in the stories which will become a seemingly pivotal location in The Rings of Power story for Amazon.
The Undying Lands comprise a huge swath of land on the continent of Aman, inhabited most famously by the elves in Tolkien’s world. Seeing as how Tolkien’s elves are immortal, the name fits with who lives here. The Undying Lands have a long (and I mean long) history in the Tolkien canon, dating back thousands of years, meant as a safe haven for elves after they were driven out of their original home on the island of Amaren following its destruction by Morgoth.
Elves and the Valar live in the Undying Lands, making up the population of this continent though they are far from the only beings there. In terms of geography, the continent of Aman is about the same size as Middle-earth so we are dealing with a massive swath of territory.
WHERE ARE THE UNDYING LANDS?
One major difference between Valinor and the Undying Lands in The Rings of Power and what we learn about them in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the ease at which folks can travel back and forth. In The Rings of Power, we see a group including Galadriel embarking on a voyage there, returning “home” after waging a centuries-long expedition to find out if Sauron was still up to no good in Middle-earth. When that mission is deemed “complete” the group catches a boat and sails to the glimmering, light-soaked gates of the Undying Lands.
This journey was across the Great Sea of Belegaer which is in between Middle-earth and Valinor. The island of Numenor was inhabited by men and sat between the two lands, but its own sordid history caused it to eventually fall and it was destroyed. There is a good chance the machinations that take place as part of the fall of Numenor will be explored in The Rings of Power seeing as how they involve the island’s king and his dealings with Sauron. By the time Frodo and company come around, Numenor is long gone.
Also separating The Undying Lands and Middle-earth is the Enchanted Isles, a series of islands that are used to hide The Undying Lands from travelers, adventurers, or ne’er do wells seeking to find this hidden place.
Additionally, to keep the Undying Lands safe from outside threats like evil arch-wizards or just regular old mortal men, a number of different safeguards were put in place to ensure they couldn’t be attacked again. For starters, the Pelori Mountains sit at the Eastern edge of the country, along the coast which separates Valinor from Middle-earth.
WHO CAN GO TO VALINOR?
The easy answer here is elves and elves only. This has been mostly the standard practice throughout The Lord of the Rings history. The entrances to Valinor are heavily protected in such a way that access is basically impossible for anyone who isn’t wanted. But it’s worth it to note that at the time of The Rings of Power (The Second Age) the path to and from the Undying Lands was actually open to mortal men as well who are, in many ways, living in and among elves who are patrolling different areas of Middle-earth. Trade was even something that happened between those in Valinor and Middle-earth though mortals could only go so far across the Great Sea.
But we do know that at the end of The Return of the King a number of others were permitted to go to live in The Undying Lands because of the sacrifice they made in destroying the One Ring. Frodo and Bilbo are permitted to voyage there and Gandalf goes as well. Though in the movie we don’t see this actually happen all the way (they get on the ship) it is assumed that they spend their days recovering from their respective journeys in Valinor. Also, eventually, Samwise and Gimli are permitted to go to the Undying Lands.
It’s worth noting here that Sauron, who was originally the wizard Marion, is from Valinor and was aligned with the Valar. Obviously, he ended up breaking bad and joining Morgoth (who ends up imprisoned in Valinor), eventually trying to take that power for himself. But this history for the character in the Undying Lands should come into play within the context of the series.
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In all, The Undying Lands have been largely unexplored on the big screen where The Lord of the Rings are concerned but obviously, that is set to change with this new series. And we will learn the importance of this land and why it’s so heavily protected by the elves and Valar.
