Lush, your assigment -- Read the Silmarillion as soon as you finish LotR. Your questions will be answered to your delight and astonishment (and a few tears, I must warn,) much more elaborately than I can answer here, but I will give it a go.
When the Elves sail West, they sail to Valinor, the Undying Lands, the home of the Valar and of the Elves that never left Valinor to come to Middle-earth. The Valar remind me of angels, though that resemblance was not intended by Tolkien. Mortals cannot reach the shores of Valinor. Elves sail there when the weary of Middle-earth and desire to return to their Ancient Home (though it was not their original home. For more info, I refer again to the Silmarillion). [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
What did they do there? Well, Gimli eventually died since he is mortal. Legolas? Who knows! Perhaps he was reunited with long lost pals. Perhaps he lived happily ever after. Tolkien does not say. However!! Our esteemed Mithadan has graced our website with a series of short stores that take place in the West after the last Elf has left the shores of Middle-earth. The series is called Tales from Tol Eressea. Check them out when you finish the Silmarillion!!
-réd
[ December 29, 2001: Message edited by: red ]
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