Some questions about Elves, the Halls of Mandos, and Valinor - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

narsil · 01-21-2011, 06:38 PM

Hello, everyone

I'm a huge fan of Tolkien's works. I had a few questions about aspects of Arda, and I hope someone could answer them for me!

1) When Elves die, their spirits are transported to the Halls of Mandos. How long do they have to wait there until they are provided new bodies? And barring Glorfindel, has any Elf returned from Valinor to Middle Earth after receiving a new body?

2) On a related note, supposing an Elf were leaving Middle Earth during the 3rd or 4th Ages (take Elrond, for example). Would Elrond be able to meet up with Gil-galad at Valinor? Would he have been able to meet with the Elf-lords of old, like the High Kings of the Noldor, Feanor, or the sons of Feanor? Or would their spirits still remain in the Halls of Mandos?

3) Why is Valinor forbidden to mortals? Tolkien made it clear that it wasn't the land that provided immortality, it was the races inhabiting it. So why should it be forbidden to Men, Hobbits, and Dwarves?

4) And finally, what is Valinor like? Is it like Lothlorien, or Elvish cities like Gondolin?

Thanks very much!

01-21-2011, 06:38 PM	#1
narsil Newly Deceased Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 2	Some questions about Elves, the Halls of Mandos, and Valinor Hello, everyone I'm a huge fan of Tolkien's works. I had a few questions about aspects of Arda, and I hope someone could answer them for me! 1) When Elves die, their spirits are transported to the Halls of Mandos. How long do they have to wait there until they are provided new bodies? And barring Glorfindel, has any Elf returned from Valinor to Middle Earth after receiving a new body? 2) On a related note, supposing an Elf were leaving Middle Earth during the 3rd or 4th Ages (take Elrond, for example). Would Elrond be able to meet up with Gil-galad at Valinor? Would he have been able to meet with the Elf-lords of old, like the High Kings of the Noldor, Feanor, or the sons of Feanor? Or would their spirits still remain in the Halls of Mandos? 3) Why is Valinor forbidden to mortals? Tolkien made it clear that it wasn't the land that provided immortality, it was the races inhabiting it. So why should it be forbidden to Men, Hobbits, and Dwarves? 4) And finally, what is Valinor like? Is it like Lothlorien, or Elvish cities like Gondolin? Thanks very much!