Frodo Baggins was the great hero of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings, and yet he left it behind at the very end of the story. In both J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and Peter Jackson’s movies, his journey ends in the same place: heading off to the Undying Lands, or Valinor, alongside Bilbo, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond. But that’s despite the fact that all his friends stay behind. Samwise Gamgee gets married and remains in the Shire, as do Merry and Pippin.
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The Undying Lands are a special place, with only immortals typically permitted to go there. Those rules were bent for Bilbo and Frodo, on account of their status as ring-bearers, and it made for a fitting, poignant conclusion to their epic journeys. But with the other Hobbits remaining at home, just why did Frodo need to leave Middle-earth rather than settling back down to life in the Shire?
Frodo Left Middle-earth To Heal After Return of the King
Part of Frodo’s decision to leave Middle-earth came down to physical injuries he had sustained during the Quest of the Ring, from which no mortal could ever truly heal. First, there was the stab wound sustained on his shoulder when the Witch-King attacked him with a Morgul-knife, which is designed to remain within the victim and turn them into a wraith, pulling them into their world, and so thus can’t be healed.
Later, there was the poisonous sting from Shelob, the giant spider (who, like Frodo, I try not to think about too much). Frodo survived these injuries, but they always came back: on the anniversary of the Weathertop attack, he felt great pain in his shoulder; on the anniversary of facing Shelob, he fell ill.
Going to the Undying Lands was in the hope that once there, he would be able to heal in a way he couldn’t in Middle-earth, due to the purity of the land vs. the lingering evil of the one he was leaving behind. But it was also for other forms of healing: mental and emotional, because of the trauma his journey had inflicted upon him. He’d faced many evils, undertook a mammoth task, and saw people die, all while carrying the burden – and temptation – of the One Ring.
This was made even worse in the books by the Scouring of the Shire, wherein the Hobbits returned home and found Saruman had taken over and needed to be defeated (something cut from the movies). Thus, the Undying Lands were a place for Frodo to finally find a true sense of peace.
Tolkien Never Revealed Much Of Frodo’s Life After The Lord of the Rings
Frodo’s life in the Undying Lands was a peaceful one, though not one that Tolkien went into detail about – presumably because it was rather uneventful. However, thanks to writings from the author, we do know it was spent in what he described as “a period of reflection and peace.”
There may also have been a reunion with Sam who, as a ring-bearer himself, was also allowed passage to the Undying Lands, sailing there after the death of his wife decades later. Despite its name, Hobbits would not have become immortal in Valinor, but nonetheless we can assume they both lived out their days in peace and harmony.
All three Lord of the Rings movies are available to stream now on HBO Max.
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