Originally posted by dUbs-ThReE:
I don't get where they go at the end? Are they going on another adventure? Other than that I loved it! What a trilogy!



Sailing from the Grey Havens into the west isn't really explained well in the books either. Sailing into the west seems to be the equivilent of dying and going to the afterlife, except the characters don't die when they go there. The undying lands are a mythical place among the dwellers of Middle-earth as a final home for the elves... reminds me a little of the land of Avalon as related to the King Arthur legends.
Basically only the elves are allowed to sail to the undying lands. In the age described in the books, the elves live in only 3 communities..... Rivendell, Lothlorien, and the Grey Havens (where they control the sailing into the west).
The only exception to the 'elf-only' rule for sailing into the west is reserved for the bearers of the rings of power... being the 3 elven rings, the 7 dwarven rings, the 9 rings of men, and the One Ring of Power.... the 7 dwarven rings had been lost (read the book) so no dwarves could go. The 9 rings of men were lost with the destruction of the ringwraiths (not that they would be welcome anyway). The 3 elven rings were posessed by Galadriel (original bearer), Elrond (keeper, not original bearer) and Gandalf (keeper, not original bearer, even though he is not elven).
Technically, Sam was welcome to sail into the west as well since he carried the One Ring for a time.... I think he may have even taken a ship later in his life, I'll have to read it again.

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