To try and understand what Tolkien’s purpose was in creating the Undying Lands, I focused my attention on one specific aspect that was brought up during Wednesday’s discussion: the process of Elves and ring-bearers of the One Ring traveling west to find their magical haven. Seeing that the Undying Lands and the Garden of Eden have major differences in both geography and mythology, I began trying to create new theories as to what Tolkien specifically intended with the Undying Lands. This is different from the Garden of Eden because not only did Adam and Eve have to travel east of the Garden to find their source of sanctuary after eating the Forbidden Fruit, but they had to leave the Garden because they lost their purity and became more human, mortal beings. Immortal, magical beings like the Elves who were invited to travel to Undying Lands where their spirits and purity could be preserved had to sail west to reach this blessed land. When examining the map above, it showcases that to travel from Middle Earth to the Undying Lands, one must sail west. However, when I was engaging with the topic of the Undying Lands and discussed my theory of it being Tolkien’s Garden of Eden during the class discussion on Wednesday, a fact that became aware to me during the discussion that may have disproved my theory pertains to the geography of both Middle Earth and the Undying Lands. Instead, the region is slowly becoming a realm of men, and so the Undying Lands serves as a sanctuary that preserves the last remaining elements of myth and magic. After the Downfall of Númenor, and its destruction, all this was removed from the ‘physical’ world, and not reachable by material means” (Tolkien 186).Įssentially, Tolkien explains that for each age that Middle Earth enters, the less magical and mythological elements exist in the region. For example, when reading Letter 151, Tolkien explained, “Gone was the ‘mythological’ time when Valinor (or Valimar), the Land of the Valar (gods if you will) existed physically in the Uttermost West, or the Eldaic (Elvish) immortal Isle of Eressea or the Great Isle of Westernesse (Númenor-Atlantis). In fact, I believed my theory about the Undying Lands serving as a Garden of Eden-like sanctuary for the Valar and the Elves only solidified when reading one of Tolkien’s letters in The Letters of J.R.R. Considering the fact that Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic and included various moments of Christian symbolism in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I figured that the Undying Lands fit into this category as well, serving as a Garden of Eden-like sanctuary for the pure, immortal beings of Middle Earth. When I first read about the Undying Lands in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, I immediately associated the region with that of the Garden of Eden. Ultimately, the Undying Lands is a peaceful, heavenly region primarily inhabited by immortal beings as mortals are forbidden to sail west beyond the kingdom of Númenor. It is primarily inhabited by the Valar, Elves who chose to leave Middle Earth and be with the Valar, and certain mortals who were allowed passage such as the surviving ring-bearers of the One Ring. For those who need a refresher, the Undying Lands, also known as Valinor, is a realm found on the continent of Aman that is located west of Middle Earth. During Wednesday’s discussion, one of the main topics that was brought up was the Undying Lands and what Tolkien’s intention was when creating it.
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