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Lord of the Rings: Could Arwen Have Left For The Undying Lands At the End After All?

The ending of Lord of the Rings is very bittersweet. Not everyone gets a happy ending. However, one of the happier parts of the conclusion ends up being the wedding of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Arwen (Liv Tyler). Fans root for the two lovers to get together and when they do, it's great. However, all good things must come to an end. Aragorn can't survive forever. And when he does end up passing, could Arwen possibly join her father and the rest of her people in the Undying Lands? After all, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) eventually ends up leaving for the same destination after Aragorn is gone. So why not Arwen? Did her marriage to Aragorn really seal her fate?

Fans might be wondering about the answers to these questions. In order to do so, it's crucial to understand Arwen's choice to become mortal. She decides, due to wanting to marry and stay with Aragorn for his whole life, to become a mortal woman. She is able to make this choice due to her father Elrond only being a half-elf. This means that he and his children, such as Arwen, get to choose whether they want to remain Elves or become part of the race of Men. Elrond obviously chose the former, while Arwen chooses the latter. But still, is there any hope for her? Could she ever see her father and the rest of her people again? Or did she make her choice already and there's no going back?

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It's also critical to understand who can go to the Undying Lands. Elves can, of course. Yet Men can't. In the Lord of the Rings books, Arwen gives up her spot on the boat to Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). She does so in order to help Frodo heal from his wounds. This seems to suggest that Arwen can no longer go to the Undying Lands, as she has given her place to Frodo. Arwen herself certainly seems to think so, though she probably doesn't think too deeply about it at the time. Her focus, after all, is on her future with Aragorn. Her mind is occupied with much happier thoughts when she gives her place to Frodo, and therefore she probably does not fully consider what might happen after Aragorn's passing. Aragorn, before he does pass, asks her if she wants to change her mind and go to the Undying Lands, after all.

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Of course, this would mean that she would have no hope of seeing Aragorn again in any afterlife, if there is one. Arwen's response is that there is no ship to take her to the Undying Lands. Anyway, she made her choice a long time ago. Her response would seem to suggest that she is fully mortal, and therefore unable to go to the Undying Lands unless a special circumstance presented itself. So does that mean she would never see her father or any of her people again? Unfortunately, it does. Unless Elrond could somehow find a way to see his daughter again. Yet that doesn't seem likely. However, there is a silver lining. Arwen and Aragorn led a long happy life together, and had several children.

Arwen might not have fully understood the choice she was making at the time when she made it. She even admits to Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings books that she feels that the "gift of the One to Men" is "bitter to receive." Yet she also chooses freely to marry Aragorn, even knowing that she will never be able to see her father or her people again. She does so out of a deep love for him. Her love is so deep, in fact, that she sadly does not survive long after Aragorn's passing. She goes to Lórien and lays down on Cerin Amroth, which is where she and Aragorn pledged their love to each other. This is definitely a bittersweet ending for Arwen. Especially since she and Aragorn had children. However, it is what Arwen wanted in the end and they did have a long life with each other, which keeps it from being entirely bitter. There's also a possibility, that if there is an afterlife in the world of Lord of the Rings, they might be reunited there.

Of course, not every Lord of the Rings fan will agree with this assessment. Some might prefer to think that Arwen's marriage to Aragorn didn't seal her fate after all. That she could somehow reunite with her father and her people. That's fine; everyone's different. Yet the Lord of the Rings series is all about the bittersweet ending. And this is certainly that. Arwen and Aragorn live happily ever after for a time. Yet no mortal can survive forever. And after their marriage, both Aragorn and Arwen are mortal. Arwen, therefore, could not set foot in the Undying Lands without special permission. And she wouldn't be likely to go after it in the end. So unfortunately, she would not go there, unlike Legolas, after Aragorn's passing. She would simply choose to follow her husband to wherever he would go. And that's true love.

MORE: Lord of the Rings: How Was The One Ring Made?

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