Q: What Happened to Gimli after he Sailed Over Sea?
ANSWER: From Appendix B to The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien writes:
1541
In this year on March 1st came at last the Passing of King Elessar. It is said that the beds of Meriadoc and Peregrin were set beside the bed of the great king. Then Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin and so over Sea; and with him, it is said, went Gimli the Dwarf. And when that ship passed an end was come in the Middle-earth of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Also, from Appendix A:
We have heard tell that Legolas took Gimli Glóin’s son with him because of their great friendship, greater than any that has been between Elf and Dwarf. If this is true, then it is strange indeed: that a Dwarf should be willing to leave Middle-earth for any love, or that the Eldar should receive him, or that the Lords of the West should permit it. But it is said that Gimli went also out of desire to see again the beauty of Galadriel; and it may be that she, being mighty among the Eldar, obtained this grace for him. More cannot be said of this matter.
A reader has written in to ask:
…about the ultimate fate of Gimli, [did] Tolkien ever [elaborate] on what happened to him. According to the Redbook of Westmarch, he set sail with Legolas after Aragorn’s death out of a desire to see Galadriel again, and that this strange request may have been granted. If it actually was, what might have happened to Gimli after arrival? Would he (like Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam) live out the remainder of his natural life in the Undying Lands and then die? Or might a ship have brought him back to Middle-earth after a time? Or might he (like Tuor) been accepted as one of the Eldar and granted an immortal fate? Thanks.
I don’t think there was any return from the Undying Lands after the destruction of Numenor. Gimli, being a dwarf, would have died a natural death eventually just as Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam would have (according to Tolkien). I don’t believe he would have been adopted into the Eldar, but Tolkien really leaves all that to the imagination.
For all we know, Gimli would not have been allowed to step ashore, and perhaps Galadriel came down to see him before he closed his eyes for the last time. But I think that, if he was allowed to sail on one of those specially hallowed ships, and it made the journey safely, then that would be a sign that he could indeed step ashore as (apparently) Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam must have.
In which case Legolas must have known in advance that Gimli would be accepted; and perhaps that means someone used the Palantir of Orthanc to communicate with the Masterstone in Tol Eressëa to make appropriate arrangements. Tolkien notes that only the Palantir from Elostirion (Emyn Beraid) was specifically used to communicate with the Masterstone but we have no way of knowing if the other stones could be so used. Gandalf pondered using the Orthanc stone for just such a purpose, though (looking back to watch Fëanor at work in Valinor).
See also …
- Is Valinor Heaven?
- Why Did Frodo Leave Middle-earth and the Shire?
- Why Did Frodo Wait 17 Years to Leave the Shire?
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Have you read our other Tolkien and Middle-earth Questions and Answers articles?
Interesting thought on the Palantiri! One slightly tangent question, though, where exactly did Tolkien let us know that the hobbits died in Valinor? I’ve always wondered about their fate…. =)
What about Legolas? What happened to him?
Legolas most likely settled in Tol Eressëa.
According to dwarven beliefs their souls went to Halls of Mandos specially set apart for them (taken care of by Aule himself), actually it is assumed that spirits of all sentient races went there (and only mortals left it after some amount of time to whatever fate awaited them), so if anyone of the living would ever be admitted to the ever growing (possibly partly methaphysical and spiritual if there is a connection to the Unseen realm, second layer of reality or dimension) halls of the dead would they be able to communicate with them? 🙂
Another question of the out of topic sort. Did Witch-king really have any abilities allowing to influence the weather (or any other mortal sorcerer for that matter)? Sauron apparently could affect the weather in various ways (at least making storms if not other patterns, possibly winds to some minor extent, the Valar definitely could do so as well as Maia Osse, so why not him). It is rumoured but not stated for certain that witch-king could ,,make frost or thaw at will” and the storm that get Arvedui’s ship crash was very suspicious, well it is interesting to note that whenever wraiths and Barrow Wights appear they bring cold with them, maybe it’s the undead trait?
Also would this realm of shadow/wraith/Unseen have some sort of time dilatation? From the experience of Sam we are told that ,,world changed and a single moment of time was filled with an hour of thought” does this mean that really some sort of weird time stretching or simply heightened perception made Sam more aware and well enhanced his mental faculties or simply it was written to mirror his state of mind full of doubt?
I’d like to think that Galadriel herself took Gimli to meet Aule.
Interesting, thanks! Where in the books is this mentioned:
“Gandalf pondered using the Orthanc stone for just such a purpose, though (looking back to watch Fëanor at work in Valinor).”
When Gandalf is riding to Minas Tirith with Pippin, and he is explaining the stones to Pippin.
Thanks! Now I found the passage. I had completely forgot about/missed it. Well, a good reason to read the books once again 🙂
These are wonderful posts. On a tangential note, Gimli shows an unusual generosity of spirit (say, compared to Thorin Oakenshield) in his years in Middle-Earth during the Fourth Age. He leads a group of Dwarves to settle in the Glittering Caves of Aglarond, presumably bringing extra strength of force to the Rohirrim in case of invasion as well as building in and expanding the Caves. He also leads some ‘rehabbing’ of Minas Tirith also. One expects mention of Gimli’s family residing in the Caves or at least visiting Gondor. Did he remain a bachelor, as did Legolas apparently? Surely Gloin, whose wife is never mentioned, would have wanted some grandchildren? And what was Gloin’s fate?