[Puddleglum]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

But great tales never end as tales, you know that!

PS: I am against speculating about what happend to Frodo&other mortals in Valinor. It's meant to be left a questionmark - just like Bombadil, and Maglor's fate, and what happened to Ferny, and all other mysteries and enigmas. Knowing the answers to them just ruins everything. It gives you knowledge on the "logical level" - like Azaelia put it - but it takes away from the emotional level.

PPS: I hope no one will eat me for doing this, but I couldn't help thinking of Greensleeves when I was writing my post.

I'd say Greensleeves has an appropriate "air" to it. Unfortunately, in my mind, it's just too tied up to Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk & Jack Lemon floating on an Ice Berg across the Bering Straits in "The Great Race" - and from there I just can't get back to the right feeling for Tolkien

Anywy, Tolkien did give "some" clue as to Frodo's fate (and, by extension, Bilbo's) in Letter #246

Frodo was sent or allowed to pass over sea to heal him - if that could be done, before he died.
He would have eventually to 'pass away': no mortal could, or can, abide for ever on earth, or within time.

So he went to a purgatory and to a reward, for a while: a period of reflection and peace and a gaining of a truer understanding of his position in littleness and in greatness, spent still in Time amid the natural beauty of 'Arda Unmarred', the Earth unspoiled by evil.

So, in a sense, it may not be "objectively" as sad as it feels "subjectively":

• Frodo is not dead or forsaken, he is with Bilbo. He is also with Gandalf & Galadriel & Elrond. He is in a place of peace and healing.
• Sam experiences sadness at the parting, but he returns to Rosie & Elanor (and his Gaffer) and the Shire he loves. He has a full life to lead - full of service and joys received (many kids).
• Merry & Pippin also return the the Shire they love. Both marry and raise families. Both ascend to the headship of their respective clans (Pippin becomes "The Took", Merry becomes "The Master" of Buckland. Both have the joys of widely traveling to and from Rohan & Gondor - where part of their hearts lie anyway.

Put another way, while it doesn't *FEEL* that way as written, a fair case could be made that Bilbo's proposed "ending" (at the Council of Elrond) actually came true

And they all lived happily ever afterwards to the end of their days.

To which you might then add, in typical Hobbit fashion, Sam's rejoinder (from another occassion)

Ahh, but where will they live? That's what I often wonder.