The Grey Havens

[Galin]

Originally Posted by narfforc

(...) This was the warning given to the The Numenoreans , I have always wondered how this statement affects Bilbo, Frodo and Gimli, and I believe it is the reason they could only go as far as Tol Eressea.

If you mean the 'grow weary statement' Tolkien explained this in the text Aman in Morgoth's Ring: very basically the idea was that Men would not actually wither and grow weary the sooner (the length of their lives could not be altered by the Valar), but would only seem to -- so, Men who desired the limited immortality of the Elves (as certain Numenoreans did) would rather feel like short-lived creatures in Aman! even living their whole lives there -- compared to the Elves, Men already did feel short-lived, but in Aman they would be comparing themselves to the Elves, the land they lived in, and other creatures there.


The weariness basically hails from the unfulfilled desire to become 'immortal', which was not the purpose of Bilbo, Frodo, or Gimli's sojourn to Aman, of course.