Frodo, Bilbo and Valinor

[Child of the 7th Age]

I thought that when Arwen gave her necklace to Frodo it meant she was giving him her eternal life.

No, if you read Tolkien's letters, the author makes it very clear that Frodo and Bilbo and any mortal in Valinor will die. This is true because it is part of their nature. To deny or pervert that nature would be to go against the will of Eru. However, Frodo and Bilbo and other mortals in Valinor will be able to choose when they die.

Tolkien hints in several places (see Andreth and Finrod in Morgoth's Ring) that this was part of Eru's true gift to mankind, before we were corrupted by the Shadow. Man is not immortal, and was never intended to be. But man once had the ability to choose where and when he would die and go beyond the circles of the world.

This was also true of Aragorn, who did not go to the Blssed Lands. Take a look in the appendix where Aragorn makes the choice to die at a certain point, even though Arwen begs him not to.

[ February 23, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]