Mortal stowaway on elven ships

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Rhun charioteer

I just find it amusing some particularly sneaky man late in the third age has done the impossible-snuck aboard an elven ship and survived to reach the Blessed Land. They sneak off and are immediately caught by some invisible Maia.

I wonder how the Valar would react to such an action?

It doesn't really answer the question, but the essay 'Aman', published in Morgoth's Ring, discusses the idea that, because of the different way time is perceived in the Blessed Realm, a Man's entire lifespan would seem to take little more than half a year in the West. As a result I can only imagine that, from the point of view of the Valar and the Eldar, a Man's life would be so short that he or she would only need to be watched or looked after for a very short space of time before dying.

As far as I know, that essay is the only extended piece of speculation outside of the main narrative in which Professor Tolkien discusses the idea of Men in Aman. It speculates on Men being given permission to enter Aman by the Valar, but describes this and the consequences as "might-have-beens". It is pointed out from the start of the section on Men that "Eru had forbidden them [the Valar] to admit Men to the Blessed Realm". Allowing Men in was against the Valar's law, but I don't imagine a Man being treated as the invading Númenóreans were. I imagine that they would be looked after, perhaps watched and guarded, admittedly, for the short time which remained to them.

I've often felt that the quote Inzil gave implied that Men who accidentally came to the Blessed Realm would die shortly afterwards (which they would, relatively speaking), but now that I think of it, perhaps "before they died" means "while they were alive", in contrast to most Men who would only see the Mountain as their fëar came to Mandos after death.