All Elves were allowed to go to the Blessed Realm.
Taken from here:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tolkien/96308
I’ve always assumed that the major reason that LOTR became so big in the '60s was that the hippies viewed Tom as one of their own. Thus, a person of that mindset would indeed view Tom as the most important character in the story, even though, to a rational viewer, Tom is essentially irrelevant to the story.
I have a very quick question, but I’ve only seen the films so you’ll have to excuse my ignorance…
What’s the big deal about the Ring? If Sauron got it back, what would he do with it - make his big eye invisible? In LotR 1, Sean Bean (I forget the character name) says he wants it to protect his garrison, but what good would it do? One soldier invisible doesn’t seem worth of the cost of the Ring Wraiths after you.
Thanks, Zcrysis. I was just about to post from The Tale Of Aragorn and Arwen about Celeborn. It says that when Arwen went to Lothlorien at the ending of Aragorn’s life, she “dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone, and the land was silent.”
So he definitely leaves for Valinor.
Ah, so all of the elves have left–no wonder I don’t like living in the modern world.
Tuco, I hope someone more knowledgeable than me will answer you, because your question is very important. The ring confers power over others, generally in proportion to the previous power of the wearer. Thus, the person or being who had the strength of will and used it for this purpose could control Middle Earth. To Tolkien, and many others, the domination and slavery of others is a great evil, to be despised. Even if originally used by a good purpose by Boromir, Galadriel, or Gandalf, eventually the power would turn to evil, since no creature of free will should dominate others. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Therefore the ring must be destroyed. It’s just not that easy since power is so tempting.
Sorry but not so, lissla. JRRT wrote that Celeborn removed to Rivendell and lived there with the sons of Elrond. But he never said whether or not Celeborn ever went to Valinor.
Tuco, basically what well he’s back said. Here’s a nice link to a RingFAQ that explains more in depth about the one ring, and other others too:
tuco, see especially This link which addresses what someone like Aragorn could have done with the ring, as opposed to how Gandalf would have used it.
I beg to differ. I don’t recall the precise reference, but there is a comment about him going Oversea well into the Fourth Age, with the haunting line, “And so passed the last memory of the Elder Days from Middle Earth.”
You are correct, polycarp. The line “but there is no record
of the day when at last he sought the Grey Havens” threw me, and I neglected the following phrase “and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-Earth”.
I feel so ashamed! 
Well, no, not really. Tom was needed to rescue the hobbits from the Barrow-Downs. I expect the only other being who could have was Gandalf, and he was a bit busy at the time. And while it could be argued that the Barrow-Downs episode could have been skipped, it’s a dagger from the Barrow-Downs that proves to be the Lord of the Nazgul’s bane.
Remember that when Tom rescued the hobbits, he gave all of them daggers (swords for them) that had been made by the Dunedain to fight the Witch King of Angmar. This was important because it was that sword that Merry used to stab the Lord of the Nazgul (f/k/a the Witch King), and the text clearly says that
Left unsaid is the implication that Eowyn’s thrust would have been ineffective if that spell hadn’t already been broken.
I also think (and this is just my opinion) that the stay with Bombadil was important because it showed Frodo that the ring could be resisted and its influence negated. Would he have had the heart to take up the quest if he hadn’t known that?
Well Rubystreak, I DID put “killed” in quotes, you’ll note.
Yes, Bombadill isn’t totally irrelevant, and the missing Barrow downs bits is a loss that makes the WK bit a little confusing (I forget though, in the movie, did they have the line in FoTR where Aragorn declares that thing about no blade can survive that tries to kill him). It’s still not worth including, but it does sort of mess up the big takedown of the WK.
I’ve always wondered exactly how strong the Witch-King is in LotR. I haven’t read the books for several years, but IIRC doesn’t the Witch King face Gandalf down when when the ram breaks down the gates at Minas Tirith? I had always been under the impression that Gandalf was preparing for a kind of courageuos last stand, but then the Witch King got distracted and didn’t have the time to tool him proper. Am I wrong? Who has more power (and the freedom to use it) at that point?
And if the answer is the Witch King, would that make him more powerful than a Balrog? Because if I understand correctly, Balrogs are Maiar (sp?) as are Gandalf and Sauron; and Gandalf slew the Balrog even before becoming the white wizard, after which he apparently had more freedom to use his power. But that doesn’t really seem accurate that WK could be more deadly than 2 different Maiar when he is only a shade of a man and completely in thrall to another of the Maiar (Sauron).
And then what about the Mouth of Sauron? He was supposed to know all kinds of sorcerous stuff too, wasn’t he?
Gandalf the White is mightier than the Grey was. And GtW states that since his upgrade, the only thing really capable of hurting him on middle earth is Sauron. His limitations had been reduced since his upgrade, but he could always use his powers in defense of self (for the most part) as we saw with the Balrog.
I expect that he’d have defeated the WK without too much difficulty.
Even so, the WK was a mighty sorcerer in his day, and having been enslaved to the ring, was in some ways an extension of Sauron’s power.
Still, he fell to a hobbit with a spell-wrought blade of the men of the West(something JRRT regretted introducing into the tale, and wished he could delete), and a woman with a pointy sword.
The mouth of Sauron would have been no match going one on one with Gandalf, I’m sure.
Heck, I always got the feeling Aragorn could have bitch-slapped the Mouth of Sauron from the Black Gate to the West Farthing if he’d wantd to.
Qadgop,
[nitpick]
Gandalf said, to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli upon returning as Gandalf the White, “Indeed my friends, none of you has any weapon that can hurt me.” So, where is Sauron mentioned, or that some other weapon that wasn’t present couldn’t hurt him? My bet would be Grond or Shelob might still dent his wizardly hat a skosh.
[/nitpick]
squeegee, I’ll have to root around for the reference. It certainly is possible I misremember it. Patience with me, please. I gotta go back to work in the morning!
I’ve been thinking on the subject again (bad news, I know 
and have kind of been wondering… even if Gandalf was more powerful than the WK, would he be powerful enough to negate the ‘no living man’ prophecy? Or would Gandalf not be considered a living man? If not, why would the WK allow himself to come face-to-face with Gandalf?
Sorry to harp on this ‘whos tougher’ line of questioning, but on the one hand, if the WK truly was incapable of harming Gandalf then for me it kind of lessens the drama in that particular part of the story - but on the other hand, I’m still curious as to the authors original intent.