Valinor | |
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Tolkien's legendarium location | |
Created by | J. R. R. Tolkien |
Genre | Novel |
Type | Land |
Notable locations | Tirion |
Notable characters | Valar, Elves |
First appearance | The Lord of the Rings |
Valinor (Land of the Valar) is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This latter name is somewhat misleading; the land itself, while blessed, did not cause mortals to live forever. However, only immortal beings were generally allowed to reside there. Exceptionally the surviving bearers of the One Ring were allowed to dwell there for a time — Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee — and perhaps Gimli son of Glóin who, it is said, accompanied his friend Legolas to Valinor.
In Tolkien's works Valinor is the home of the Valar (singular Vala), spirits that often take humanoid form, sometimes called "gods" by the Men of Middle-earth. Other residents of Valinor include the related but less powerful spirits, the Maiar, and most of the Eldar. Valinor lies in Aman, a continent west of Middle-earth. Ekkaia, the encircling sea surrounds both Aman and Middle-earth.
Valinor is located in the middle of Aman, in the tropical and subtropical latitudes. The land has a warm climate generally, though snow falls on the peaks of the Pelóri, the mountains that border Valinor. Every animal and plant found elsewhere in Middle-earth exists in Valinor along with species endemic to Valinor.
While Valinor proper is the part of Aman inside the Pelóri, the "shore of Valinor" where the Elves live is considered a part of Valinor as well.