In JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fantasy lore, Middle Earth is the primary premise for much of the plot happenings that take place. It is a place where apart from men, elves, hobbits, dwarves, monsters, and also dragons, orcs and trolls live.
But following the destruction of the One Ring,the Elves leave for the Undying lands, to Tol Eressea, the lonely island of Valinor. So why did the Elves leave Middle Earth?
What Was The Reason For Elves Leaving Middle Earth?
The Elves decided to leave Middle Earth as they wanted to protect the entire elf race from fading away, but also because Manwe revoked the ban against them.
Thousands of years before the events of Lord of the Rings, the Valar, who are the guardians of the world, felt that it was better for the long living elves to live near the Valar in the Blessed Realm, which were far away from Middle Earth, where men and dwarves built their kingdoms and civilizations. The Noldor, Vanyar and Teleri all agreed to this proposal and lived in Aman.
The Noldor however fled from the Undying lands to Middle Earth. Soon after their arrival, men awoke at Hildorein and the elves fought alongside men against the original dark lord Morgoth. After the war, the majority of the Noldor returned to the Undying lands, but a few of them decided to stay back on Middle Earth, as they had founded their own domains there. They seemed to have established a haven for themselves, with many of them becoming lords and masters, while they were only considered as guests in the Undying lands.
But it caused a major issue, as although the Elves are Immortal beings, they are not everlasting. The essence of the world was slowly wearing them down, and they were fading in Middle Earth, especially since the fall of Sauron. With time, their spirit would consume their bodies and they would become in the end invisible and bodiless spirits. The only place where they could live without experiencing the fading effect was the Undying lands.
The Elves would eventually fade even in the Undying lands, but they would be able to preserve the rate of fading between body and spirit, which was disproportionate in Middle Earth.
The Three Elven Rings were designed to prevent fading and slow time. However with the destruction of the One Ring, the Three Rings also lost their power, which caused the time released to flow.
This is what hurriedly led the elves to flee Middle Earth to the Undying lands, as they were afraid that they would completely fade away.
