Warning: Spoilers ahead for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2.In Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Elves seemingly can’t return to Valinor of their own accord, but the reason for this is not explained. Galadriel’s opening narration describes the Elves leaving their blessed home to fight against Morgoth in Middle-earth, but this exodus is inferred to be a one-way trip. Then, later in The Rings of Power season 1 premiere, Galadriel and the other Elves under her command are granted the honor of passage to Valinor by the High King of the Noldor, Gil-Galad. Elrond makes it clear to Galadriel that this is a one-time only opportunity for any Elf, further mystifying the quandary surrounding the Elves’ home of Valinor.
The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, when Sauron’s malevolent plans interrupt a period of extended peace following the War of Wrath. It draws from The Hobbit and the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, but is unable to adapt anything from The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales, as Amazon does not have the rights to these sources. Because of this, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can only take loose inspiration from those more informative texts about this period of Middle-earth’s history.
Put simply, the Elves can’t return to Valinor in The Rings of Power because their work in Middle-earth is unfinished. There is far more context to the situation in Tolkien’s writing, but The Rings of Power skipped The Silmarillion’s complexities regarding Elves and the War of Wrath. Because of this, it’s unclear if the Doom of Mandos, a curse preventing certain Elves, including Galadriel, from returning to Valinor ever occurred. Still, even if it had, this ban would have been lifted by the Second Age and Elves would be free to travel to Valinor again when they had nothing left to strive for in Middle-earth. The Rings of Power, however, puts this authority into Gil-Galad’s hand, allowing him to judge which Elves have earned a discharge from Middle-earth.
What Happens When Elves Leave Middle-earth For Valinor
Once an Elf is granted passage from the Grey Havens to Valinor, they sail across the Sundering Seas and enter the Undying Lands, never to return to Middle-earth. Valinor is its own sort of heaven, an eternal land of paradise for Elves to live among the gods. Tolkien doesn’t say if they die when Elves go into the light at Valinor, but in The Rings of Power, it feels narratively as though Galadriel is choosing between two finalities.
In both Tolkien’s writing and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Elves have a complicated relationship with the blessed realm of Valinor. While they are immortal beings with an immortal home beckoning them, many, such as Galadriel, feel compelled to remain in Middle-earth for reasons of pride, preference, or purpose. Fortunately for them, the light of Valinor will always be there, because in their world at least, heaven can wait.