The elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth mythology go to the undying lands for a few key reasons. In the First Age of Middle-earth, many elves traveled to Valinor, also known as the undying lands, because it was where the Valar and Maiar lived. The Valar were like gods who helped shape the world, and the Maiar were their servants. The elves were drawn to Valinor because the light of the Two Trees illuminated the land, filling it with beauty and bliss. Later, at the end of the Third Age, many elves traveled back to Valinor to find peace and escape the dominion of men over Middle-earth.
To dwell with the Valar
In the beginning, the Valar invited the elves to come live with them in Valinor. The elves who accepted this invitation became known as the Eldar. They undertook a long journey known as the Great Journey from their original homeland of Cuiviénen to Valinor. The Eldar were drawn by the light of the Two Trees, Telperion and Laurelin, which lit up Valinor with their silver and golden light. The Eldar yearned to see the light of the Trees and to dwell in the presence of the Valar, whom they revered.
Living in Valinor provided the Eldar with security and tutelage. Under the guardianship of the Valar, they flourished and created great works of craft and art. They also learned much from the Valar and Maiar who lived among them. Some elves, like Galadriel, were even trained by the Valar themselves. So for the Eldar, traveling to Valinor allowed them to live in an enlightened realm guided by angelic beings of great power and wisdom.
To find healing and respite
Many elves also sailed to Valinor seeking healing and respite, especially after suffering great tragedy or weariness in Middle-earth. At the end of the First Age, after the War of Wrath against Morgoth, many elves who had endured the horrors of those battles traveled to Valinor to find peace. Their spirits were burdened by the weight of war and loss, and they hoped Valinor would allow them to heal.
We see this pattern again at the end of the Third Age after the War of the Ring. Many elves were leaving Middle-earth because they were weary and suffering grief after years of fighting against Sauron. The beauty of Valinor provided them an escape from the pain and ruin they had experienced in Middle-earth. There they could find rest and renewal.
Elrond chose to sail West after the death of his wife Celebrían at the hands of orcs and after enduring centuries of war against Sauron. Other elves, like Galadriel and Legolas sailed West after playing their part in the War of the Ring, which left them exhausted in both body and spirit. Going to Valinor provided a chance to be rejuvenated and let go of their burdens.
To be reunited with loved ones
Many elves who dwelt in Valinor initially left family members and loved ones behind in Middle-earth. Sailing to Valinor provided the chance to reunite with those they had lost. After the First Age, some Noldor elves like Galadriel remained exiled in Middle-earth. Her parents and siblings had returned to Valinor, and sailing West allowed Galadriel to see them again after centuries apart.
In the Third Age, Celebrian traveled to Valinor after her traumatic encounter with orcs in the Misty Mountains. Her husband Elrond stayed behind with their children. Centuries later, when Elrond sailed West after the War of the Ring, he was finally able to reunite with his beloved wife. For many elves, Valinor represented the opportunity to come back together with family from whom they had long been separated.
To escape fading and mortality
Over time, the elves who remained in Middle-earth began to suffer from fading. As the Ages passed, they wearied of the world and its sorrows. They slowly lost their vibrancy, eventually becoming ghostlike and transparent. Their spirits consumed with grief and longing for days past.
But in Valinor, the elves could escape this grim fate. They could dwell again under the light of the Two Trees, renewed in both body and soul. The undying lands provided a refuge from the mortality that threatened elves who lingered too long in Middle-earth.
That is why at the end of the Third Age, many elves feared they would fade if they stayed in Middle-earth much longer. Middle-earth was becoming the domain of Men, and the magic and beauty the elves cherished was fading. So they set sail for Valinor where they could remain immortal and untouched by time.
To make way for the Dominion of Men
As the Third Age ended, the time of the elves was over. Men were rising to prominence and inheriting control over Middle-earth. Many elves realized that in this new era dominated by Men, there would be no place for them. So rather than watch Men remake Middle-earth and decay themselves, the last of the elves retreated to the undying lands.
At the end of the Third Age, there were still elven realms like Lothlórien and Rivendell where the old ways endured. But Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond realized that time was coming to an end. As the light of the elves faded, Men would take over their cities and forests. Rather than fight this transition or slowly dwindle, Galadriel, Elrond, and many others elves chose to depart over the sea for the immortal shores of Valinor. This allowed Men to assume authority in Middle-earth more smoothly.
To sail into the West
For the elves, sailing West over the sea to Valinor took on a mystical significance over time. They saw it as more than just a physical journey to reach the undying lands. It became a spiritual voyage to carry them into the mystical West. The Valar themselves dwelt in the uttermost West, and so the elves associated sailing in that direction with entering the magical realm of the holy ones.
The elves spoke often of their longing for the Sea and the desire to finally take the straight road to Valinor. After the long ages they had spent in Middle-earth, the magical call of the West grew strong. Answering this call provided a chance for transcendence—for their spirits to finally take flight from the confines of Middle-earth and travel to a spiritual plane aligned with the mystical Valar.
So their departure from the Grey Havens was not just about leaving Middle-earth—it represented the fulfillment of their ancient longing to journey into mystical western seas and reach a state of spiritual peace and harmony that Middle-earth could no longer provide.
Conclusion
For the elves, departing over the sea to the undying lands provided escape, healing, and the promise of reunion and immortality. After ages in Middle-earth, the elven realms faded and the elves grew weary. The time of Men was rising, and so many elves embarked one final journey to the magical realm of Valinor. There they could dwell with their kin, find restoration, and through their mystical voyage, finally fulfill their wish to sail into the mystical West.