‘The Lord of the Rings‘ fans swim deep in magic, bravery, and war, as J.R.R. Tolkien writes the fantasy of Middle-earth. The ending of the trilogy in both books and the film adaptation was a teary affair. However, one wonders what happens to the LOTR characters and Middle-earth after the great war of the ring has ended.
Gandalf and Frodo bid an emotional farewell in ‘The Return of the King‘ and the Hobbits return to a peaceful life in the Shire. Nonetheless, fans are curious to know the aftermath of the war as the fourth age begins.
The Fourth Age Begins With Aragorn As King Of Gondor
After Sauron is defeated, Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor. With his coronation, the Age of Men commences. Aragorn marries Arwen to whom he had “plight his troth” earlier. They have a son Eldarion, and two daughters. Aragorn ruled for 120 years and his reign was marked with peace and prosperity. He strengthened his ties with the realm of Rohan and gave the remnants of Modor to the Eaternlings to settle.
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After Frodo leaves for Valinor, Samwise Gamgee marries Rosie and has 13 children. The family settles in Bag End where Sam rebuilds the shire with the soil Galadriel gave him. Therefore, Sam is given the title of the ‘Gardener’. He also inherits the Red Book of West March.
Later, Sam too leaves Bag End to live in the undying lands and passes down the book to his daughter, Elena. The Shire becomes part of the kingdom of Gondor and the Hobbits thrive in the Age of Men.
Magic Fades Away From The Middle-Earth
Galadriel predicts that the elves will “dwindle into a rustic folk of dell and cave” in the first installment of ‘The Lord of the Rings’. And that is what eventually happens to the elves. With the destruction of the one-ring her and Elron’s rings also lose their power. Thus, magic slowly fades away from Middle-earth. With their power, the elves began to wither away too. In the next century, most elves travel west to Aman.
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Those who decide to remain in Middle-earth relocate far east. There are the elves who mostly keep to themselves and eventually fade away. Tolkien wrote that other magical creatures like dragons, orcs, or trolls went into hiding with no chance of survival. Most did not survive the fall of the Black Tower.
Tolkien wrote, “Some slew themselves, or cast themselves in pits, or fled wailing back to hide in holes and dark lightless places far from hope.”
