Gimli Broke One Of Lord Of The Rings' Very First Rules

Summary Gimli was the first dwarf to break the oldest rule by entering the Undying Lands with Legolas after The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien didn't explain why Gimli was allowed into Valinor, leaving it as a mysterious exception in the story.

Gimli's bond with Legolas and his love for Galadriel may have been the key factors for his acceptance into paradise.

Gimli did a lot of firsts for his race in The Lord of the Rings, but at the end of his story, he was the first dwarf to break the oldest rule in the book. This member of the Fellowship of the Ring often took on a comedic role, especially in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, but there was far more to his character. Gimli was almost solely responsible for repairing the relationship between the Elves and Dwarves. He expanded the Dwarves' reach in Middle-earth by establishing new colonies and charmed Lady Galadriel, but the most miraculous thing Gimli did came far after The Lord of the Rings.

After the events of The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring members went their own way, though they remained dear friends for many years. Frodo set off for the Undying Lands (AKA Valinor), which was reserved for immortal beings like the Elves, but an exception was made since the hobbit was a Ring-bearer. Sam became mayor of the Shire, though he was also permitted to travel to Valinor when he grew old because of his short stint with the One Ring. Legolas traveled to Valinor eventually, as was his right as an elf. Gimli's fate, however, was more unusual.

Related How Old Each Lord of the Rings Fellowship Member Really Is The Fellowship take on an arduous journey in The Lord of the Rings, but how old is each member of the group when first formed at Rivendell?

Gimli Was Accepted Into The Undying Lands After The Lord Of The Rings

Gimli Was The Only Dwarf Ever Allowed In The Undying Lands

Close

When Legolas decided to leave Middle-earth and come to the Undying Lands, Gimli came along with him. This is highly unusual since mortals were only allowed to travel to Valinor under special circumstances. Ring-bearers like Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam were the primary exceptions since they suffered the consequences of carrying Sauron's One Ring but didn't allow it to fully overtake them. This, of course, wasn't the case for Gimli, who was a member of the Fellowship of the Ring but never carried it himself.

Though a common theory is that Gimli was permitted to travel to the Undying Lands because of his role in the Fellowship, this doesn't quite check out.

Though a common theory is that Gimli was permitted to travel to the Undying Lands because of his role in the Fellowship, this doesn't quite check out. Aragorn, Merry, and Pippin were all also part of Frodo's party but were not given this same allowance by the Valar. Surely, if they had, the two hobbits at least would have taken the opportunity to Iive out the rest of their days with their old friends in paradise.

There was one other instance in which a mortal who did not carry the One Ring was permitted to dwell in Valinor, and that was Tuor, Elrond's grandfather. Tuor was married to and deeply in love with an elf, Idril, and was wholly accepted by the Elves of Gondolin. Tuor and Idril's line was highly important in the future of Middle-earth, and their love was rewarded by the Valar when they escaped to the Undying Lands and were permitted to stay. Though Gimli was important and had a close bond with the Elves, he wasn't at the same level of importance as Tuor, so it's still unclear why an exception to this old rule was made.

It is not known how long after Lord of the Rings Legolas and Gimli traveled to the Undying Lands.

Even Tolkien Was Confused About Gimli Entering The Undying Lands

Tolkien Didn't Like Having All The Answers

Though author J.R.R. Tolkien is the creator of The Lord of the Rings, its world, and characters, he approached his books as if they were found histories of a civilization long past. For this reason, the grandfather of fantasy specifically left many questions unanswered—after all, real-world history comes with many marvelous gaps that can be only filled in with guesswork. Gimli's acceptance into Valinor is one of the things that Tolkien couldn't explain, and he even stated that it was a strange exception in Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:

"We have heard tell that Legolas took Gimli Glóin's son with him because of their great friendship, greater than any that has been between Elf and Dwarf. If this is true, then it is strange indeed: that a dwarf should be willing to leave Middle-earth for any love, or that the Eldar should receive him, or that the Lords of the West should permit it. But it is said that Gimli went also out of desire to see again the beauty of Galadriel; and it may be that she, being mighty among the Eldar, obtained this grace for him. More cannot be said of this matter."

Related Lord Of The Rings: Why Elves And Dwarves Hate Each Other Everybody knows that Legolas and Gimli initially dislike each other in The Lord of the Rings. But what caused the tension between Elves and Dwarves?

Why Gimli's Lord Of The Rings Story Ending In The Undying Lands Makes Sense

Love Has Always Been Key For Admittance To Valinor

Custom image by TC Phillips

As Tolkien pointed out in the passage above, it's likely that the unknown reason that Gimli was permitted to enter Valinor had something to do with his rare connection with the Elves. Gimli and Legolas formed a rare bond in The Lord of the Rings, and Tolkien's works explain that this friendship only grew stronger after Sauron's defeat. The pair traveled Middle-earth together, showing one another the places they found the most beautiful (the Glittering Caves for Gimli and Fanghorn Forest for Legolas), and splendored in the world together.

Overall, the fact that the only other non-ring-bearing mortal to be permitted into Valinor in Lord of the Rings, Tuor, was allowed because of his love for an elf is deeply telling. It can only be concluded that Legolas and Gimli's bond (and Gimli's appreciation of Galadriel) was just too strong to be broken. So, they traveled to the ends of the world with one another and lived out the rest of their days in paradise. Though there is no way to know for sure, the Valar, Eldar, and Galadriel must have seen this love between friends and understood what it meant—and so Gimli was allowed to break all the rules.