gungy

So, yeah, I just finished watching the Return of the King again. I was watching how they played up how sad it was that Frodo was sailing across the sea and wouldn't get to see Sam, Merry, or Pippin for the rest of their lives when I realized, you know what? That's nothing compared to what poor Elrond has to endure.

You know it? Okay, for those of you who don't know, elves and humans go to different places when they die. Elves hang out in the halls of Mandos in Valinor, and humans go who-knows-where. Now, when an elf dies, he's pretty much seperated from the rest of the elves until the end of the world. They know where he is, yeah, but they can't really visit him. Humans, though, they're gone for good. Nobody knows what happens to them, and it's suspected that even the ends of the earth won't bring elves and humans together again.

So where does this put Elrond? Well, first of all, he'll never see his parents, Elwing and Earendil again. Sure, they both chose the immortal life of the elves, but they're special in that they're cruising around in the heavens with a Silmaril. They have a fate apart, so he'll never see them, even after death. Secondly, there's his twin brother, Elros. Elros chose the life of men, so he'll never see him again, either. Thirdly, there's his daughter, Arwen. We all know she chose the life of men, too, so he's never gonna see her ever again, either.

Seriously, the Valar gave Earendil's line the ability to choose their fate as a reward, but as it turns out, it seems to be more of a curse. Seriously, who wants to be sundered from 4 of his closest relatives, his immediate family, for all eternity? Poor guy. At least his wife was decent enough to go across the sea before she died, so he'll be able to meet up with her there. Still, though... sounds like a bum deal to me.