… she went from the city of Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lórien, and dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. But Arwen went forth from the House, and the light of her eyes was quenched, and it seemed to her people that she had become cold and grey as nightfall in winter that comes without a star. But Elrond weaves for her a vision about her future, taken directly from Appendix A (v): And long there lay, an image of the splendour of the Kings of Men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world. Presumably, the scene is meant to put to screen an enigmatic line in Appendix A (v): … Arwen remained in Rivendell, and when Aragorn was abroad, from afar she watched over him in thought …Īlmost as a counterpoise to the conversation between Elrond and Aragorn in the Evenstar-scene, this sequence contains a conversation between Arwen and her father, begging her to come to Valinor with her.Īt first Arwen seems very steadfast, claiming that there is still hope as long as Aragorn lives (an indirect reference to Aragorn’s Elvish name, Estel, which means ‘hope’).

Is she really there, in the spirit or is she a vision of Aragorn’s stunned mind? Is she giving him life, strength, a real blessing? Or is she simply thinking of him, wishing him to be safe, unaware of what has happened?

The scene where Arwen kisses Aragorn awake is one of the most cryptic in the whole trilogy. She then caves, and we see her leave Rivendell with the other Elves.Īlmost as an afterthought, this scene also contains a small telepathic conversation between Elrond and Galadriel, in which Galadriel asks the Elf Lord to aid the Men of Rohan, warning him that the Quest is of importance to all Middle-earth, and that the part the Elves have to play in it isn’t quite over yet. Arwen refuses, saying she wants to stay for Aragorn and for the hope they both carry in their hearts.Įlrond then gives her a vision of the future and the bitterness she’ll feel when Aragorn will die and she is left behind. It is nightfall, and Elrond enters to urge her to join the Elves leaving for Valinor. In the next scene, we see Arwen in her bedroom in Rivendell. We see him wash upon the shore, and a vision of Arwen hovers over him, kissing him and giving him the blessing of the Valar. After Aragorn has fallen off the cliff, he floats on the water.

Why are the elves leaving middle earth