Summary
The return of Gandalf the Grey as Gandalf the White is one of the most euphoric moments inThe Lord of the Rings. Though it does beg the question: was this a one-off divine intervention, or simply an accelerated reincarnation? And, if the latter, have other such characters returned to Middle-earth after death?
When Gandalf the White returns inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and tells Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli of his fall in battle with the Balrog and subsequent return, he reacts to the name ‘Gandalf’ as if he’s remembering it from a past life. This further lends weight to the theory that Gandalf’s spirit went through the motions of death and then rebirth. Delving within the lore confirms that in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, reincarnation does indeed exist.
Understanding The Fëa and Hröa
The answer to whether reincarnation exists isn’t a straightforward “yes,” but rather an “it’s complicated.” There are different rules for each race of Middle-earth. To understand these, one must understand the concepts of “fëa,” which is Quenya (elvish) for “spirit or soul,” and “hröa,” which is Quenya for “body.” Tolkien writes that the fëa is eternal. After death, it leaves the hröa and goes tothe Halls of Mandos in Valinor, where it faces judgment for its actions from the Vala Mandos. Mandos then decides if the soul must wait for a while in his Halls to heal or do penance, or get re-embodied. However, this isn’t an option for all the races of Middle-earth.
The Maiar
Take the spirit of Gandalf, for example. The books tell readers thatGandalf is a Maiar, a class of Ainur or angelic spirits, lesser only to the Valar, the Lords of Arda. The Maia aren’t mortal and don’t exactly “die.” Their divine spirit can return to the Halls of Mandos after the destruction of their physical body, and then be re-embodied. They can choose to remain in Valinor or, as in Gandalf’s case, return to Middle-earth.
This process takes some time, but in Gandalf’s case, he still had a pivotal part to play in the war against Sauron. Unlike, say, a Balrog or Sauron, who are both corrupted souls, Gandalf’s soul is still divine, and his manner of death is valiant and in service of his divine cause. Therefore, Eru llúvatar fast-tracks his re-embodiment, remaking his old body, with memories intact, but new powers. That’s how he becomes Gandalf the White.
When it comes to the spirits ofother Maiar like Balrogs, Sauron, and Saruman, they have all been corrupted and failed to fulfill the purpose they were created for. Had they repented while still alive, or been imprisoned and taken to Valinor, there might have still been hope. However, when they die in the story, their spirit doesn’t return to the Hall of Mandos or take another physical form, but simply fades into non-existence or shadow. Tolkien describes this fate when he writes about the death of Saruman and the ultimate fate of Sauron after the One Ring is destroyed.
The Elves
Elves, perhaps, have the most clearly defined rules for rebirth in Tolkien’s legendarium. The Firstborn Children of Ilúvatar are immortal. They do experience something called “fading” in Middle-earth, where their bodies begin to get weaker and fade, but their spirits endure, eventually returning to Valinor, where the fading can be healed. The three elven rings had the power to slow this fading, which is why theelven realms of Rivendell and Lórienwere so fair despite the shadow over Middle-earth.
If an elf’s body is destroyed, their fëa returns to the Halls of Mandos for judgment. Depending on their actions in life, they are chosen to be held longer in the Halls or quickly re-embodied to remain in Valinor. It’s not exactly a new life; they have the same body and memories. For example, it’s mentioned that Galadriel’s brother Finrod, who died valiantly in battle against Sauron and Morgoth, was re-embodied and reunited with his family in Valinor. Meanwhile, Fëanor, who wrought the Silmarils and slayed his kin, has not had his soul released by Mandos.
The only known exception to this isthe elven warrior Glorfindel, who died in the First Age battling a Balrog. Again, due to the nature of his death, he is swiftly re-embodied by the blessing of Eru Ilúvatar and returns to Middle-earth to play his part in the war against Sauron. The half-elven Lúthien and her lover Beren, a mortal man, are also resurrected after death by the grace of God. However, theirs is more of a miracle than a reincarnation.
The Dwarves
Dwarves are theadopted Children of Ilúvatar, in that he didn’t make them, only animated them by giving them souls. In keeping with that, their fate after death differs from that of the elves or men. Dwarves believe that upon death, they go to a separate hall in the Halls of Mandos, where their spirits are put to sleep. When the Day of Judgement arrives, they will help their creator, the Vala Aulë, to rebuild Arda. And, finally, Ilúvatar will accept them as his own children.
Dwarves do have their own reincarnation belief regarding Durin, the first of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, who they thought was immortal because he lived very long. Dwarves believe that every few generations in his line, Durin is reincarnated in a male heir, who is then also named Durin. This is to happen seven times. It is not clear if it is the same Durin whose spirit is reincarnated in the body of a male heir, or if it is a more metaphorical reincarnation, where a male heir simply exhibits traits similar to the legendary dwarf father. It’s an open-ended belief that Tolkien never quite confirmed.
Men and Hobbits
“To the Elves the world is eternal, and they are bound to it; to Men, the world is a path, not a home.”
In one of his letters, Tolkien mentions that while the Elves are immortal and their fate is always tied to that of Arda until the end of the world, the race of Men has a gift: Death. The lives of Men, even when they are long, are finite. When they die, their spirit goes to the Halls of Mandos for judgment for a while, but then it passes beyond the circles of the world and does not return to Arda.
Save the divine miracle that resurrectedBeren and his lover, the half-elven Lúthien, the one possible exception to this rule could be Túrin Turambar, the son of Húrin, whose entire family was cursed by Morgoth and met one of the most tragic fates in all of Middle-earth. It is prophesied that Túrin may return at the end of the days to fight Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, who will rise again for Judgment Day.
As for the hobbits, well, they are possibly the luckiest race inThe Lord of the Rings.They are not reincarnated (much like the race of Men), nor do they have any exceptions to the rule or prophecies that deem otherwise.
