Grug, Gimli's son didn't travel overseas, at least to any of my knowledge. However, in the appendices of
Return of the King, it does mention that, after Aragorn's death in F.A. 120, Legolas built a ship and sailed into the West, and Gimli supposedly went with him. Tolkien said that Galadriel was able to obtain this grace for him from the Valar, because of his great love for her. Also, Elrond and Arwen didn't part on "bitter" terms, per se. The description may use that word, but the meaning was in the way of extreme sorrow rather than anger or resentment. Elrond and Arwen would never see each other again; as a mortal, she was destined to leave the circles of Middle-Earth, as opposed to the normal fate of the Elves (after death, they are sent to the halls of Mandos in Valinor, and eventually they are able to walk freely again in Valinor.) I did forget to mention the appendices in my post, but they should be required reading for anyone who finishes the trilogy; it's very easy, since they're at the end of the third book
.
I guess I can counter these questions with a question of my own: was the Glorfindel of
Fellowship of the Ring the same as the one who was killed by and killed a Balrog in
The Silmarillion? Tolkien mentions that he has been in the Blessed Realm, which gives him the aura of light and power that he displayed against the Nazgul at the fords. Since the Elves never truly die, instead eventually coming back in some form, I think that this is the same one, although I am not sure.
Another think I love about Tolkien's works is that there are certain details that are never revealed but which leave the reader guessing. One is the dark creatures living at the "foundations of the earth" under Moria. Gandalf says that he "will not darken the light of day" by telling about them. I'm disappointed that the movies did not include some of this; it would have been extremely creepy if done right. Another is the door in the Paths of the Dead in front of which Brego, the son of a Rohirrim king, died. We never learn what that door was or why he wanted to get through it.
One thing I did like about the movies is how they got the scenery and appearance of Middle-Earth right. They actually brought in acclaimed Tolkien artists Alan Lee and John Howe to help with concept art. I have a calendar featuring some of John Howe's paintings, and scenes like the Argonath, Rivendell, and Minas Tirith are almost identical to the models used in the movies. The one time during the movies that I really got choked up was when the Rohirrim arrived at the Pelennor Fields and charged down at the forces of Mordor. This was one of my favorite scenes from the books, and seeing it portrayed that way on the big screen, with the heroic music playing in the background, sent chills up my spine
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I can say that I truly disliked only two or three things about the movies. One was the way that they changed Faramir's character. He was supposed to be a contrast to Boromir and reject the lure of the Ring, but he ends up trying to capture it. I almost think the whole scene was done as an excuse to show Osgiliath, which I will admit did look cool. Another was how Gollum turned Frodo against Sam; they were supposed to have the ultimate friendship and trust, and then Frodo suspects Sam of stealing food? I don't think so. The final, and biggest, mistake, in my opinion, was the scene at the actual end of the Third Age, when Sauron falls. An exploding eyeball just wasn't right
. In another Tolkien calendar I have, there's a painting showing this scene as it was written, with an immense shadowy figure wreathed in lightning rising out of the ruin of Barad-dur and stretching its fist out at the opposing armies. That, to me, would have been the ultimate climaxic scene. Having said this, though, I think Peter Jackson did an amazing job, with dead-on casting and amazing special effects. I don't think any other conversion of the books could have been better
.
