Are the Grey Havens the same as the Undying Lands? ‘The Lord of the Rings’ explained

Image via New Line Cinema / The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has already referenced both the Undying Lands and the Grey Havens. Most fans’ ears will perk up at the mention of the latter since they’ve already seen it in Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy. Since the two names seem to be used hand in hand, what’s the connection between them from a canonical standpoint?

We previously saw the Grey Havens when Frodo and the rest of the Hobbits joined with Gandalf and made their way to the harbor mouth, to be greeted by Elrond, Galadriel, and her husband Celeborn. Bilbo, Frodo, and Gandalf accompanied the last of the Eldar on the ship, helping usher in a new age of Middle-earth and sailing for the Undying Lands.

In The Rings of Power, the High King Gil-galad gives Galadriel and her company permission to go to the Grey Havens. From there, they set sail for the Undying Lands of Valinor as a reward for their centuries-long search for the Dark Lord Sauron. We have yet to glimpse the Grey Havens in Amazon’s adaptation, but what is there to know about the iconic place other than the fact that it’s a part of Gil-galad’s Elven kingdom?

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After the war against the Black Foe ended, the Elves who remained in Middle-earth founded the kingdom of Lindon under Gil-galad’s leadership. The Grey Havens was also founded during that time in the early years of the Second Age. A port city on the westernmost shores of Middle-earth, the landmark quickly became a communication route for the Elves and the Men of Númenor. It was also used to carry the remaining Eldar from Middle-earth to their Valinor, their original dwelling place.

As for Valinor itself, or the Undying Lands as it is otherwise known, that is the continent where the Valar, the creator’s highest angels, settled more than ten thousand years before the events of The Rings of Power. There the Elves and the blessed few chosen by the Valar lived a life of eternal bliss, not to be tainted by anything conjured by either Morgoth or his lieutenant Sauron.

When Morgoth stole the Silmarils and destroyed the Two Trees, some of the Elves swore vengeance against him in their pride and set sail for Middle-earth to confront his evil. This enraged the Valar, who banned them from ever returning to the Undying Lands. Many a century later, the Valar relented and lent their aid to the Elves, thus defeating Morgoth. They also pardoned the Elves and allowed them to return to Valinor, though many chose to remain — Elrond, Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Celebrimbor among them.

We’ll no doubt see the Grey Havens in The Rings of Power since Sauron’s armies besiege the city port at some point during the Second Age. The when of it, though, is anyone’s guess at this point.