The Lord of the Rings' Elves Were Immortal -- But They Could Become Ghosts (2024)

From the dreaded Nazgûl to the haunting Dead Men of Dunharrow, there were many types of undead beings in The Lord of the Rings. J. R. R. Tolkien's novel even included some that were absent from Peter Jackson's film trilogy, namely the Barrow-wights. Yet some of Middle-earth's creepiest undead beings were a type that even die-hard Tolkien fans may not know: the Houseless. In Morgoth's Ring, the tenth volume of The History of Middle-earth, Tolkien explained that the Houseless were the ghosts of Elves. Understanding the Houseless requires knowledge of Elven death and the afterlife. In Tolkien's legendarium, every sentient being consisted of two parts: a body, which the Elves called a hröa, and a spirit, which they called a fëa.

Upon death, the spirit separated from the body. When mortals died, their spirits left the world, and what happened next was a mystery. When Elves died, the divine spirit Mandos summoned their spirits to the Halls of Mandos in the Undying Lands. In the section "Laws and Customs Among the Eldar," Tolkien wrote, "Howsoever they had died, they were corrected, instructed, strengthened, or comforted, according to their needs." When Mandos deemed them ready, he helped them form new bodies based on their memories from life. They would then spend the rest of their time in the Undying Lands, or extremely rare cases, return to Middle-earth. However, not all Elven spirits responded to Mandos' summons.

Some Elves Refused to Move On to the Afterlife

Elves who refused the call of Mandos became disembodied spirits called Houseless. They remained in Middle-earth, "unwilling to leave it and unable to inhabit it, haunting trees or springs or hidden places that once they knew." There were few ways that they could interact with the physical world, and they were invisible to most, though magical beings such as Elves and Wizards could perceive them. This concept was similar to yet distinct from the wraith-world that Frodo entered when he wore the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings. Choosing this fate was ill-advised, and Tolkien described it as "a sign of taint," but there were a few reasons an Elf may want to do so.

The simplest reason was an attachment to Middle-earth or those who lived there. Even if they were powerless and imperceptible, some desired to stay in the place they called home rather than depart for the Undying Lands. Another reason was a fear of Mandos' judgment. He only allowed spirits to rehouse in new bodies once they were of completely sound mind, and since death was extremely traumatic for Elves, reaching this state was a long and difficult process. Further, the spirits of villainous Elves might remain in the Halls of Mandos forever if they could not repent for their actions in life: "Of the others, the wrong-doers, many were held long in 'waiting', and some were not permitted to take up their lives again."

The Houseless Were Vulnerable to the Forces of Evil

• The Halls of Mandos were also known as the Halls of Waiting, Halls of Awaiting, Timeless Halls and Houses of the Dead.
• The spirit of an Ainur such as Sauron or Gandalf was called an ëala; it was distinct from a fëa in that it did not need a body to function properly.
• Fëanor was one of the Elves who never left the Halls of Mandos.

Despite having valid reasons for wanting to remain in Middle-earth, Elves who chose to be Houseless felt unnatural and uncomfortable. Without receiving help in the Undying Lands, their spirits remained in the same condition they were upon death, and since Elves could only die because of violence or overwhelming grief, this condition was usually misery. Tolkien wrote, "The fëa in its nakedness is obdurate, and remains long in the bondage of its memory and old purposes." Further, even a content spirit would grow frustrated with an inability to interact with the world. Therefore, the Houseless sometimes tried to possess the bodies of the living. Tolkien did not describe the details of this process, but he stated that it could "gravely" wound the body even if the Houseless was unsuccessful in taking it over. To avoid this, "the appointed Rulers of Arda" strictly forbade necromancy.

There was an even worse fate that could befall the Houseless, as Mandos was not the only being who called out to them. The evil Morgoth tried to draw them in and corrupt them, even after his defeat and banishment into the Void. He preyed on desperation and resentment, which the Houseless had in abundance, so his allure was powerful. Likewise, Sauron tried to bend the Houseless to his will, as did his followers. Those who did not heed the summons of Mandos often became slaves to the Dark Lords, forced to serve their wicked ends. Though the term "Houseless" never appeared in The Lord of the Rings, fans have theorized that they were present in the story.

Frodo Might Have Encountered the Houseless

• Elves who did not die but faded away in Middle-earth were called Lingerers; they were similar to Houseless, but they were peaceful.
• There were no recorded instances of a Houseless possessing someone's body in Tolkien's legendarium.
• In the video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Celebrimbor became a ghost, though the game described him as a wraith like the Nazgûl instead of a Houseless.

At two stages along Frodo's journey across Middle-earth, he encountered beings that matched the description of the Houseless. The first was the aforementioned Barrow-wights. They were evil spirits that the Witch-king sent to possess the skeletons of dead Arnorians during the Angmar War, but Tolkien did not state their origin. In the chapter "Fog on the Barrow-downs" from The Fellowship of the Ring, Barrow-wights captured the four hobbits and began a mysterious ritual; they placed their victims on stone slabs, dressed them in ornate robes and jewelry, and began to chant an ominous spell. Tom Bombadil's intervention stopped them from completing the ritual, so its purpose remained unknown, but perhaps they were trying to steal the hobbits' bodies for themselves. Later, in the chapter "The Passage of the Marshes" from The Two Towers, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum travel through the Dead Marshes, the corpse-littered site of a battle from the Second Age. It seemed to be cursed, as mysterious lights floated in the air and tempted the living to enter the water. This could have been a result of Houseless haunting the area, unable to move on from the horror of the battlefield.

The Houseless might appear in the second season of Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The teaser trailer included a shot of Galadriel, Elrond, and several other Elves in a foggy location, surrounded by ghostly silhouettes with glowing eyes. A behind-the-scenes video also showed a brief glimpse of what appeared to be a reanimated corpse with a crown, perhaps the same being. Since Tom Bombadil will make his live-action debut in the second season, it would make sense for these undead creatures to be Barrow-wights, in which case the show could confirm the Houseless theory. However, because the Houseless come from Morgoth's Ring rather than The Lord of the Rings, the writers of The Rings of Power may not have the right to adapt them. Regardless, since the series focuses mainly on Elves, it would be the perfect opportunity to explore the concepts of death and the afterlife as they pertain to Elves, including the creepy implications of their immortal spirits.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle-earth.

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

First Film

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Latest Film

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Upcoming Films

The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim

First TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

Latest TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

First Episode Air Date

September 1, 2022

Cast

Elijah Wood , Viggo Mortensen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Astin , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Sean Bean , Ian McKellen , Andy Serkis , Hugo Weaving , Liv Tyler , Miranda Otto , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Martin Freeman , Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Richard Armitage

Character(s)

Gollum , Sauron

Video Game(s)

LEGO Lord of the Rings , Lord of the Rings Online , The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum , The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: War in the North , The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth , The Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth 2 , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Genre

Fantasy , Action-Adventure

Where to Stream

Max , Prime Video , Hulu

Summary

The Lord of the Rings is a long-running fantasy franchise created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The core series consists of four primary books: The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and The Return of the King, all of which have been adapted into films. The Lord of the Rings core franchise centers around Frodo Baggins, a living being known as a hobbit, and a group of heroes from the various kingdoms such as the kingdom of man, the kingdom of dwarves, and the kingdom of elves. Together with the great wizard Gandalf, the group will embark on a perilous quest across Middle Earth to take The One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it, before it can corrupt anyone and return to the hands of the evil entity known as Sauron, hellbent on conquering all of Middle Earth. The original novel/prequel films, The Hobbit, stars Frodo's uncle Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on a quest from the comfort of his home and seeks the treasure of a dragon known as Smaug. Bilbo stumbles upon The One Ring on his quest, and finds himself amidst a great war. The most recent media for the franchise is the currently airing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, airing exclusively on Prime Video.