Valinor is one of the more mysterious locations of The Lord of the Rings, and there are several details that Peter Jackson's movies and the Rings of Power series have left out. The continent to the west of Middle-earth, sometimes called the Undying Lands, has been regarded as something like heaven throughout the screen adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Though this is true, it was far more complicated than this in canon, and the lore goes much deeper than Lord of the Rings or The Rings of Power have so far delved.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has included far more information about Lord of the Rings trilogy did and has shown some key features that have long been associated with this realm. Galadriel reminisced about her life there before she came to Middle-earth, and the Two Trees of Valinor and the acres of beautiful and nearly perfect land were shown in all their glory. However, without the context and complete revelations that Tolkien included in his various works, it's easy to miss out on some of the best secrets of Valinor.

9 Valinor Is A Continent Made Of Several Cities

The way Valinor is seen in The Rings of Power makes it easy to imagine that it is much smaller than it really is. Audiences often picture it as a wild place without the complex cities of the mortal lands. However, this is not the case in Tolkien canon. The god-like Valar lived in advanced cities - the central of which was Valmar. From there, several regions had their own respective cities, all ruled by an individual Vala. Several islands along the coast (that came and went over time) were inhabited by Valar, Maiar (like Gandalf), and various groups of Elves.

8 The Valar Rule Different Regions Accross Valinor

The Valar were spirits that the top god of Tolkien canon, Ilúvatar, created. They helped him make the world Arda, which included Middle-earth and Aman (the continent containing Valinor). Like the Greek gods, all the Valar had a specialized skill that often included the elements. For example, the Vala Ulmo was the king of the sea, and Aulë (the one frequently mentioned by the Dwarves in The Rings of Power) was known as "the smith" and was an expert with metals. Each of the Vala ruled a portion of Valinor and could use their unique abilities to structure the land how they chose.

7 The Two Trees Of Valinor Weren't Arda's Original Lights

The Rings of Power showed the Two Trees of Valinor, and Galadriel explained that Morgoth had stolen the light of these trees. What she didn't explain was that this was the second time that the villain had done something like this. Long before, when Ilúvatar had just created the world, there had only been one continent, and the Valar had constructed two great towers, one in the north and one in the south, that shone their light on the world. However, Morgoth became jealous of this light and destroyed the towers, and the result was the breaking up of the continent into Aman and Middle-earth.

6 Valinor & Middle-Earth Used To Be ed By A Sheet Of Ice

Valinor and Middle-earth are separated in The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power, but they were initially attached by an ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë. This was how the Elves used to cross from one region to the other, but after the War of Wrath in the First Age, this useful but dangerous bridge was dissolved, and the immortal and mortal realms were separated. This was, in part, meant to keep Galadriel and the other Elves, who had crossed when they weren't supposed to, from returning home to Valinor until the ban on the Ñoldor was lifted.

5 Valinor Became A Separate Realm From Earth After The First Age

The destruction of the Helcaraxë wasn't the only thing that separated Middle-earth and Valinor. In fact, though the continents were technically kept apart by the sea, they existed in two entirely separate realms or dimensions. This made it so that not just anyone could hop on a ship and sail over. When an approved Elven ship would set out from the Grey Havens, it would leave the sea once it went through the "light" and sail across the sky to reach the pocket dimension that is Valinor. This kept unwanted visitors from reaching the land of the Valar—though individuals like Elrond's father managed to sneak through.

4 Only Immortal Beings Could Travel To Valinor (With Some Exceptions)

Valinor was reserved for immortal beings, so though Elves and Men were considered the Children of Ilúvatar, only the immortal Elves were permitted to live with the Valar in the Undying Lands. Precisely why is never clear, though there are hints throughout The Lord of the Rings and other Tolkien works that mortality and evil tend to go hand in hand, so too many mortal beings in Valinor would taint the realm's perfection. However, exceptions have been made over the years since Frodo, Bilbo, Sam, and Gimli are all known to have been allowed to leave Middle-earth for Valinor.

3 Mortal Characters Do Actually Die In The Undying Lands

The name "Undying Lands" is rather misleading since mortal beings will eventually die in Valinor. Therefore, the select mortals who were allowed to travel to Valinor would not have been able to live there forever. Instead, Frodo, Bilbo, Sam, and Gimli would have lived in comfort and happiness for whatever time was remaining for them before they would away and continue on to their respective afterlives. Even the Elves eventually died, though they were typically reincarnated through a process that kept their souls within Valinor (and the Halls of Mandos) before they took on a new body.

2 Elves Didn't Originally Come From Valinor

Throughout much of the Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power, it is implied that Valinor is the true home of the Elven people. However, the details of Ilúvatar's creation of Middle-earth and his immortal children reveal this isn't the case. Galadriel was indeed born in Valinor, but before her people set up camp there, they had lived in Middle-earth. Ilúvatar first "woke" his people up in the easternmost region of Middle-earth on the shores of Cuiviénen. Unfortunately, the corrupted Vala, Melkor, began kidnapping and torturing them, so the other Valar invited the Elves to move to Valinor instead.

1 Valinor Is Where Tolkien's Most Epic Battle Happens

Though The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion are full of epic battles, the most important one is only briefly mentioned. This is because, as of the end of LOTR and the Third Age, this battle hadn't happened yet. There was only a prophecy, which explained in fair detail how a day would come when Morgoth would return and attempt again conquer the world. Thankfully, the Valar were prophesied to fight back and come out on top, but the world would be destroyed. Valinor would be rebuilt, and all the Elven people would be resurrected. Of course, this won't be until long after The Rings of Power - so Galadriel has nothing to worry about yet.