Age is a very mortal thing because it indicates a lifespan, a beginning and an end within a certain time. I imagine whenever someone gets past his 2000 years birthday he stops counting.
Ilúvatar exists beyond time and space and as he created the Valar and Maiar as an offspring of his thought they are simply spirits. So basically they exist until the end of time.
I don't think any Maia was ever completely destroyed?

By the way Gandalf was a Maia of Varda and Manwë so he'd probably return to their house after the fight with the Balrog. And it was obviously a part of his job description to be attached to Middle-earth and its fate til his task was completed.

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As far as I know also.... none.

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I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the Warrior for his glory. I love the homeland which they defend.

^Good answers everyone.

^To answer the question above, I am not sure.

What about Sauron? Where did his "spirit" go after the destroying of the Ring?

I think it just stopped existing. Sauron's spirit came back, but only part of it. The Ring and Sauron were connected, and when the Ring was destroyed, so was what was left of Sauron.



*giggle*

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And she was named Elwing,which is Star-spray,for she was born on a night of stars,whose light glittered in the spray of the waterfall of Lanthir Lamath beside her father's house.

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^That makes complete sense Elwing! Thanks!

You're welcome

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And she was named Elwing,which is Star-spray,for she was born on a night of stars,whose light glittered in the spray of the waterfall of Lanthir Lamath beside her father's house.

Banners by Arwen. Thank you so much, Arwen!

Saurons spirit still exist??? hmm no, I don't think so...
But I don't think that Gandalf could ever die!! he's immortal


Nim

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I'm sorry to inform you otherwise, but Tolkien said that the Undying Lands did not confer immortality, and that the few mortals who went there did die. "... this is only a temporary reward: a healing and redress of suffering. They cannot abide for ever, and though they cannot return to mortal earth, they can and will 'die' — of free will, and leave the world." This of course refers to Frodo, Bilbo, Sam, and Gimli. It also said that they passed away to destinations of which the Elves knew nothing. He also said that each race had a natural lifespan, "integral to its biological and spiritual nature. This cannot really be increased qualitatively or quantitatively; so that prolongation in time is like stretching a wire out ever tauter, or 'spreading butter ever thinner' – it becomes an intolerable torment." These quotes are both from Tolkien's letters.

^Thats quite an interesting debate.

So, are you saying that only the Elves can not die in the Undying Lands, and the mortals [i.e. Frodo, Bilbo etc.] will enventually die?

That is what I have read, yes.

Ooooooooooooooooh!!!!!!!!! I get it!!! That makes sense, at least to me. The name "Undying Lands" applies only to Elves, because they really can live forever there. In Middle-earth, there was war and danger that could kill them. In The Undying Lands, they were a lot safer. Since Hobbits and Dwarfs are mortal, they would still die.

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And she was named Elwing,which is Star-spray,for she was born on a night of stars,whose light glittered in the spray of the waterfall of Lanthir Lamath beside her father's house.

Banners by Arwen. Thank you so much, Arwen!

Gandalf lived for 300 hundred lives of men . (i think)

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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v616/galadhrim378/princeofmirkwood8pu.jpg" alt="">

I don't know if this is the right thread to ask this, but people who post seem to know so much more about Tolkiens world than I do so here it is :
Why is there no return from Valinor, since some of the Elves already left it once before?

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Very bad explanation coming up! lol
Well, the Undying Lands would be like coming home for the elves. The elves (Noldor) in the First Age were exiled from Aman after the kinslaying but they were later allowed to go back when they wanted.
Isn't there a debate about whether Glorfindel from the First Age and Glorfindel from... er... later is the same? My guess would be that the few elves that came back to Middle-earth after they died were re-incarnated and - sorta like Gandalf - were sent back to complete their task... yeah, I know it's not a very good explanation... sorry...

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Were the Noldor exiled, or they chose to leave? Beacuse, that's how I remember it from Simarillion. Guess I'll just have to read it again. I have forgotten too much. But I do remember i thought it kind of 'not very nice' of the Valar to just ignore the Men and other races, and only invite the Elves to live with them.

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apparently he turned up that age as an istari and left middle earth looking just the same.somebody in the tolkein society had a theory that he is mandos in discuise.

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