Basically he had ptsd and couldn't return to his normal life.

Frodo left Middle Earth for tax reasons on advice from his Elvish accountant,

I feel like Frodo chose to leave for two reasons. 1) It’s heavily implied that his wounds inflicted by the Witch-king and Shelob could never be healed in Middle-earth and he would soon die from them. The fact that he was severely ill on the anniversaries of both these incidents (in the book) indicates that this was a pattern that, if he stayed in the Shire, would only get worse and worse until it would finally kill him within a few short years. Tol Eressëa, an island off the coast of Valinor where a mortal could safely reside, was the only place where he could find a lifesaving cure and heal. He could’ve chosen to stay, but if he had, he would’ve died after a short period, and his loved ones would’ve had to bury him. An ordeal he didn’t want to put them through. 2) Also, as Frodo says, Sam would be “torn in two” between Frodo and his family for as long as Frodo stayed in his life. In the book, Sam himself says more than once that he feels this way. Frodo didn’t want Sam to keep on giving up his own life to nurse him and take care of him. He wanted Sam to be able to give himself fully to Rosie and their children, and take care of the Shire like he wanted (which he eventually did by being Mayor of the Shire and serving as one of Aragorn’s Counsellors, alongside Merry and Pippin, for many decades.)

You can tell just how much heart and effort was put into this trilogy. “We had no interest in putting our messages into this movie. But we thought we should honor Tolkien by putting his message into It” -Peter Jackson, 2002 And this trilogy is still a masterpiece in 2024 :)

The more I learn about Lord of the rings, the more I feel like I know nothing

Frodo had to leave because he had leveled up and it would be uncomfortable to live around lower level players.

I always took The weird scene where everyone was laughing hysterical in that one room together is they all finally freaked out about how insane it was that they actually survived all the freakish things that took place.

Fun fact: When Sam says "We shouldn't be here..." in the Twin Towers he's technically right because they never go to Osgiliath in the novel.

“Did you know that in ancient Roman culture it was okay too...” Alright, keep your secrets.

Guys just think..... These movies were made in a time where CGI and animations were still kind of making their way into the big screens..... And it still looks better than half the movies released the past few years with all the technology and everything. This trilogy will forever be great

Personally, I like how when he wakes up they all just laugh, I think them all bursting into laughter together helps amplify the fact that a mere hobbit actually succeeded at saving the world, and against all odds the fellowship has been reunited. It felt like how real friends would treat the situation. And then you get the cherry on top with the whole “you bow to no one” line, it felt like a great ending

I know this is a cheesy sentence, but that final scene gets me every time. Frodo's final smile just... it's such a beautiful ending. :')

Short answer: he didn't 'have' to leave, he was given the very great gift of being allowed to leave. Elves, in Tolkien's canon, are immortal unless killed by violence. They don't die of old age. But they can choose to leave the mortal world and go to a sort of 'afterlife' without having to die first. For Frodo and Bilbo to be offered this gift is the greatest possible honor, and one they both chose to accept.

The ring's a dick and, like an actual dick, the ring can get bigger and smaller - best description of the One Ring yet devised :D

Bilbo is surprisingly someome worthy of recognition, he had the ring during 60 years, and barely fallen under his control, Smeagol fell completely and got corrupted, but Bilbo was even capable of leaving it behind with the advice of Gandalf. Again, a misseen achievement.

after 20 years I watched the entire series again and it's by far my favorite series ever. What an absolutely amazing journey.

My favorite thing about Tolkien's work is that he approached everything as if he were a Middle Earth historian. He was not the creator of Middle Earth, he just simply told us everything he knew about it.

Frodo left middle earth with Gandalf to become Harry Potter and Dumbledore wait I didn't expect this many likes omg tysm

I've always thought that Frodo's psychic wounds never healed. In the end, the One Ring possessed him. Only by leaving Middle Earth could he be freed of pain.

Frodo and Bilbo went to the Grey Havens because that was the only place that they could receive the mental care needed for their condition. This was explained in the book.

So glad to have existed the same time as LOTR.

He was moving because of Aragorn’s tax policy

Also did you know that Tolkien debated adding a tenth member to the Fellowship? Glorfindel, an Elf who defeated a Balrog in the First Age and who defeated and drove off the Nazgul at the river crossing before Rivendell. Tolkien however felt that adding him would have reduced a lot of the danger the Fellowship would have faced and subsequently not make for a good story.

I remember reading the books back then and thinking to myself: there is no way in hell, that Frodo can return to the Shire and live a happy live. He has seen and endured to much, to return to a little village full of farmers, that know nothing about the journey and what has happened, nor would they understand.

Keep in mind that Frodo possessed the ring for 13 months, while Sauron was actively looking for it. It consumed alot of him

In regards to the "odd" scene when Frodo wakes up and sees Gandalf, he doesn't know Gandalf has returned. He thought he died in the mines of Moria! It fits perfect:D

Never give up, my new motto. I first read LotR in 1972. I too demanded someone tell me why Frodo had to leave middle earth. Why? I got nothing, even the librarians at my school were "Huh?"i After many re-reads, many re-watches of the movies it's only now that I get an answer that is sensible to me. I am much older and the concept of "unrelenting grief and pain" is one that I can empathize with now in a way that was impossible to my younger self Thank you.

The dagger that Merry stabbed the Witch King with was specifically enchanted to weaken him to the point he could be killed.

In the books Frodo was like a war veteran who suffered from PTSD. He could never find peace, not even in the shire. So he left with Gandalf and Bilbo to a place where he could finally suffer no more.

Better question : why is this in my Recommendation after 5 years?

This is really well done. Well edited, great pace- and really great comedy bits. My hat goes off to you mate! Cheers from New York USA

My dad always told me that Frodo never did make it back alive when the eagles brought him to Rivendell and that what we saw was his final memories of being around friends and loved ones and getting to say goodbye then him leaving with Gandalf to the undying lands was a symbol of his death

"The elves can get weary and die of depression" Padme: Finally a worthy opponent, our battle will be legendary

I've always thought that Frodo chose to leave rather than having to. He was emotionally, mentally and physically wasted...the quest did cost his life, and he understood that after some time, so I think it was amazing that the elves recognized his sacrifice and took him with them to Valinor to be at peace.

This video was brilliantly put together. Thank you.

I always thought that Frodo didn't have to leave, but it was offered to him by the elves as a reward for suffering the ring for so long and receiving several magical injuries in the process. I'm not 100% sure that's correct, though

There's an important aspect of Middle Earth you only kind of touched on. To make it explicit: the world is getting less and less magical all the time. All the wonder and horror is fading: no new Ents, the last dragon goes belly up ... magic is fading. That's why the elves leave. Their fire is guttering. The main function of all the rings is to protect and preserve whatever the wearer loves. The 3 elf rings are the reason the elves still hold some mega-magic. Dwarves love money, and they got money ... didn't work out. Men love power above all else. You get the idea. Part of the reason the Hobbits are resistant is because they love good beer and full bellies. If you just crave breakfast, the ring's got trouble twisting you into world conquest. The 'soul twisting' aspect is separate from the 'preserve what you love' aspect. ALL rings of power persevere what you love. MOST of them will turn you evil. And Sauron developed the 'ring of power' template; he can hack any ring because he's so familiar with the technology. He knows about the exhaust port.

The 3 questions Frodo had to answer in Mordor: 1) What is your name? 2) What is your quest? and 3) What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

I watched that movie countless times. Saw it in theaters and with friends at home.. And every time, i discover something new.

This was great mate, had me laughing my head off. Can tell your a fan but still able to find lots of funny perspective in it.

From here on out, orcs shall be known as "evil potatoes"

"Look, elves!" *.* "Look, hobbits!" *.* Had me dying!

Tbh after reading the book, I always thought Frodo left mainly because he felt like Middle Earth didn't have much of a place for him anymore, after (spoilers if you didn't read the book) Merry and Pippin were praised more than him upon their return, he saved the shire and got to watch it blossom on its own, and then sam got married and had his own family/got on with his life. Thats what i felt, anyway. its really sad if im honest.

The beginning of your story is cracking me up. Love it

Merry's sword was forged by the ancient Men of Westernesse, and specifically crafted to damage Ringwraiths. So, when he stabbed The Witch-King of Angmar, unbeknownst to him, it broke the incantation that made it invulnerable and allowed Eowyn's sword thrust to kill it.

the bed scene didnt feel weird for me. It made me feel happy to see frodo finally laughing and evryone laughing.

One thing that sticks out to me about Bilbo and Frodo leaving Middle Earth, particularly Frodo. I consider everything that happened to him, namely the pain from the wound of the morgul blade, I took it as evil not being completely destroyed after the War of the Ring, as if some evil still lingered afterwards. The evil that was bound to middle earth was bound to Frodo, so he couldn’t remain and only the undying lands was his chance to heal. Bilbo also fits into this, even after the ring is destroyed he still wanted to see it one last time even though it was destroyed, it showed that the ring still had influence even if not physically present, and we have to wonder if Frodo misses the ring as well.

The way you describe these LOTR answers. Is so much better than other channels thanks for keeping me interested!

Frodo didn't 'have' to leave; he was given a choice. He chose... wisely. It was basically the equivalent of Michael the Archangel saying "Hey, thanks for helping kill the Devil. As a prize, you get to go to heaven, no questions asked, only you have to go right now."

Here's an answer to your question regarding how the Witch King of Angmar was killed: No mortal weapon can kill them, as they are Wraiths. Normal weapons would shatter against them and harm the wielder. But Merry there did not have a normal weapon. He had a dagger forged in Arthedain, which was originally part of Arnor. Arnor was the old human kingdom in the North, and they were destroyed by the forces of Angmar, led by the Witch King of Angmar. That dagger was specially crafted and enchanted to pierce the defenses his ring of power gave him and kill him. Since the Witch King was even more powerful by this point in the book, the Dagger didn't protect Merry fully from the shock of striking the Witch King, and it didn't kill the Witch King. What it did, however, was temporarily strip him of his power and briefly turn him back into his mortal self. Deprived of his Wraith status, Eowyn was able to finish him off with a stab through the head.

As for why the nazgul tried to turn Frodo into a wraith, it's actually entirely possible the nazgul weren't permitted to carry the one ring directly. It might be a weird way for them to free themselves from Sauron's will.

Informative, and hilarious. Thank you!

“THE SWORD THAT WAS BROKEN AND IS NOW REFORGED!” Yeah that was bound to be annoying in the movies if he did it as much as he did in the books.

This really puts into perspective how immense Bilbo's mental strength was seeing how easily he gave up the ring

Lmao the editing / script is so funny HAHA THE ARAGORN SWORD MONTAGE IS SO FUNNY

I almost spit out my coffee at the "what are midichlorians?" part XD This was a fun watch. Thanks!

The entire trilogy is a tear-jerker. Frodo saving Sam from drowning and Sam tells him he promised to look after him, Boromir calling Aragorn his king before dying, Sam talking about him and Frodo being included in tales, Theóden grieving the loss of his son, Gandalf telling Pippin about the White Shores, Frodo hugging his friends goodbye and giving Sam the book, and the majority of Howard Shore's music

Galadrial was actually banned from the undying lands because she took part in the exodus away from there when the Noldor first left in rebellion when the silmarils were stolen. She is still bound to the oath of Feanor from a few thousand years ago, which forsakes the undying lands in the name of vengance against Morgoth, Sauron's original master. She only gets to return to valinor at the end because she assisted the fellowship and let the ring pass through her lands without taking possession of it. In a way, she needed the temptation of the ring to happen, so that she could reject it to redeem herself. She was released from her oath by god (illuvatar) and is no longer sentenced to remain in middle earth indefinitely to suffer its strife. When she says "I passed the test, I will go into the west and fade from this world", this is what she is referring to.

This is amazing. Couple random thoughts that I doubt anyone who's reading this far doesn't already know: Saruman taking over the Shire and the three younger hobbits leading the people to overthrow him was the grand culmination of them growing up from these excited but powerless kids into capable, confident leaders who show others how to overcom their fears, it's really beautiful actually. Also, the (book version of the) sword that Merry stabs the Witch-King with was a blade from the Barrowdowns, specifically enchanted to overcome the Witch-King's own magic, which is what opened him up to being stabbed to death by a mortal woman, fulfilling the prophecy that no man could (would) slay him. But almost none of that was in the movies infortunately.

The blade merry stabbed the witch king with was a blade specifically made to kill wraiths, when merry stabbed him, it broke the spell of immortality preventing him from permanently dying, then Eowyn stabbed him in the face, thus killing him.

"the orcs have sex, their not dug out of the ground like evil potatos" best quote

I don’t know why everyone laughs at the bed scene. It’s the first time we see Frodo genuinely happy since the beginning of the first movie and where all of the Fellowship minus Boromir can be together again now that it’s all over. It’s especially heartbreaking when you see almost every single smile Frodo gives later on completely fade after he gives them because he’s so broken from his experiences.

This was a great video. And also hilarious. Well done

I'm no Tolkien expert, but it always felt like the whole story had a lot to do with the events of the world war at the time, and the hobbits were the soldiers who made it back. Sam, Pippen, and Merry were able to pick up at home, and continue their lives where they left off, but Frodo couldn't. Frodo was the friend who committed suicide.

It was OK to what?! WHAT?

See, this is what I love most about LotR. Despite being in the fantasy genre, a lot of it is pretty realistic, especially the psychological stuff. There is no way for a story as tragic as LotR to have a truly happy ending where everyone lives happily ever after. As Frodo says, some wounds never heal completely, and he definitely didn't only mean his stabwound with that.

Sauron didn't give the elves the three rings. He never had any influence on them. They were made by Celebrimbor

Learned a lot from this. Makes sense now. Good job!

Frodo leaves Middle-earth because his journey and his experiences being a ring bearer had essentially caused him to lose his innocence. The Shire represents that innocence and when he says the Shire hasn't been saved for him, he's basically saying that things aren't right anymore for him. Which is an idea mentioned by Sam in his monologue to Frodo in the second book, which his Osgiliath speech in the second film is loosely based on. Also similar to the change Bilbo felt after returning from his journey.

“A universe with three female characters” OP forgot Shelob

"The moment you learn about something, it loses it's mystery" I like that.

I dunno. It is one of the best videos I have ever watched! I knew, basically all answers, but the way the author tells it. Bravo!

Did you know that in Roman culture it was okay to *BUDUM BUUUUM BUDUM BUUUUUM BUDUM BUUUUUUM BUM BUM BUUUUUM BUUUM BUDUM BUUUM*

Watched this again after 6 years. I love how deep yet subtle "Grief" is written into LOTR. The tale have a happy ending, or is it? The world is saved, but much of what is fair will leave; the elves, the entwives, the influence of the valar. The Ring was destroyed, but not by Frodo, and even if Frodo survived, he was so wounded and traumatized that when he goes home, it doesn't feel like home anymore. LOTR is a tragedy, just with a happy ending, it is still a tragedy, because grief does not become better just because it ended good. A wound does not become less painful just because it heals in the end.

Aragon being descended from Numenorean and Elvish stock had certain powers imbued within. His ability to heal was thus innate. Athelas or Kingsfoil was just a tool or enabler. Admittedly compared to a full Elf (Galadriel) or his forbear Elros (First King of Numenor) his powers were much diminished. Yet there was still something left within.

The Nazgûl died because he was stabbe with a tomb sword, not because it was by a woman (though I did enjoy the twist). The tomb sword was retrieved in the "Tom Bombadil passage" that never made it from book to screen.

He was stabbed by one of the Wraiths and never fully recovered. He was, essentially, slow dying from the wound. Passing into the 'new world' is like passing over into the Afterlife. That's what he was doing rather than be consumed by the 'poison' that he was infected with.

3:51(In the movie) They didn't use the ghosts against Mordor because Aragorn was an honorable man and kept his word to release them once they helped defend Minas Tirith. 4:01The Night King can't be killed normally, Merri stabs him with a special dagger made specifically to kill undead creatures which then made it possible for Eowyn to kill him. If he hadn't of stabbed him with the dagger Eowyn would have had the same reaction to stabbing the Night King that Merri had. The "no man can kill me" line isn't a reference to something inherent about the Night King, but rather that his prophesized fate was that "no man will kill him" to which was spun to "no man can kill him". Anyone could kill him, they just needed the right equipment. As the prophecy said it wasn't man that had it, but a hobbit and then finally killed by a woman; although the word "man" in the context of middle earth usually refers to "mankind or human". I don't think the movies ever go into the dagger Merri has, but it's explained in the books.

""You are the cruel ones who deny the Grey Havens, where tired characters go to rest." -Stephen King, the Dark Tower 7

Wow! great video, i'm glad i finally laid eyes upon it...😁👍

The ending is amazing "Did you know that in ancient Roman culture it was okay to--" BLARING LOTR THEME

Because "leaving Middle Earth" is a more gentle way of saying "he died".

Hilarious editing ! Well done!

Some brilliant writing you did for this video.

okay i burst out laughing when the music turned up on real history

"Master's my friend" "You don't have any friends" That hurt me on an emotional level.

This was a nice little refresher video for stuff that was different in the books/movies. I just finished my 6 month long journey of reading The Lord of the Rings so this was a good watch

He literally didn't answer the question.. but I was entertained! 👍

Why did Frodo leave Middle Earth? Prob the same reason I would, to go get some elf chicks.

THEY'RE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD!

I regularly come back to these videos. Really wish they would keep making them.

You forgot to answer the question about how & why Bilbo made his face look scary (like Gollum's face really) as he tried to grab the Ring from Frodo at Rivendell.

Never again will there be an author as dedicated to creating an entire world; an entire history, as Tolkien. Incredible books and peter jackson actually did really well with the movie adaptations of the lord of the rings.

A much better question: Why the fuck does Legolas have unlimited arrows?

6:37 no joke i felt a wave of emotion 🤣😅😢 - that how good these films are. This was educational and funny. Its crazy i watched this a long time ago, but forgot i depth this was. Great job

For anyone thinking that the last few scenes were weird when Frodo sits in bed with his friends around then you are wrong ,i have watched the movies many time but now its the second time when I have finished The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord Of The Rings movies and observing small details ,appreciating the emotional moments ,the awesome acting ,the great scenes showcasing the vast middle earth and the situations each character finds themselves in ,if you take the movies serious and understand why they behave in such a way you appreciate everything much more , one does it for it's lover ,another for it's country ,another for redemption and glory ,others sacrifice themselves ,it's simply amazing .These movies will always be awesome ,it will always immerse the viewer into an old world where nobility was a thing ,were fear was real ,where happiness was real and the will of men was passed from generation to generation ,these movies have a great fan base ,maps describing areas ,legends of its own ,it's so awesome and unique ,if you get into the book and lore you keep getting more and more out of these stories .

The moment when frodo and gandalf are laughing at each other is not a weard moment, it's like the very first scene of the felowship of the ring, it's just beautiful.

I always thought possessing The Ring must've been like having a full-blown addiction to some rare drug that only Sauron could provide. Even after withdrawal, your mind and body will never be as it was before.

I get the impression of that Frodo leaving wasn't just for his own mental health, but also because of there being a "taint" to him as a result of having been a ring bearer. That is why Sam also leaves in time. Its as if, after the war, everything related to the ring has to leave so that the world can move on. This includes the other rings as well, which are taken to Valinor too. I recall in the books Gandalf is described as bearing his ring of fire openly when he came to Grey Havens to depart.

2 reasons. The first is that he was dying from being stabbed by the morgul blade on weathertop. The second is that it was a reward for his service in the protection of Middle earth and the destruction of the one ring. They took him to valinor the undying lands to live out the rest of his days in paradise