Trick or treat lotr?
I forget where it’s written that Valinor is too…intense for mortals to live there, but I think it makes sense: we see the hobbit-pov escalation from normal places in Middle Earth to peaceful Rivendell to dreamlike Lothlórien. I imagine the land of the gods is like Lothlórien on average. It’s like standing in direct sunlight on a spiritual level—it may feel lovely at first, but soon you start to overheat and burn.
But! It’s perfectly possible for a mortal to live there as long as they like, as un-aging and joyous as their Elvish neighbors, if they have a patron Vala (deity) who shields them from the metaphorical heat. So, while Bilbo and Frodo are Sailing, there is a swift and almost violent debate among the Valar as to who gets to sponsor which heroic hobbit. Winds blow, earth trembles, flowers grow aggressively…
Aulë, Lord of Forges, wins Bilbo in the end—for his long and loyal friendship with dwarves; for his long and steady bearing of the Ring wrought by Aulë’s treacherous former student; and above all because Bilbo is a dedicated linguist, which is a much-respected craft.
Nienna, Lady of Grief and Mercy, for a while tutor of the being we know as Gandalf, let’s everyone else argue for a while before stepping in and quietly dibsing Frodo. A few people put up further half-hearted arguments, but no one really disputes Nienna when she puts her foot down.
Yavanna, Mother of Trees, claims Sam as her liegehobbit before he so much as sets foot on a boat, and no one dares dispute her—nor do they have grounds to do so.
I don’t think any of them stay permanently. Once Sam catches up, and has some time to rest and garden, the three of them go on a long rambling journey across the continent for a decade or so, visiting many people and having a few more adventures along the way, before they end up at the Doors of Death at the farthest edge of the world and walk on to wherever mortals go.
