Beyond the circles of the world

[Sister Golden Hair]

It is stated that Valinor was removed from the circles of the world. One quote from the appendices of Lord of the Rings that comes to mind in reference to this and the Elves is: "They dwell now beyond the circles of the world and do not return." It has been bugging me how it is stressed throughout the LotRs and the Silmarillion, that the Elves are bound to the world in life and death, and they die not until the world dies. If Valinor has been removed from the circles of the world, then how are they bound to it any longer? Does this just mean that they will live outside of the world and then die when the world ends?

[Artanis]

My interpretation of the "beyond the circles of the world" thing has been that 'circles of the world' here means the globe of the earth.

In the Akallabêth it says:

But the land of Aman and Eressëa of the Eldar were taken away and removed beyond the reach of Men for ever.

For Ilúvatar cast back the Great Seas west of Middle-earth, and the Empty Lands east of it, and new lands and new seas were made; and the world was diminished, for Valinor and Eressëa were taken from it into the realm of hidden things.

Thus in after days, what by the voyages of ships, what by lore and star-craft, the kings of Men knew that the world was indeed made round, and yet the Eldar were permitted still to depart and to come to the Ancient West and to Avallónë, if they would. Therefore the loremasters of Men said that a Straight Road must still be, for those that were permitted to find it. And they taught that, while the new world fell away, the old road and the path of the memory of the West still went on, as it were a mighty bridge invisible that passed through the air of breath and of flight (which were bent now as the world was bent), and traversed Ilmen which flesh unaided cannot endure, until it came to Tol Eressëa, the Lonely Isle, and maybe even beyond, to Valinor, where the Valar still dwell and watch the unfolding of the story of the world.

These quotes suggest to me that Valinor and TolEressëa is still a part of the world, in the wide sense of the word.

[Sween]

By Circles of the world i thik that the fashion of the world was changed so that either Valinor was just kinda seperate from the world or in accessiable to mortals its a kinda strange idea but Elves are bound to the world so that means they could leave it really as well as the Valar who made the world and control it