<P> Eventually, if they do not die in battle or from some other cause, the Elves of Middle - earth grow weary of it and desire to go to Valinor, where the Valar originally sheltered their kind . Those who wish to leave for the Undying Lands often go by boats provided at the Grey Havens, where Círdan the Shipwright dwells with his folk . </P> <P> Despite Tolkien's statements in The Hobbit that Elves (and Hobbits) have no beards, Círdan in fact has a beard, which appears to be an anomaly and a simple oversight . However, Tolkien later devised at least three "cycles of life" for Elves around 1960; Círdan had a beard because he was in his third cycle of life . (Mahtan, Nerdanel's father, had a beard in his second cycle of life, a rare phenomenon .) It is unclear what these cycles exactly are, since Tolkien left no notes further explaining this . Apparently, beards were the only sign of further natural physical ageing beyond maturity . </P> <P> Nevertheless, Tolkien may have ultimately changed his mind about whether Elves had facial hair . As Christopher Tolkien states in Unfinished Tales, his father wrote in December 1972 or later that the Elvish strain in Men, such as Aragorn, was "observable in the beardlessness of those who were so descended", since "it was a characteristic of all Elves to be beardless". This would seemingly contradict the information above . </P> <P> Elves sometimes appear to age under great stress . Círdan appeared to be aged himself, since he is described as looking old, save for the stars in his eyes; this may be due to all the sorrows he had seen and lived through since the First Age . Also, the people of Gwindor of Nargothrond had trouble recognizing him after his time as a prisoner of Morgoth . </P>

Where do the elves go in lord of rings