Why didn't the 🦅Eagles take the ring to 🌋Mordor?

Arathorn · Mar 6, 2002

Obviously the eagles could fly to Mt. Doom, because they flew there to pick up Frodo and Sam after the ring was destroyed. I believe Harad is correct that the reason the eagles didn't do it is that there would be no story if they did.

Nevertheless, it seems to me to be a flaw in the story. Unless Middle-earth was populated by idiots, it is logical that someone would have said something like, "Hey, Gandalf, the eagle carried you away from Orthanc, let's see if the eagles would help us in the quest to destroy the ring."

Quercus · Mar 6, 2002

Yes, but it seems that the eagles (at least Gwaihir) always come to the rescue just in the nick of time. Perhaps things just weren't urgent enough yet.

aragil · Mar 6, 2002

Landroval: 'Lord Gwaihir, the Ringbearer has been bitten by Shelob, and is about to be captured by Orcs.'
Gwaihir: 'Let's hold on a moment. I want to see where this is going.'

Eonwe · Mar 6, 2002

you just made me laugh out loud at work. Stop it.

Camille · Mar 6, 2002

funny what you said!!
May be the eagles didnt want to get involved:
How far can you bear me? " said to Gwaihir.
` "Many leagues," said he, "but not to the ends of the earth. I was sent to bear tidings not burdens."

Beleg Strongbow · Mar 6, 2002

Originally posted by Camille
funny what you said!!
May be the eagles didnt want to get involved:
How far can you bear me? " said to Gwaihir.
` "Many leagues," said he, "but not to the ends of the earth. I was sent to bear tidings not burdens."

yes they wouldn't be able to take them the whole way. And maybe gandalf was going to meet up with the eagles later. But he fell.

LadyGaladriel · Mar 7, 2002

Most eagles are very cruel as stated in The Hobbit
But The Lord Of The Eagles are ok.
I think the eagles can only be summon by Galdriel
and also they are friendly with Gandalf

HLGStrider · Mar 7, 2002

I don't think that you can count the last flight to pick up Sam in the same catagory as going to Mordor to destroy the ring... sINCE THE RING had already been destroyed, Sauron was practically gone, and there wasn't much in Mordor that was up and running....

Anyway, what was the migratory cocunut think about, Harad?

They actually do migrate... Iremember reading aboutt how they can fall into the water and float hundreds of miles to their new planting spot... cool, huh?

Beleg Strongbow · Mar 8, 2002

Originally posted by HLGStrider
I don't think that you can count the last flight to pick up Sam in the same catagory as going to Mordor to destroy the ring... sINCE THE RING had already been destroyed, Sauron was practically gone, and there wasn't much in Mordor that was up and running....

Anyway, what was the migratory cocunut think about, Harad?

They actually do migrate... Iremember reading aboutt how they can fall into the water and float hundreds of miles to their new planting spot... cool, huh?

yea it is
if the reason wasn't urgent enough then what was?? Sauron was about to take over the world and he came so closed to the ring which would make his conquest complete.

Harad · Mar 8, 2002

HLGS,

It turns out that Eagles, or is it swallows, carry coconuts from southern climes to more northernly pursuits. Not only does that provide mother's milk for rutabagas, but also transportation for the Kniggits of the Round Table.

Legolam · Mar 8, 2002

Kniggits?! I like that!

I read somewhere that the eagles didn't like to get involved in the "affairs of men". They just liked being all cosy up in their eyries. Plus, when Sauron was destroyed, it was then safe to fly into Mordor as the airspace was free from nasty Nazgul etc.

HLGStrider · Mar 8, 2002

I didn't mean in the same catagory of urgency Beleg, Darling... (Imagine me rolling my r's while reclined on one of those couch thingies from the fourties movies.). I meant in dangerousness. After all, what was there left to fight? The Nazguls were crashing, Saruon was dying, orcs and other bad guys were a tad bit preoccupied... Etc.

Harad · Mar 9, 2002

But there was only a short period when the Nazgul were airborne: shortly after the Council of Elrond--the time it took their de-horsed spirits to return to Mordor and get wing-ed steeds--and the Fall of Barad-dur. Before and after the skys were clear of all except for the Evil Pigeons.

Legolam · Mar 9, 2002

Well, evil pigeons must be scary to big old eagles ...

Legolas_The Elf · Mar 9, 2002

Originally posted by Eonwe
what would have been even more plausible would be the Nazgul on wings, terrorizing the Shire, swooping over the lands East of Bree looking for Frodo. What a different book it would have been.

How far can an Eagle fly without resting or eating? Could they carry someone from say Minas Tirith to Orodruin about 120 miles away without resting? I mean, how far can an unladen swallow travel?

_________________
The eagles as it is said in THe Hobbit fly only a few kilometers and thats it..I agree they must eat and rest.
*Legolas_The elf*

Alcuin · Mar 21, 2022

I suppose this is a legitimate section of Tolkien’s interview with the BBC. It’s short: 49 seconds, and if really part of the interview, hilariously funny!

Squint-eyed Southerner · Mar 21, 2022

According to the comments, it's fake. But as I said when I posted it in the Joke forum, very clever. 😄

Olorgando · Mar 21, 2022

I'll intrude a few real-world considerations here.

Eagles, in contrast to long-distance migratory birds like ducks, geese and swans (and others) don't like to fly by constantly flapping their wings. Like smaller birds of prey, and the larger carrion-feeders, the vultures, the very much prefer to soar on updraft currents. That means daytime flying, they really don't do much if anything at night. Then don't forget that when Frodo and Sam first looked down on the plateau of Gorgoroth after escaping from the Tower of Cirith Ungol, it was swarming with Sauron's forces. Sauron only sent them to the Morannon after Aragorn forced him into a change of underwear by wrenching the Orthanc Palantir from him. So in an earlier phase, it would probably have taken much less time for Sauron's forces to occupy all entrances to Mount Doom before the Eagles got there. Frodo and Sam were only able to cross a deserted plateau because Aragorn had set that bait trap at the Morannon.

Rōmānus · Mar 21, 2022

Arathorn said:
As suggested in another thread, why didn't Gandalf have the eagles carry Frodo to Mt. Doom and just drop the ring in?

For me this inquiry has always been fairly obvious and I will provide a quote from The Hobbit which also gives a legitimate reason why the eagles would not do it. The eagles are not invincible and they are also quite visible. Going into Mordor and dropping Frodo off would hardly go unnoticed. Then there is the issue of the guards. The eagles can and likely will be attacked either with arrows or spears, or some other projectile. There are even flying mounts that the Ring Wraiths have. The Lord of the Eagles told Thorin and Company why he’d not have their group taken anywhere near where men abided: “‘They would shoot at us with their great bows of yew,’ he said, ‘for they would think we were after their sheep. And at other times they would be right... but we will not risk ourselves for dwarves in the southward plains.’” (The Hobbit, Out of The Frying-Pan Into the Fire) The eagles would not “risk” themselves because they would be harmed, and not even from inhabitants of a heavily fortified place. So the eagles would be visible and could be harmed, or killed if they attempted to bring the Ring to Mount Doom.

Will Whitfoot · Mar 21, 2022

It wasn't their fight, and it was too much to ask. Only after the eagles saw that it was literally "ALL IN" at the battle of the Black Gate would they willingly join in the fight. It is a natural attitude, and you can't really fault them. Nobody WANTS to fight a war, and if you think you can keep to your own and let somebody else do the fighting, there's a strong leaning to do that. But we know that when it really came down to the last and most important battle, the eagles were there. And lucky for Frodo and Sam that they did!

Why didn't the 🦅Eagles take the ring to 🌋Mordor?

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