![]() ![]() So to get to Mt Doom either Gandalf summons the Eagles OR, if only Radagast or Galadriel can call the Eagles, then the Fellowship must get to Rhosgobel or Lorien. If he can communicate at range with them then perhaps he can call on them too. This hints to me that Gandalf knew about the Goblin army, (which only the Eagles and Beorn had detected assembling) and may thus have been communicating with the Eagles before and during the battle. There is an unpleasant time just in front of you…there is news brewing that even the ravens have not heard.”ĭuring the Battle of the Five Armies, Gandalf is seen “sitting on the ground as if in deep thought…” just before the Eagles appear. “Things are drawing towards the end now unless I am mistaken. In ‘The Hobbit’ outside the gates of Erebor, Gandalf displays foreknowledge of the coming battle when talking to Bilbo: Or perhaps Gandalf can summon them too: as Gandalf and the Eagles are both servants of Manwe it would make sense you’d think! The great birds just followed the gathering Goblin horde in The Hobbit, and perhaps Galadriel sent them in Return of the King. ![]() Įagles also show up to the Battle of the Five Armies, and to the final confrontation in front of the Black Gate in the Morannon. Galadriel commands Gwaihir to search for Gandalf, and soon enough rescues him from the top of the Celebdil. Radagast sends Gwaihir with a message to Orthanc. In the ‘Lord of the Rings’ at least some of the Wise can summon Eagles. How would the Council of Elrond get the help of the Eagles? As I read it, the book does not hint that this was Gandalf’s plan. Gandalf even uses the word ‘fly’ twice on the preceding page to hasten the party over the bridge of Khazad-dûm. The theory involves some convoluted route south through Moria then north back to the Eyries. THIS ARTICLE IS NOT buying into that cute “ Fly You Fools” fan theory: wherein Gandalf the Grey’s last words in Moria were a clue to use the Eagles. ![]() But without a canon explanation many readers are still left astounded at how much easier the Ring-bearer’s mission would be if he could just fly over all the danger!!Īnd hence, if the Fellowship were to perform such a mission how would it be done? How would the wise go about it…?Īnd before we go any further this article is examining how the Fellowship would get to Mordor on Eagles and does not propose that Tolkien ever actually intended them to use the Eagles. Thus we are left pondering, why not use Eagles? Fandom is full of apologists with reasons why the Eagle ploy wouldn’t work (see for comprehensive rebuttals and reasons why the Eagles CAN do it). He will know when they overfly his land and will then comprehend their destination and our final stratagem.”Įasy and perhaps a shame ole JRRT didn’t somehow directly nix the Eagle idea in subsequent reprints. “As servants of Manwe and descendants of Thorondir, Sauron senses the Eagles all too well. Which means the ring bearer must be someone sprightly enough to walk to Mt Doom himself…” The free peoples must defeat Sauron themselves, Bilbo Baggins. ![]() “…the Eagles are servants of the Valar and are thus forbidden to directly expedite the salvation of Middle Earth. It could have been Gandalf delivering a simple rebuttal to a question by Bilbo, at The Council of Elrond. Um, dude, you have a book with talking trees, hydrophobic wraiths, and Tom Bombadil’s singing, trust me- it ain’t that absurd! Anyways, I wish JRRT had given us a better in-story reason as to why Gwaihir and co are such passive-aggressive douche-bags! Tolkien does say “ The alighting of a Great Eagle of the Misty Mountains in the Shire is absurd” (Letter 210). He is basically telling Gandalf: “I’ll help you out of this tight spot but that’s it, cos I already repaid you for that arrow wound like twice already!”īut that attitude contradicts all the other deus ex machina moments when the Eagles show they do actually care, and turn up to save the day.īear in mind Gwaihir is the same Eagle who, at the climactic battle of the Morannon, says to Gandalf “I would bear you… whither you will, even were you made of stone.” WTF!! Make up your mind Mr “I was sent to bear tidings not burdens”!!! “I was sent to bear tidings not burdens”. Tolkien hints that the Eagles are aloof dicks, unconcerned by humans and their affairs. And sure – there is NO epic fantasy story if the Fellowship rides upon Eagles. How the One Ring should have been taken to Mount DoomĮven back in the 1950s Tolkien was getting exasperated at fans asking “ why didn’t they ride the eagles!?” Our muse, total legend, and literary genius (JRRT) neglected to write an explicable reason why the Fellowship of the Ring didn’t just fly on Eagles to Mount Doom. ![]()
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