I'm sure everyone knows by now, but the eagles didn't go because last time the Valar intervened they absolutely mangled middle earth and really fucked shit up. So they waited for the tiny humans and hobbits to do it before giving them a lift home for the good work!

I guess I just feel bad for the eagles looking like they aren't absolute units.

[–] wahming@monyet.cc 20 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Sounds like weaponized incompetence to me...

"Shit, can you imagine if we carried the ring successfully? They'd expect us to do this EVERY age! What are we, the Middle Earth Mail Express?

[–] yngmnwntr@lemmy.ml 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Tolkien himself literally said the eagles are not a taxi service lol

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 6 points 9 months ago

Pffft. What would he know?

[–] yngmnwntr@lemmy.ml 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Are you implying the eagles are Valar? What you say about the Valar intervening is true but the eagles are mortal beasts. The reason I've heard most often is that eagles are not stealthy enough, Sauron would see them coming and counter them with fell beasts, nazgul, archers, siege engines etc. This kind of assault is exactly what Sauron expects from someone who just claimed the ring for themselves and what he is prepared for. Gandalf stresses that the quest relies on secrecy and stealth. If the eagles going to war would wreck middle earth, wouldn't it have happened during the battle of the five armies? Or at the battle of the black gate?

[–] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Manwë controls the eagles, and he is a Valar (he the top man too).

The war of wrath is the event that happened at the end of the first age, near the end of the Silmarillion. Melkor/Morgoth (ex-valar, sauron was his subordinate/lieutenant) didn't want to sing the song with his friends so he went and made himself king of middle earth (sing his own song). For centuries he worked in the shadows and eventually out in the open to enslave everyone and wage war, make orks etc ..

The valar intervened with armies of all sorts (including Mayars like Gandalf) and the war went on for years, even sinking continents and changing the shorelines from water levels rising. If I remember correctly this is also the specific event that kicked Valinor (the land of the undying) out into its own plane of existence, forever severing the natural ways of travel between Valinor and middle earth. Can't ride there directly over water anymore you need the magic boat, so mortals cant go.

After that they said they were not to mess with middle earth anymore because it just escalates the power struggle and breaks shit. So Manwë waits until the people of middle earth figure it out, then sends the eagles to help frodo as soon as he can. Iirc they also helped in other minimal ways which is more apparent in the books, and of course the Mayar (Gandalf and friends) who are there to help.

And the eagles are mortal, but they aren't afraid of fighting and waging war, as the meme was implying. They wouldn't themselves wreck middle earth, but the Valar intervening with their various powers would, or at least it's what they believe.

Edit: right they help in the movies too, for example by sending Gandalf back after he "dies", with Sarumans powers. (Gandalf the White).

[–] kullervo@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

If I remember correctly this is also the specific event that kicked Valinor (the land of the undying) out into its own plane of existence, forever severing the natural ways of travel between Valinor and middle earth.

No, that happened after the fall of Númenor, as recounted in the Akallabêth.

[–] ooterness@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

We all know the real reason: THIS IS MY BOOK, AND THEY'LL WALK IF I TELL THEM TO.

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[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 9 months ago

S I E G E

A R T I L L E R Y

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They weren't on the flying ghost things till later and there were a lot of eagles and only like 7 ghostly riders.....

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

I think a lot of people already made it clear, but even if the eagle managed to take Frodo and land on mount doom, even if Frodo able to get in the crack of doom all unharmed, he still won't able to throw the ring down. He cannot resist the Ring himself, the Ring is destroyed due to the struggle with Gollum, he bit off Frodo's hand and got the Ring, and then Frodo trying to take the Ring back, resulting in both of them falling down, and Gollum and the Ring sink into the lava.

One could even argue that Sauron can just let them walk in and the Ring still won't getting thrown into the pit because the influence is just that strong.

[–] a_wild_mimic_appears@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

just throw the whole hobbit down mount doom

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 8 points 9 months ago

Long live the king.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 9 months ago

He became attached to the ring because he had it for such a long time and used its power several times. He grew attached. It wasn't quickly.

If he would have only carried it for a few days of flying instead of six months he wouldn't have had much issue tossing it in.