April 29, 2002

Eagles in the Silmarillion
Katabasis

In regards to furthering the Eagles debate, aside from what has been detailed of their roles in the Hobbit/LOTR, their role in the Silmarillion is somewhat vague. They are described as Manwe's eyes in Middle Earth, and they report directly to him. I assume that the Eagles are not entirely free to act without Manwe's consent, and therefore if they were not an option when it came to penetrating Mordor, it was because Manwe deemed it inappropriate for he himself to intervene with the affairs of Middle Earth in such a direct manner.

The Eagles also have another interesting role to play in the Silmarillion: the defense of Gondolin. When Turgon founds the hidden city, the Eagles nest in the surrounding mountains and act as guardians, in a sense, for Turgon and his people.

The bottom line seems to be that Manwe, through his authority over the Eagles, chose not to intervene directly with the fate of the ring. The ring bearer was solely responsible for the fate of the free races, and the Eagles were allowed to participate only in cases where they would not have significant impact in the rings destruction (saving Gandalf on several occasions, participating in the battle of the five armies, in the battle before the gates of Mordor, saving Frodo and Sam after the ring had been destroyed, etc.)

Why Manwe would not intervene: The Ring was the result of problems arising from Elves and Men. Had the original rings not been forged, the Ruling Ring would never have existed. Therefore, as with the Elves of the First Age and the Silmarils, Manwe probably allowed what help he deemed appropriate (Gandalf) but predominantly held back direct aid in the physical destruction of the Ring.