In the books and films of The Lord of the Rings, there is a mysterious people that even appears in a modified form in our world. They repeatedly intervene in the history of Middle-earth and saved two hobbits from death.
Which people is meant? The great eagles of Middle-earth are of course known to all fans of The Lord of the Rings. They appeared several times throughout the trilogy and saved important characters from doom.
They aided Gandalf’s escape when he was held captive by Saruman at the top of the tower Orthanc in Isengard. The eagles rushed to the rescue, and it was only thanks to them that the events of The Lord of the Rings unfolded as we know them.
At the end of the trilogy, the eagles also play an important role: after Frodo and Sam finally succeeded in throwing the One Ring into the fire of Mount Doom in Mordor, the mountain collapses. For a brief moment, it seems that the two hobbits will perish in a sea of lava.
Only at the last moment do the eagles appear and pick them up. This led to a much-discussed, perceived plot hole: why didn’t the eagles simply deliver the ring to Mordor by air mail? Wouldn’t that have been much easier? Fans still debate whether that would have been possible.
But the eagles didn’t just stand by Frodo. Bilbo’s story from “The Hobbit” also ended well only because the noble birds first aided them against orcs and wargs, and later helped the good in the Battle of the Five Armies to victory.
This raises the question of what the eagles are really about. Where did they come from, and what else did they do in Middle-earth?
Created by the King himself
Where do the eagles come from? These beings have various names, among them they are called “messengers of Manwë”. This is due to their creator. Manwë was the king of the world from The Lord of the Rings and created the eagles together with his wife Yavanna. This happened before the awakening of the children of Ilúvatar, the god from Tolkien’s world – referring to the Elves.
What deeds did the eagles accomplish? Since the First Age, the eagles have been active in the world. They were led by Thorondor, their king. This eagle was massive and had a wingspan of an impressive 54 meters.
Manwë often sent the birds out to fulfill various tasks. Among other things, they confronted the great villain Morgoth and rescued Maedhros, the son of the legendary smith Feanor, from captivity. The hidden city of Gondolin was also defended by the eagles against the forces of Mordor.
When the city fell, the birds supervised the escape of the survivors. Later, the eagles even fought against the huge, winged dragons of Middle-earth – in the War of Wrath.
In the Second Age, some of the eagles went to the Undying Lands. Others watched over the Holy Mountain Meneltarma. When the kingdom of Númenor was about to be destroyed, the eagles came and warned the people living there.
And finally, in the Third Age, there were the deeds that we also know from the films. The eagles ensured that the events in “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” unfolded as we know them. Without them, Bilbo might have died and the ring could have been lost – it can only be speculated. More about the creator of the eagles can be found on MeinMMO: A powerful being from The Lord of the Rings was what Sauron would have liked to be – He ruled over all of Middle-earth
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