Couldn't Gandalf just take the eagles and bring the ring to mount doom???!!!

Yes he could but IIRC Frodo had The Ring at that time not Gandalf.

This debate is age-old. Nobody seems to know why Gandalf didn't just take Frodo on a ride over Mount Doom and have him drop the ring in.

The only debate I've ever heard that makes sense is that the Eagles aren't concerened with the fate of Man, so they prefer not to be involved.

That, or there wouldn't have been much of a story to tell. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Well, like Gandalf, Gwaihir was far too wise to even touch it. They knew they could be corrupted and their only hope was in innocence and foolishness.

Plus the fact that a huge bird like that is not easy to hide!

[ 01-08-2005, 01:41 PM: Message edited by: Variol (Farseer) Elmwood ]

Look at it like this. By the time Gandalf found out it really was the one ring the nazgùl had already left Minas Morgul and were moving towards the Shire. Gandalf made a wrong choice and went to see Saruman. He got captured and when finally he got found by Gwaihir he had no idea of where Frodo was and the rangers had more chance of finding him than the eagles. Then Frodo, the other hobbits and Aragorn got to Rivendell. Here they would have had the choice to call the eagles and ask them to take the ring to Mount Doom. However by the time the eagles would have gotten there the Nazgùl and Sauron were already watching the borders of Mordor and it would have been impossible for any creature as large as an eagle to bypass that vigilance. Not even a hobbit would have been able to pass if the whole vigilance on the borders of Mordor remained.

If I remember well, it is said in the book that Sauron's downfall was the fact that he was prodded in to action too soon. Had he just remained in Mordor and bided his time he would have amassed an undefeatable army and nothing would have been able to pass his borders. Once the ring had passed within Mordor in the hands of Frodo and Sam the eagles were out of contact since they were in the Misty Mountains and besides it would have taken them quite some time to get to Mordor. Theoretically they would have been able to get to Mount Doom, but I think that while the Nazgul flew on wings they had too small a chance.

The fact that Frodo had the Ring has nothing to do with the question.

Just to heat the discussion: if (I don't know if it's true or not) Gwaihir and the eagles aren't concerned with the fate of man, why did they intervene in the battle at the Black Gate? Because Gandalf asked them to?

The eagles aren't concerned with the fate of man, they are concerned with their own survival. If Sauron achieves victory he would eliminate them. Therefore they help those who oppose Sauron. Then they help Gandalf, because once he had helped them.

[ 01-09-2005, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: dplax ]

That would mean they would want to destroy the ring as well. Gandalf could have made a decision in Rivendel to let Frodo and Gwaihir toss the ring in Mount Doom.

Gwaihir befriended Gandalf when the wizard healed him of a poisoned wound.Though in earlier ages, the eagles took part in battles, during the third age they only took part in rescue attempts. When the Nazgul lost their steeds in the Ford of Bruinen, Frodo was recovering from the stab of the Morgul-knife. It took a few months for the Ringwraiths to return now on winged monsters. If the eagles had been called, by the time Frodo was ready and they had arrived, the Ringwraiths would have returned. The Ringwraiths stayed close to Mordor, as they dwelled mainly at Minas Ithil (Minas Morgul) and Dol Guldur, though this was later defeated. This would make the eagles passage to Mordor almost impossible due to the Nazgul in the area. The Nazgul's sight was poor but lead by the eye of Sauron, they would easily have defeated the eagles.

[ 01-09-2005, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Blunderbuss ]

Check my earlier post as to why the eagles would not have made it to Mount Doom.

The Nazgùl were surveying the borders of Mordor on the wings of Fell Beasts and nothing could have passed the borders in the air.