The age-old theory strikes again. Why can't they simply fly the Eagles to Mordor to destroy the One Ring? If you don't know the answer, this one is for you.
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The age-old theory strikes again. Why can't they simply fly the Eagles to Mordor to destroy the One Ring? If you don't know the answer, this one is for you.
It was in 2003 when Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King premiered, wherein the Eagles rescued Sam and Frodo from the slopes of Mt. Doom. Well, that little scene of the Eagles rescuing the heroes got people thinking, “Why didn’t they just fly the Eagles to Mordor to destroy the One Ring?”.
Of course, it’s not their fault since thousands of people have thought of this question and even asked it on the internet. Although there were numerous theories and speculations on why the Eagles couldn’t take Frodo and Sam to Mt. Doom, people overlooked one very simple answer to their question.
The answer formed quite an important aspect of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. So… why didn’t the Eagles fly Frodo and the One Ring to Mt. Doom and just throw them inside?
Of course, it would have been very convenient for Frodo and Sam to just fly into Mordor on the back of an eagle, throw the One Ring into Mt. Doom, and return victorious. However, the only problem was that Sauron didn’t exactly know that the One Ring was with Frodo, right?
From what Gollum had told them (via means of torture) was that the Ring was with (clears throat) “BAGGINS! SHIRE!”. However, even Gollum didn’t know that the Ring had passed down from Bilbo Baggins to his nephew Frodo Baggins. After the Fellowship was formed, the reason that only 9 people were chosen to decide the fate of Middle-earth was that they had to be secret about it.
The Fellowship of the Ring was supposed to be a stealthy mission with the original plan being 9 characters setting off from Rivendell and reaching Mordor to cast the Ring into the fires of Mt. Doom from whence it came.
Naturally, the plan fell apart, and it was up to Frodo and Sam to do the task alone. However, Aragorn, Gandalf, and the rest only provided a distraction while Frodo and Sam sneaked into Mordor and threw the One Ring (alongside Gollum) into Mt. Doom.
So, to answer your question, no, they couldn’t have used the Eagles since Mordor is surrounded by orcs, Nazguls, archers, and every terrible thing that you can imagine. Considering that it was supposed to be a stealth mission, using the Eagles doesn’t seem like the best idea, right?
Once Sauron was defeated and Mt. Doom cracked open, there were fields of lava and molten rock all around Frodo and Sam. In his anger and jealousy, Frodo fought with Gollum for the possession of the One Ring, and they both fell. Although Frodo was rescued by Sam, Gollum died happily after finally having the One Ring in his palms before being engulfed.
If you look carefully, Gandalf actually brought three Eagles along with him. The first Eagle was, of course, for Frodo Baggins, and the second was for Samwise Gamgee. However, the third Eagle that flew back empty-handed was actually meant for Gollum.
Gandalf had actually hoped that Gollum would survive, and much like Bilbo Baggins, he had also decided to show kindness towards Smeagol. However, Smeagol had already died in the fires of Mt. Doom. Well, that brings a tear to my eye. However, for people who think that Gandalf could have simply flown the Eagles into Mordor, you need a rewatch of the movies.
