Comments on: Ringus Ex Machina http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/ Sometime editor, all-the-time mother, delivering facts, reviews, commentary, and rants. Occasionally in that order. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:29:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Anwyn http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-20280 Sat, 24 Mar 2007 07:05:38 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-20280 LagunaDave, I agree with most of your points. About the Naz crossing the river, though, they didn't find that out until weeks (months? not going to look right now) after the Council of Elrond. Shooting my own point in the foot, though, I will say that had Eagles bearing warriors, Gandalf, and Frodo with the Ring set out from Rivendell within the week of the Council, they would've reached Mordor before the Naz managed to make it back in their bedraggled state. Ultimately my original answer and your last paragraph point to the same thing: Eagles were a special case and not to be made use of to interfere in the concerns of the mortals of Middle-earth. At least, so it appears. LagunaDave, I agree with most of your points. About the Naz crossing the river, though, they didn’t find that out until weeks (months? not going to look right now) after the Council of Elrond. Shooting my own point in the foot, though, I will say that had Eagles bearing warriors, Gandalf, and Frodo with the Ring set out from Rivendell within the week of the Council, they would’ve reached Mordor before the Naz managed to make it back in their bedraggled state.

Ultimately my original answer and your last paragraph point to the same thing: Eagles were a special case and not to be made use of to interfere in the concerns of the mortals of Middle-earth. At least, so it appears.

]]> by: Anwyn's sister http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-19752 Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:32:54 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-19752 "Can you imagine what it'd be like if we'd walked the whole way? One of us might have died!" *snork* “Can you imagine what it’d be like if we’d walked the whole way? One of us might have died!”

*snork*

]]> by: Anwyn's sister http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-19690 Wed, 21 Mar 2007 18:59:15 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-19690 %*&$#@! school computer won't let me watch. Humph. %*&$#@! school computer won’t let me watch. Humph.

]]> by: LagunaDave http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-19594 Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:19:50 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2007/03/20/ringus-ex-machina/#comment-19594 The Eagles could have at least flown them over the mountains, say to Lothlorien, thereby avoiding both Saruman and Moria. They had good intelligence that the flying Nazgul didn't cross the river. :-) Your answer makes sense, but I'm not sure the Eagles would have been such push-overs in battle - Gwaihir's ancestor Thorondor nested on Thangorodrim, slashed Morgoth's face, and the Eagles got down-and-dirty with the Army of Valar (which was a pretty tight outfit) during the War of Wrath (which was no Elfscout picnic). Nine eagles vs. nine flying Nazgul might not have been a sure thing, but presumably they could have brought dozens, if not hundreds, of Eagles... But, the question assumes that the Eagles would have agreed to it, and that seems like the weakness of the idea. Assuming Gwaihir was a wise old bird, like Gandalf (and Elrond, and Galadriel, and Faramir, etc) he wouldn't have trusted himself to come into close contact with a power so evil and corrupting. The Eagles could have at least flown them over the mountains, say to Lothlorien, thereby avoiding both Saruman and Moria.

They had good intelligence that the flying Nazgul didn’t cross the river.

:-)

Your answer makes sense, but I’m not sure the Eagles would have been such push-overs in battle - Gwaihir’s ancestor Thorondor nested on Thangorodrim, slashed Morgoth’s face, and the Eagles got down-and-dirty with the Army of Valar (which was a pretty tight outfit) during the War of Wrath (which was no Elfscout picnic). Nine eagles vs. nine flying Nazgul might not have been a sure thing, but presumably they could have brought dozens, if not hundreds, of Eagles…

But, the question assumes that the Eagles would have agreed to it, and that seems like the weakness of the idea. Assuming Gwaihir was a wise old bird, like Gandalf (and Elrond, and Galadriel, and Faramir, etc) he wouldn’t have trusted himself to come into close contact with a power so evil and corrupting.

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