| October 27th 2003: WHY THE EAGLES DIDN’T TAKE FRODO: MY VIEW? a Beyond the Shire report by Michelle Laundhardt There are a lot of theories about why Frodo didn’t just hop on an eagle and get to Mordor in a few days (including the neat idea that an eagle couldn’t carry the “weight” of the Ring). It seems plausible and it certainly would have avoided a lot of headaches. But I haven’t really heard of a good reason that fits well with the general feeling of LOTR. And I hate the excuse that it didn’t happen simply because if it did, there wouldn’t be a story. I think the key is in Gandalf’s statement that Bilbo was meant to find the ring. WHO meant for it? Well, the Valar, of course (or even Eru himself). That one’s easy. But then we ask, why? I think it’s because the Valar (and Gandalf, as their emissary) wanted more than the Ring destroyed and Sauron eliminated once and for all. What else did they want? They wanted a renewal of Mortals. Since the elves and the other races were leaving or dying out, it was time for the Dominion of Man. But following the Fall of Numenor, Men didn’t have a stellar record. They too were fading and the light of the Dunedain was dying out. This was also reflected in The Shire, where times were still pretty good, but the Hobbits were following on their tracks. Already most Hobbits didn’t trust their neighbors only a few miles away. How long would it have been before a schism or even a civil war broke out (especially with folks like Ted Sandyman to help things along)? No, this would not do, and the Valar needed to pump some new life into those who would be taking over. Now then, what if we use the “Eagle Solution”? Sam, Merry, and Pippin do not grow into grand new leaders that help reunite The Shire. Boromir doesn’t die, so Faramir (clearly the more noble and wise of the two) takes a back seat. Faramir and Eowyn do not marry, symbolically uniting Gondor and Rohan. Grima isn’t driven from Theoden, so that Saruman (who perhaps isn’t found to be traitor) can further rot Rohan from the inside. Gimli and Legolas do not become fast friends, symbolically reuniting the remaining elves and dwarves. And what happens with Aragorn? Do you think Denethor would have given up his Stewardship? Chances are there would have been civil war if Aragorn openly claimed the Crown. And even if he got it peacefully, would it have been enough to get permission from Elrond to marry Arwen? That union alone injected a huge dose of nobility and grace back into Men. The entire War of the Rings was a crucible for them to regain what they had lost with the sinking of Numinor. The War reforged Mortals into beings worthy to be the new Stewards of Middle Earth. It was said that Elessar was without rival since the days of Elendil, but it took many events to let it bloom (such as walking the Paths of the Dead, which he surely would not have done otherwise). One of the grand results of the War was a general Uniting: the North and South Kingdom; Gondor and Rohan (via Faramir and Eowyn); Elves and Dwarves (via Legolas and Gimli); eventually ME elves with their kin in Valinor; the major Halfling clans; Men and Elves (via Aragorn and Arwen); etc. Would any of these events happened without the War? I argue not. So, the eagles were out. Who knows how? Maybe it was a direct ban from the Valar. Gandalf, knowing all that he knew, probably didn’t seek their aid, just like he wouldn’t have used the Ring (although I’m sure he thought of it). But the timing of everything in LOTR smacks of divine planning. What makes it all worthwhile (and without Deus Ex Machina, in my opinion), is that it still required everyone to do their part…Frodo could have said no…Aragorn might have refused the Paths of the Dead. Free Will was still in effect, which is exactly why the Free Peoples got just what they earned: a new nobility, new unions, and a grand perspective that would not have happened with the intervention of the eagles. 
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