http://m.tickld.com/x/this-guy-just-changed-the-way-we-see-lord-of-the-rings-mind-blown

Just read this. Now I have a different view of why the Eagles were not just chosen to fly over Mount Doom and have the One Ring destroyed. At least it makes sense.

Thought I would share, see what my fellow Fans of Lord of the Rings think.

Haha, very clever reasoning. Thanks for posting it.

I'm not reading all that. But besides the OOC element of the journey being the story, in world, the Nazgul have their Fell Beast that could easily knock Gwahir and his eagles out of the sky. The Fellowship could not likely take on all nine of the Nazgul. If they were downed, then there's the whole army of orcs and goblins as well as potential men from Harad. In theory, going the route by land would have been the most subtle albeit difficult route to take. This thing has been discussed to death is not something new.

I saw someone post it on Facebook thought I would share it here. Now I need to rewatch the LotR movies again lol.

Well if you don't read it, you can't really comment on it now can you? After all there is an explanation about the Hazgul and their Fell Beasts. Now if you read that, then you could have commented on that part. Not really that much to read.

*edit* I find it funny you won't read this, but you yourself post something and it's longer than my link and you tell people to read it. LOL

Lmao.

Seriously, though, the real reason was that that would've made for a hell of a boring story.

It's mentioned a couple of times in the Hobbit and in Lord of the Rings that the Eagles can't actually carry people for long distances.

All in all that article is rather silly. "Fly you fools" is supposed to mean "Go find the eagles and ride them to Mordor?" Come on.....

Didn't Tolkien himself address this though? Something to the effect of the eagles aren't beasts of burden, and their assistance isn't too be used lightly (i.e. as transports) unless the need is absolutely dire. Or something like that.

It's all in fun, come on lighten up. Also wouldn't you say destroying the One Ring isn't absolutely dire?

It's for fun, nothing serious.

No, I won't read it because I read barely 3 sentences in before I knew it was another asspull conspiracy rife with inaccuracy.

Well, they are the messengers of Manwe, and Manwe is not really supposed to intervene. So every time the eagles help out, he is cheating. Carrying them all to the destruction of the Ring would just be too blatant.

Unless I am remembering the Silmarillion incorrectly...

If I'm not mistaken the eagles are also very vulnerable to the influence of the ring (all beings of power and pride seem to be), having an eagle in such close proximity (keep in mind that the ring-bearer would be literally touching the eagle at all times during the flight) for such a long journey it could just as well be expected that Frodo would just get killed and the ring stolen by whichever eagle was carrying him.

That could be it. I know it basically boils down to "No dumbasses, the eagles can't be used that way."

Eru doesn't intervene. Manwe's done plenty of intervention.

I read this, and I have my issues with it. It says that Gandalf couldn't tell anyone else about the plan because it was a secret...which doesn't make sense. In the event that they were captured, it wouldn't have mattered whether or not the enemy knew the plan (because the mission would have been over). In the event that just one or a couple of them were captured...ok, Gandalf wouldn't have wanted those being tortured to say anything, but he had no reason to keep it entirely to himself. He could have told one or two other members of the fellowship who could be trusted. Are we really supposed to believe that Aragorn would tell the enemy their plan if he was captured, but Gandalf wouldn't? No, because I'd honestly trust Aragorn more than Gandalf with such information. And furthermore, Gandalf could have just told Elrond. The guy is in Rivendell, one of the safest places in Middle-Earth. If there is a single character in the series that probably has the smallest chances of getting captured, it's Elrond. And once again, he wouldn't let the enemy know what the plan was even if he was captured.

Besides, this entire concept wasn't mentioned at all in the books. The book is told through an omniscient narrator, so the reader is made privy to pretty much everything relevant that happens with the Ring. However, Tolkien didn't think it important to mention that Gandalf was hatching this plan with the eagles?

Yeah, no thanks. My theory on it? Gandalf is high on pipe-weed for pretty much the entire story, so he doesn't realize the most simple solution. If that isn't good enough for you, then It's just a plot hole.