Riker Googlingwhy didn't they ride the eagles into mordor
Bardnet
Tolkien explains why the Fellowship didn't fly the Eagles to Mordor
Nonya Bidniss š„„š“
Josh (like the wine)
Wiredfire 
@RikerGoogling @joshua @bardnet Google: oh boy Rikerās gonna have a fit when he follows the Roald Dahl rabbit hole š
Michael Olsen@bardnet @RikerGoogling this was not the response I was expecting š¤£
Jake šŗšø šµš±Iām not sure whatās more scary. That this question was asked or that thereās an actual answer for it. š
LGsMom@bardnet @RikerGoogling šššš
Matt Griffin@RikerGoogling fly you fools!
Gen X Public Defender@RikerGoogling The canonical answer appears to be they didnāt for the same reason that they didnāt take other powerful friends on their journey: the eagles could have been corrupted by the ring. That may or may not be satisfying. But it appears thatās the answer Tolkienites give.
Darla Donna v2.2@RikerGoogling Because Sauron had the flying fell beasts the Nazgƻl rode. The Eye of Sauron would have spotted an airborne ring coming (normally it was concealed by ground clutter/distance) and had the Nazgƻl ready to intercept, kill the Eagles and recover the ring. Gandalf knew this and did not try. Deception and an unthinkable covert Op to destroy it was the only viable option. #LotR
BrianKrebs@DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling I'm not sure if this is the right answer, but it sounds the best out of all the possible answers I've heard.
Charles Gaba@DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling Plus, the Eagles arenāt beasts of burden. Theyāre fully sentient, intelligent creatures who help Gandalf because they want to, not because he controls them. They were willing to fly in for a rescue mission but didnāt want to make themselves long-term targets.
Jonatan HildƩn@RikerGoogling @charlesgaba @DarlaDonna Plus would have been a tremendously boring solution. Just re-reading the books and they are to a large extent about hiking. Also, in all a much smaller plot issue than the potential for owl-based tracking in the Harry Potter Universe.
Tom von Alten@jhilden @RikerGoogling @charlesgaba @DarlaDonna
Interesting point, explaining to me another reason why I loved the stories so well, in the hikingest time of my life.
Interesting point, explaining to me another reason why I loved the stories so well, in the hikingest time of my life.
BibbleCo@charlesgaba @RikerGoogling Also even if unopposed in the air, a single large squad of Orcs & Trolls could have defended or collapsed the one doorway to the fires of Orodruin / Mount Doom. Presumably Sauron himself could make them inaccessible on a moment's notice. Only deception/distraction allowed Frodo's access to be unnoticed until the last second.
Also, only a Hobbit could resist the corruption of the ring that long. It had ways to corrupt powered by the wearer's personal/spiritual power.
Officer-involved pooping@charlesgaba @DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling Exactly. SAR is not the same as combat strikes deep behind the lines into enemy territory where they have complete air superiority. The eagles had no SEAD capabilities, either. (Do I sound like I have a clue what I'm talking about, rather than just spraying around overheard jargon? XD )
@BibbleCo @charlesgaba @RikerGoogling Haha I did consider Sauron's ground based Air Defences, but they were never revealed. I imagine they were there and effective though. That's gotta be something he'd think of for his dark fortress of Barad-dƻr, even if it was more for military anti-rescue/raid reasons. Even if he hadn't thought anyone would be foolish enough to send in unmagical nobodies to destroy a ring that could have granted Aragorn, Gandalf, Galadriel or good Saruman a temporary victory.
@DarlaDonna @charlesgaba @RikerGoogling
No doubt while we're joking about it there are srs academic papers on military doctrine in LotR somewhere out there. If not a whole community... if not yet, well, its only a matter of time.
I propose Rule 35 - everything online intersects eventually ;)
@BibbleCo @charlesgaba @RikerGoogling Ask and the Internet provides: https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1422&context=mythlore
Josh (he/his)@DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling Or...
https://www.oglaf.com/ornithology/ (CW blood and gore)
Steve Bellovin@DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling @briankrebs Besides, flying into Mordor wouldn't have trained the hobbits to liberate the Shire, and wouldn't have dealt with Saruman.
J. Martin@DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling @briankrebs Also, Mordor had MORAD with its Crebain-based early warning system.
Sir Willington@DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling I would be more concerned the ring corrupts Gwaihir and then you gotta deal with corrupted eagles....
BigglesThe Nazgƻl didn't get flying mounts until after they were unhorsed at the ford near Rivendell. Had the eagles gone at that time, they couldn't have stopped them.
The real answer is narrative - it would have been a short and boring story. We can speculate a hundred retcons to explain it, but the reality is it would ruin the story. I favor the whole "not their business" explanation - they flew Gandalf and the rescue as a favor to Gandalf, but bearing the ring would be too much.
TrashPanda@DarlaDonna @RikerGoogling I'm always confused at the people who are like "the reason they didn't just solve the main problem with the easy solution the writer presented is because that would make it a bad story!". Yo, if the writer presents an easy solution to the central problem, and didn't explain why they can't just use the easy solution? It's *already* a bad story.
I accept the Nazgul explanation. My question is, is that really the only volcano that could have melted the ring? I would have tried to zag on Sauron by taking it to Middle Earth Hawaii or some other random volcano. If Gandalf is like "you fool, that volcano isn't hot enough to melt the ring!" I'd just be like "yeah well it's sinking into the Middle of Middle Earth, good luck ever getting it out.". (And before anybody tries to be a smart Alec, Balrogs can't swim it's a fact)
I accept the Nazgul explanation. My question is, is that really the only volcano that could have melted the ring? I would have tried to zag on Sauron by taking it to Middle Earth Hawaii or some other random volcano. If Gandalf is like "you fool, that volcano isn't hot enough to melt the ring!" I'd just be like "yeah well it's sinking into the Middle of Middle Earth, good luck ever getting it out.". (And before anybody tries to be a smart Alec, Balrogs can't swim it's a fact)
@TrashPanda @RikerGoogling I'm not convinced that Middle Earth contains more volcanos or at least that Gandalf, Elrond or Galadriel didn't know of any other ones. There were a lot of lands in the south where Sauron held sweigh that the characters have little knowledge of beyond rumors of Olifants, so there could maybe have been some there, but that's not a solution.
Custard Smingleigh@RikerGoogling
Holodeck safeties were off and the eagles have poor rider safety restraints. Actually safer to hike Mordor for a week than cling for your life to the back of a giant eagle in sub-freezing temperatures for twelve hours where a single slip means death.
Holodeck safeties were off and the eagles have poor rider safety restraints. Actually safer to hike Mordor for a week than cling for your life to the back of a giant eagle in sub-freezing temperatures for twelve hours where a single slip means death.
Coyoty@RikerGoogling One does not simply fly eagles into Mordor.
In Search of a Better World@RikerGoogling #TheEagles were more interested in playing #theJourneyOfTheSorcerer than participating in it, of course.
Journey of the Sorcerer (2013 Remaster)
Provided to YouTube by Rhino/ElektraJourney of the Sorcerer (2013 Remaster) Ā· EaglesOne of These Nightsā 1975 Elektra/Asylum Records.Engineer: Allan BlazekRe...
Ichinin 
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šÆš@RikerGoogling The Eagles were at the repair shop and couldn't be used before that moment.
Dauntus@RikerGoogling Frey and Felder were still feuding at the time, but the good news is the rescue was the preparing event for the Eagles to end their 14 year hiatus. They would land 2 Top 40 hits in the next year.
Loukas (They/Them) š³ļøāā§ļø@RikerGoogling why didn't they fly the Balrog's wings to Mordor
@Loukas @RikerGoogling because they were a metaphorical description, not physical wings. Several times describes Balrogs dying due to "falling" and non-winged people (like Gandalf ) who "came flying down the steps and fell to the ground in the midst of the Company.")
@RikerGoogling omg yes this! The last time I watched The Return of the King I was like okay wait, they had eagles this whole time??
Niklaus 'vimja' Hofer@RikerGoogling
*Answers in the voice of Ryan George* so the movie can happen!
*Answers in the voice of Ryan George* so the movie can happen!
alec #GTTO@RikerGoogling the Eagles governance was an absolute bitch and it took Gandalf weeks to get his work-request completed.
Jef Poskanzer
wiredogThe Eagles are very proud and powerful. Think āGwaihir the Ringlordā
Really long answer:
https://www.tor.com/2016/12/21/tolkien-eagles-manwes-special-ops/
ZenHeathen š@RikerGoogling One does not simply flock into Mordor
(((Jann Gobble)))š³ļøāš@RikerGoogling Cos - then there's no book series!
David@RikerGoogling @phocks presumably because they didnāt want to have to fight the Nazgul. Or they were cowards, waiting until all the hard work was done and the enemy defeated before flying in to the ārescueā.
Eric Zarowny
Joey Lange@ezarowny @RikerGoogling well truthfully itās because the Eagles donāt really give a shit and only did the flights they did for Gandalf because he was under extreme duress. Even Gandalf knew he was stretching their good will, asking them what he did ask them. They donāt care if men rule or Sauron rules. Theyāre fuckinā Eagles, man. Theyād never agree to such a huge mission on a whim.
ā Fish Id Wardrobe@RikerGoogling Because once they arrived in Mordor, they could check out, but never leave
Space Invader@RikerGoogling https://www.oglaf.com/ornithology/
(This page SFW, others may not be and usually arenāt)
John OāDonnell@RikerGoogling
It was their mating season.
It was their mating season.
ARC@RikerGoogling or at the very least fly them part of the way and drop them somewhere close instead of having to fight through Moria, Uruk Hai etc