Here's Why The Eagles Couldn't Just Fly The Ring To Mordor, You Fools

thegamer.com:

“Fly you fools,” shouts Gandalf, moments before he falls into a chasm with the Balrog. If it’s your first time reading or watching the Lord of the Rings, you might think this is the end of our irritable wizard. For slightly more experienced viewers, this is where the conspiracy theories start. For the seasoned readers, it’s where we have to start debunking.

The word “fly” in this sentence does not refer to asking the Eagles for help. If it did, why would Gandalf be so obtuse about it? Why would he risk Caradhras and Moria before asking them himself? But rather than applying basic reasoning to Gandalf’s cry, seemingly thousands of people asked the question, “Well why didn’t the Fellowship use the Eagles to fly the Ring to Mordor?” Those people are dumber than a Morannon Orc, and here’s why.

Related: I’ve Got Bad News About Lord Of The Rings’ Undying Lands

Firstly, we need to understand the Eagles themselves. They are not just animals like horses or Wargs, but more similar to Treebeard. The Great Eagles are as old as the Ents and even the Dwarves, and are sentient beings in their own right. They have their own conversations, motives, and systems of government, and are not just magic beasts that Gandalf can summon at will.

“But Gandalf does just summon them!” I know, I hear you shouting, yelling, screaming at whatever screen you’re reading this on. Well, he and Gwaihir the Windlord - that’s the Eagle who helps him out on multiple occasions - go way back, and Gwaihir owes him one. Once again, Tolkien’s canon gets a little problematic here, but whether Gandalf had saved Gwaihir’s life or just helped him out of a tight spot, the two short trips Gandalf takes on Gwaihir (from Isengard to Edoras and Zirak-zigil to Lothlorien)