Tolkien’s excuse was pretty robust actually. The Eagles are not mindless taxi services, they are just a step below gods in their own right, servants of Manwë, leader of the Valar- Middle-Earth’s gods, in a sense. They have duties that go beyond ferrying people around. For most of the war of the ring, Gwaihir, the King of the Eagles, and his kin are occupied with important scouting missions, though a few groups of them helped in battle, such as at the Black Gate, where they clashed with the Nazgûl while protecting the armies of King Elessar (Aragorn).
Tolkien was very aware that the Eagles were a dangerous writing tool, to be used sparingly, and so, being Tolkien, he devised a wealth of believable reasons the Eagles would not be available to end the story in two chapters.
I never understood the whole “Eagles” plot hole, we clearly see the ring wraiths have Nazgul, I’m sure the witch king rode the king of Nazgul and so when it was killed by Eowyn, they were down their strongest air to air piece. Just enough for the eagles to match them in the final battle. If the eagles just flew into Mordor from the start. Sauron wouldve noticed them approaching and likely wouldve been more than prepared to meet them in the air with magic spells, and other flying beasts. Plus ring wraith Nazguls.
Uncle Sam in 1914- So, let me get this straight. You want me, with my army that’s smaller than Bulgaria, to send everyone over to fight in a war that has absolutely nothing to do with me, so I can get several hundred thousand of my boys killed in short order, so you can carve up the beaten countries while setting up another war in a decade, anyway?
Wait, America had a way to end the war automatically in just a day or so? By sending a single person? With no risk to themselves? Against an enenmy they had sworn to serve against? And their own existence was immediately threatened, but they could end the threat near instantenously?
Is it though?
Anyone holding that ring is at risk of corruption, the more powerful the being the more Saramon can do, the idea of letting the hobbit take it is if it came to it saramon couldn’t accomplish anything with him.
Also Sam and Frodo are oddly qualified to resist the ring.
But sure why don’t we give the ring to a literal demigod and hope it makes it to mordor before it get ls corrupted.
The problem with this argument is that the eagles DID help at the start when they rescued Gandalf from Saruman’s tower. The issue that many people have with the eagles is how they are presented in the movies, not in the books. In the movies, the eagles are never shown to be godlike, or even intelligent. They act like flying horses. If you want your movie to be good, it needs to stand on its own, without supplementary reading material. Otherwise, the starwars sequels are “good” its just you havent read all the comics and books that make all of the plot holes not retarded.
“Oh what? So the writer wrote himself into a corner with the Pacific war and the Americans just *magicked* up a couple of city deleting bombs? Give me a break.”
Oh the irony
That’s… not what a plot hole is.
Americana ex machina
Tolkien’s excuse was pretty robust actually. The Eagles are not mindless taxi services, they are just a step below gods in their own right, servants of Manwë, leader of the Valar- Middle-Earth’s gods, in a sense. They have duties that go beyond ferrying people around. For most of the war of the ring, Gwaihir, the King of the Eagles, and his kin are occupied with important scouting missions, though a few groups of them helped in battle, such as at the Black Gate, where they clashed with the Nazgûl while protecting the armies of King Elessar (Aragorn).
Tolkien was very aware that the Eagles were a dangerous writing tool, to be used sparingly, and so, being Tolkien, he devised a wealth of believable reasons the Eagles would not be available to end the story in two chapters.
The phrase “real life is stranger than fiction” comes to mind.
Fighting war = Bad for business
Supplying both sides with munitions = Good for business
Stupid stupid Japan
I never understood the whole “Eagles” plot hole, we clearly see the ring wraiths have Nazgul, I’m sure the witch king rode the king of Nazgul and so when it was killed by Eowyn, they were down their strongest air to air piece. Just enough for the eagles to match them in the final battle. If the eagles just flew into Mordor from the start. Sauron wouldve noticed them approaching and likely wouldve been more than prepared to meet them in the air with magic spells, and other flying beasts. Plus ring wraith Nazguls.
OP, will you cross post this to r/lotrmemes ?
Uncle Sam in 1914- So, let me get this straight. You want me, with my army that’s smaller than Bulgaria, to send everyone over to fight in a war that has absolutely nothing to do with me, so I can get several hundred thousand of my boys killed in short order, so you can carve up the beaten countries while setting up another war in a decade, anyway?
Gee, let me think about it a while….
Wait, America had a way to end the war automatically in just a day or so? By sending a single person? With no risk to themselves? Against an enenmy they had sworn to serve against? And their own existence was immediately threatened, but they could end the threat near instantenously?
A good storyteller would integrate the political strife of pre war politics so the reader wouldn’t have this question
Churchill covered that in the sequel:
“You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing, after they have exhausted all the other possibilities.”
Edit: Apparently this line is only by Churchill in the movie version. See comment below.
just like DON’T F*CK WITH OUR BOATS and we probably won’t insert ourselves into your european conflicts.
Is it though?
Anyone holding that ring is at risk of corruption, the more powerful the being the more Saramon can do, the idea of letting the hobbit take it is if it came to it saramon couldn’t accomplish anything with him.
Also Sam and Frodo are oddly qualified to resist the ring.
But sure why don’t we give the ring to a literal demigod and hope it makes it to mordor before it get ls corrupted.
The problem with this argument is that the eagles DID help at the start when they rescued Gandalf from Saruman’s tower. The issue that many people have with the eagles is how they are presented in the movies, not in the books. In the movies, the eagles are never shown to be godlike, or even intelligent. They act like flying horses. If you want your movie to be good, it needs to stand on its own, without supplementary reading material. Otherwise, the starwars sequels are “good” its just you havent read all the comics and books that make all of the plot holes not retarded.
“Oh what? So the writer wrote himself into a corner with the Pacific war and the Americans just *magicked* up a couple of city deleting bombs? Give me a break.”
the fellowship wanted to not be seen by sauron
its easier if you are not on giant eagles
[deleted]
In the words of the great JRR Tolkein. Shut up.
It’s a fucking story.
>This is my book motherfucker!
They’ll walk if I tell them to
Get that weak-arse bird shit out of here!
People always seem to misuse the word “plot hole”.
The eagles suck.
Difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.
“also how do republicans just spawn from mud pits”
If you put it that way it’s deus ex machina but if the writing was better it would make sense
Be nice if the US could just go back to minding their own business.
The us’ Military wasn’t as strong in wwi as it was in wwii
At first I was like is that a wizard and why is there a hawk
But then is was oh OH OOOHHHH
Who else imagined the eagle to have hootys voice
The thing is war for the Americans involved many casualties and cost a lot while idk how many eagle casualties would that have cost?
Wait till he hear about the Napoleon War where the main character only lose when the plot told him to