Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Sigil" data-source="post: 1271076" data-attributes="member: 2013">Clearly calls one to "pick him up" in the movie.If you read the books, you'll find that Gandalf was not really that hot about going to see Saruman, and in fact only went when Radagast the Brown (another of the wizards) met him on the road and told Gandalf that Saruman wanted to speak with him (I'm giving you the Reader's Digest version).  Since Saruman is the head of the Istari order, Gandalf obeys, and tells Radagast to send any tidings he hears to them (both Saruman and Gandalf) at Isengard.It is while Gandalf is in Isengard that Saruman betrays him and imprisons him atop the tower.  While Saruman is away (presumably recruiting for his army), Gwahir shows up at Isengard, with news from Radagast.  Gwahir fully expects to relay his news to both Gandalf and Saruman, but upon finding Gandalf alone, and having Saruman's treachery explained to him, he takes Gandalf with him.Thus, there is a very good reason as to why the orcs at Isengard would not have shot Gwahir down... Gwahir is apparently a semi-regular visitor to Isengard who brings news and information to Saruman.  His coming was not at all out of the ordinary!  In fact, one of Gandalf's comments is that "Saruman has never paid enough attention to animals" (or something to that effect) - hinting that Saruman did not realize that Gwahir might help Gandalf escape.As for using the eagles as a sort of deux ex machina, I have heard that argument and it doesn't work for me, either.  The saving of the dwarves by the eagles in the Hobbit came about because the eagles saw and unusual amount of goblin activity on the side of the Misty Mountains (due to the Goblin King being slain by Gandalf; it was rather like stirring up a hornet's nest) and were (justifiably) concerned to see what was going on.  While there, they spotted Gandalf and the dwarves, and in order to return an old favor to Gandalf, rescued him.  Nothing too incredible about that.  When Gwahir comes to Isengard in FotR, again, it is in the natural course of the story... in fact it takes him a good deal of time (some weeks, if not months, if memory serves) to show up after Gandalf's imprisonment.  Again, given the role of the eagles - as scouts/spies for the forces of good, it makes sense that he would eventually show up to give a report.Contrast the airspace at Isengard (where Eagles were infrequent, but known visitors) with the airspace in Mordor.  Even a single eagle would draw the immediate attention of Sauron, because the only things he "expects" to be up in the airspace are Nazgul.  The eagles simply CANNOT show up in Mordor as they do in Isengard for that reason.We could go on and on and on, but I think what you're looking for is, "where in LotR did Tolkien write specifically a sentence that begins, 'we can't use the Eagles to drop the ring into Mount Doom because...'" and you're not going to find it.  As others have pointed out, there are a NUMBER of reasons why using eagles would not work pointed out in the text itself without specifically enumerating "Eagles."  One might just as well ask why Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel did not simply use the might of the Three to cut a swath through Mordor and dispose of the one... or why Ulmo didn't just give Frodo the cloak and armor he gave to Turin during the second age (the one that shielded him from sight) and let him do things that way.Simply put, there was NO force of arms sufficient to "blast through" Sauron's defenses.  Period.  End of discussion.  This is made abundantly clear in LotR.  The Ring went to Mordor in secrecy and not through force of arms out of necessity... and even then made it only because Sauron could not comprehend that anyone would want to destroy the Ring... and because Sauron did not follow the Evil Overlord's Handbook and destroy Mount Doom itself as soon as he had the chance so that the Ring could never be cast into Mount Doom (or at the very least, he would have stationed an impenetrable guard there).The Hobbits get into Mordor by "not being seen."  There is no chance an eagle could get into Mordor unseen.  Sauron can choose to bring irresistable force against anything he chooses to, particularly in his own realm, therefore he could bring irresistable force against any number of eagles.  Q.E.D.--The Sigil</blockquote>

Verification