They were among the greatest and most noble creatures in Middle-earth.
They soared through the skies, rescuing allies, fighting in war, and their image was even
used as a warning to those falling into darkness.
Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the Great Eagles of Middle-earth.
The great eagles came into being during the early days of Arda - in Tolkien’s later
writings, they predate even the awakening of the elves.
It is said they were “devised” by the King of the Valar, Manwe.
One of the earliest deeds we hear of is that the Eagles of Manwe would travel back and
forth between Middle-earth and the great mountain of Taniquetil, bringing new to the lord of
the valar of what transpired across the sea.
The lord of the eagles, and greatest of their kind, is Thorondor, who was said to have a
wingspan of 30 fathoms or roughly 180 feet.
After the Noldor leave Valinor in their exile from the Blessed Realm, Manwe sends Thorondor
and his eagles to live in Middle-earth, watching over and assisting the Eldar as they are able.
The eagles keep their eyries at the top of Thangorodrim - the very peaks where Morgoth’s
fortress of Angband was located.
As Morgoth had no air forces of his own, he was helpless to do anything about the presence
of these foes - if he indeed knew their location.
In one of the earliest instances of the Eagles helping the elves, Thorondor helps Fingon
rescue Maedhros from the side of Thangorodrim.
Morgoth had captured Maedhros and hung him by his arm from the mountainside.
Thorondor bears Fingon and Maedhros to safety after the daring rescue.
After this, Thorondor and his eagles move to the Crissaegrim, a mountain range which
helped conceal the hidden kingdom of Gondolin.
When Turgon builds Gondolin in 116 FA, Thorondor becomes a guardian of the city, helping the
elves to preserve its secrecy in defiance of Morgoth.
Due to the diligence of the eagles, the orcs are unable to approach the ford of Brithiach
or the mountains near the city.
Centuries later, in 456 FA, the High King Fingolfin rides across the plain of Anfauglith
to challenge Morgoth to single combat.
While he would permanently wound the dark lord by stabbing him in the foot, Fingolfin
would ultimately fall in the duel.
Morgoth no doubt would have defiled the body of the king, but in that moment, Thorondor
attacks the dark lord, scratching him across the face - giving Morgoth yet another scar,
and saving the body of Fingolfin.
Thorondor bears the body back to Gondolin, where Turgon raises a Cairn over the body
of his father.
In 458, the brothers Hurin and Huor become lost in Dimbar after a battle with orcs.
The men are spotted by Thorondor and taken to the hidden city, where they are welcomed
by Turgon.
After a time in the city, Turgon reluctantly allows the men to leave so that they may return
to their realms and fight against the tyranny of Morgoth.
The only condition being that they should depart in the same manner of their arrival
- taken one again by the eagles.
Eight years later, in 466, Beren and Luthien infiltrate Angband itself to steal a Silmaril
from Morgoth’s crown.
As they flee the fortress, Thorondor+ once again aids the free peoples of Middle-earth.
Alongside two of his vassals and descendants, Gwaihir and Landroval, they save Beren and
Luthien from the pursuit of Morgoth’s servants.
After the man Tuor comes to Gondolin with a warning from Ulmo, the eagles redouble their
watch over the city.
While this enables Gondolin to go undiscovered the longest of any elven realm, it would be
betrayed by one of Turgon’s elves...and Morgoth’s forces would come for the city.
In the Fall of Gondolin, the eagles, led by Thorondor help protect the survivors fleeing
through the mountains.
When a force of orcs and a balrog come after the refugees, Glorfindel stays behind to fight
the balrog, meanwhile the eagles take on the force of orcs.
These acts ensure the safety of many, including the young child Earendil - the father of Elrond
and Elros.
Just 35 years later, Beleriand would be engulfed in the War of Wrath between the forces of
Morgoth and the Host of the Valar.
The eagles would fight alongside the army in the forty-year conflict.
As we’ve discussed in earlier videos, in the waning days of the conflict, Morgoth is
facing defeat when he unleashes his last and greatest weapon - the winged dragons.
The Great Eagles assemble under Thorondor to help Earendil in his flying ship, engaging
in an incredible aerial battle the likes of which never seen before or since in Middle-earth.
Alongside Earendil, the great eagles are successful in destroying the majority of the dragons,
sealing Morgoth’s complete and utter defeat.
After this battle, Thorondor is never mentioned again.
What became of the great eagle - whether he fell in battle, or went on to live throughout
the Second Age, we can only guess.
His descendents, however, would play great roles in the rest of the history of Middle-earth.
In the Second Age, in the island realm of Numenor, two great eagles lived in an eyrie
in the King’s House in the capital of Armenelos.
This eyrie would be used until the reign of Tar-Ancalimon, the 14th king of Numenor who
leads his people to open hostility against the Valar.
Throughout their history, the Numenoreans believed that three great eagles, known as
the Witnesses of Manwe, were sent by the valar to guard the summit of Meneltarma.
A sacred mountain where speaking was forbidden.
During the Three Prayers - three ceremonies throughout the Numenorean year - as the king
approached the summit, the eagles would appear in the sky.
The eagles not only lived at Meneltarma and Armenelos, but were also said to live on the
hills around Sorontil in the northern area of Forostar.
In their later years, as the Numenoreans fall further and further into darkness and rebellion,
Manwe sends clouds in the shape of an eagle as a warning to Numenor.
And out of the west there would come at times a great cloud in the evening, shaped as it
were an eagle, with pinions spread to the north and the south; and slowly it would loom
up, blotting out the sunset, and then uttermost night would fall upon Númenor.
And some of the eagles bore lightning beneath their wings, and thunder echoed between sea
and cloud.
The eagles would not be heard from again until the later portion of the Third Age.
By this time, a group of eagles live in the Northern parts of the Misty Mountains, not
far from the High Pass goes from Rivendell to the east.
Due to their proximity to Goblin-town beneath, they often foiled and attacked the goblins
who came outside the mountain.
However, we know that the eagles did limit their travels, as they were hesitant of the
bows of the woodmen of Mirkwood.
These eagles rescued Thorin, Bilbo, Gandalf, and the rest of the company from a group of
Goblins and Wargs in 2941 TA.
They allowed the group to stay in their eyries for the night before taking them to the Carrock.
Later that year, they notice groups of goblins gathering throughout the Misty Mountains and
assemble a force themselves.
They fly to the Lonely Mountain, pursuing their enemies to the Battle of Five Armies,
helping to ensure the defeat of the goblins.
These eagles of the Misty Mountains are led by The Great Eagle.
Now there is some debate here on whether this is a separate, unnamed eagle also referred
to as the King of All Birds - or if perhaps this was in fact Gwaihir - the great eagle
seen in The Lord of the Rings.
We learn in the Lord of the Rings that the eagles were friends of both Radagast the Brown
and Elrond.
From the eagles, they would learn of the gathering of wolves and orcs and the movements of the
nine ringwraiths.
When Gandalf meets Radagast in Eriador, Radagast unwittingly sends Gandalf into the treachery
of Saruman.
However, at Gandalf’s behest, Radgast also instructed Gwaihir to bring any news to Orthanc.
That fall, Gwaihir comes to Isengard, discovering Gandalf upon the pinnacle of Orthanc.
Gwaihir, unable to bear the wizard a great distance, takes the wizard to Edoras to find
a horse to make his way to the Shire.
The following year, after the Fellowship passes through Lorien, Galadriel sends Gwaihir to
search for the wizard.
Gwaihir finds Gandalf on the peak of Zirakzigil, bearing him to Lothlorien, where he is clothed
in white and given a new staff.
Gwaihir again bears his friend, taking him south to Fangorn Forest, where the wizard
would reveal himself to the Three Hunters.
One final time, at the climax of the War of the Ring, the great eagles would help the
men of Middle-earth.
They arrive at the Battle of the Morannon, helping the free peoples in their last desperate
battle against the dark lord.
As the One Ring is destroyed in Mount Doom, Gandalf turns to his friend, asking him to
bear him one final time.
Gwaihir, his brother Landroval, and Meneldor fly into Mordor, risking their lives to save
Sam and Frodo from the fires of Mount Doom.
From the very beginning, to the final defeat of the second dark lord, the Great Eagles
of Manwe were great and loyal friends to the free peoples of Middle-earth, coming to aid
their allies when their hope was most desperately needed.
Now, if you’re interested why it would be foolish to attempt flying the ring to Mordor
- you’ll have to hit that subscribe button - because I’m currently planning the ultimate
video to debunk this strategy and you won’t want to miss it!