Why didn't Gandalf or Frodo Fly to Mount Doom?

Question

Why didn't Gandalf use his eagles to fly over Mount Doom and drop the ring? I know he feared what he would do if the ring overpowered him, so why not just give Frodo an eagle? And, if there would be too much risk in flying the ring to Mordor, couldn't the eagles fly them part of the way? Why risk it with such a long walk; far less risky to fly over most of the journey.

Answer 1

In short, the eagles would also be tempted to take the ring. At least, I've always assumed they'd rule Middle Earth with an iron claw.

Here's an excellent rundown of in-universe explanations, and a few real-world ones. It summarizes frequent Usenet discussions in rec.arts.books.tolkien of the so-called "eagle plan" whereby the eagles are used to fly the ring to Mount Doom. It's definitely a popular plot hole to discuss, with many pros and cons outlined there.

I think it would undermine the theme of the story, that it's about normal people taking responsibility for the world, and throwing off the dependence on ancient powers (Gandalf and Sauron included).

Also, it'd be a 10 page story.

Answer 2

Also, giant eagles with wizards on their back flying into Mordor would probably draw some attention, and I would assume Sauron had enough powers to defend his own home from intruders, giant eagles or not. He had the Nazgul air force after all, and maybe others too :)

So they would have been extremely vulnerable in such a position, and likely to be brought down, which would guarantee Sauron got his ring back.

Flying out was less of a problem, since the Ring was already destroyed, Sauron's power broken and he had much worse troubles than dealing with any eagles.

The point of sending Hobbits on foot is that they showed resilience to the ring's power, but also nobody would notice or care for them, as Hobbits were considered rather unimportant folk. The power of Sauron was too great to try and do it by any force, so a covert mission was necessary.

It's also worth noting that the Giant Eagles, much like the Wizards of Middle Earth, were forbidden in directly helping mortals overcoming problems they could solve themselves. They could only advise or otherwise get tangentially involved.

Answer 3

You want an "In Universe" explanation?

Because it couldn't have worked any other way.

The powers knew no one could willingly destroy the ring, therefore they needed the tussle between Frodo and Gollum, and for Gollum to fall for the ring to be destroyed.

If they'd flown on Eagles then Gollum wouldn't have been there, Frodo would have failed to destroy the ring, Sauron would have won and the fourth age would have been one of darkness across the face of Middle Earth.

Answer 4

There are several explanations, both in and out of universe:

• The Nazghul (more specifically their fell beasts) would have been able to take them out.
• Anything flying into Mordor, especially a rarely-seen giant eagle, would be quickly spotted by Sauron, who would immediately muster every force he had around and in Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam were specifically trying to avoid the Eye's gaze.
• If the eagle (or whomever was riding it) missed dropping/throwing the Ring directly into the fires of Mount Doom, they'd be handing the Ring directly to Sauron's forces.
• Tolkien mentioned in notes and conversations that he did not want the eagles to be seen as "Middle Earth taxis". They thus intervene directly only in times of great need, as the last option.

Answer 5

This is not a plot hole. The Eagles are the representatives of Manwe in Middle Earth. As mentioned in the link in the accepted answer.

I am surprised that this argument comes up as often as it does, because I am aware of no textual support for this idea. The eagles quite frequently involve themselves in the fight against Sauron (or against evil in general):

They rescue Bilbo, Thorin, & Co. from the orcs and wolves. They participate in the Battle of Five Armies. They rescue Gandalf from Orthanc. They rescue Gandalf again from Zirak-Zigil. They directly attack the flying Nazgûl during the last battle. They fly into Mordor to rescue Frodo and Sam. Given all this heavy involvement, it would be extremely surprising if the Valar specifically prohibited the eagles from flying the Ringbearer into Mordor. Tolkien nowhere mentions such a prohibition.

The only support I can see for this argument is very indirect: namely, that the eagles are said to be the representatives of Manwë, and in the Third Age, Manwë is maintaining a policy of the Valar not intervening directly in the affairs of Middle-Earth. But the eagles do often intervene in the struggles of Middle-Earth, and there's no indication that they were under some restriction in this case. If the eagles were prohibited from being involved directly in the struggle against Sauron, we might expect that they would have withdrawn to Valinor long ago rather than remain in Middle-Earth.

If you look at the involvement of the Eagles it is very similar to the involvement of the Istari. The Istari are Maia sent to Middle Earth as guides and to provide some help in countering the great powers of those who had fallen. They are not allowed to solve the problems of Middle Earth, only to guide and aid those who are solving those problems. The Eagles play a similar role. Both are forces of the Valar -- who, after the first age that destroyed vast swaths of Middle Earth, vowed never again to interfere directly in the affairs of the mortals of Middle Earth -- and both aid those fighting Sauron. But only where the mortals of Middle Earth could not over come the foe on their own.

The ring is a foe that the mortals of Middle Earth could overcome. And in a way, it is the one foe they must overcome on their own. Gandalf guides them to this realization and helps them figure out the "how". But he will not defeat the foe itself.

Gandalf aids them by defeating a peer who had fallen, against which none of them could stand (the Balrog) and by helping to counter the movements of one of the Istari who had fallen. The Eagles aid them by providing some mobility and countering forces of the enemy when they take to the air, the realm of Manwe, which mortals are not truly supposed to enter.

All of these actions are consistent with the way the Valar are willing to aid those of Middle Earth. However, flying the ring bearer to Mordor is not consistent with them. That would be direct involvement and solving the one problem that those of Middle Earth need to solve themselves -- their lust for power at the expense of Middle Earth itself.

Answer 6

All that plus the eagles weren't available at the time the Ring set out on its journey from Rivendell, a journey meant to be made in secret so as to not reveal to Sauron that the Ring was on the move and to what end (to the very end Sauron was under the impression that the Ring, after having been found, would appear on the hand of one of his enemies to be wielded as a weapon of war, rather than being sent to its doom in the forges where it was created).

Sending in an eagle bearing a hobbit on its back, the hobbit bearing the ring (the presence of which Sauron could detect at some distance) would have attracted too much attention, revealed to Sauron that things are not as they seem (most likely he assumed either Gandalf or the lords of Minas Tirith would unveil the Ring in the battle at the gates of Mordor).

Answer 7

Personally, I think something is only a plot-hole if there aren't plausible in-universe explanations, regardless of whether the author actually enumerates those explanations.

In this case, I always assumed that while there were just nine Nazgûl, there were a lot more than nine of the "fell beasts" that they flew around on--there's no indication that these creatures were made especially for the Nazgûl, or that there's some kind of limited supply of them.

Sauron raising a bunch of flying creatures in Mordor makes it a lot more risky for the eagles to fly there, let alone to fly there with the one ring. After the ring is destroyed, though, it makes sense that the beasts' handlers have scattered and that it's safer to mount an airborne rescue mission than it was before Sauron's defeat.

That's my "extrapolated from the given information" reasoning, at least.

Answer 8

My understanding was the eagles have a will of their own. After all, Gandalf asked for permission to ride on their backs. Given this assumption, trusting them as companions to the ring bearer would not have been a good idea since they would be vulnerable to the rings power of corruption. Also, it would be unlikely they would agree to a suicide run into Mordor.

Answer 9

There's a new theory as to why the eagles weren't used here, which seems plausible.

Briefly:

Gandalf did intend to take the ring to the eagles, but kept the plan to himself so that word couldn't get to Sauron. He tried to tell the Fellowship about the plan when he fell to the Balrog -- that's what he meant by "Fly, you fools".

Answer 10

The eagles don't owe allegiance to anyone they helped Gandalf escape Saruman because he saved the life of their king, see the Hobbit. Nursing him back to health after an unfortunate incident with a hunters spear. Whether that help advanced to a suicide run into Mordor is another thing entirely...

Answer 11

@user296 hints at a possible reason but doesn't elaborate much.

I think that even though Gandalf can't see the future, he knows Gollum has a part to play:

even the very wise cannot see all ends. ... he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many – yours not least.

(Fellowship of the Ring)

I think Gandalf knows more than he lets on. When Sam and Frodo fight about killing or abandoning Gollum we are again reminded that he has a part to play. Its kind of assumed that the part Gollum plays is leading them into Mordor. But I suspect that the real part he plays is in getting rid of the ring, and Gandalf knows this.

We know that it is near impossible to give up the ring. Only three times does the ring-bearer give up the ring:

1. Bilbo, who doesn't expect it to be destroyed.
2. Tom Bombadil, who is obviously "special".
3. Sam, who isn't so close to Mount Doom to be totally overrun by its power.

So Gandalf suspects that the only way the ring can be destroyed is on accident. In other words there has to be some accident at Mount Doom to destroy the ring. He says somewhere that no one is powerful enough to destroy it. If the Eagles just drop Frodo off with the ring, there's a lot of evidence that he won't be able to destroy it.

1. It is always seeking its master, not trying to be destroyed
2. When he does get near to destroying it, Frodo hesitates
3. Isildur was in the same position and didn't destroy it.