Aerial approach to Orodruin
Ilkka C Puusaari
devoted fans of JRRT. This just came into my mind while reading LotR for
the third time:
Why didn't the Counsil of Elrond (I've read the Book in Finnish every
time and I'm not sure if I'm retranslating correctly) ask the great
eagles to take the One Ring to Orodruin? Surely a flight of say a dozen
of these could have flown over the borders of Mordor and dropped the
ring into the volcano with more certainty than the way it was really
done.
Was it that the eagles as messengers of Valar weren't allowed to
interfere so directly with the affairs of Middle Earth? Or was the risk
of being intercepted by the Nazgul on Fell Beasts too great? I'm pretty
sure that JRRT had some view of this other that it would have ruined the
story. Anybody had any similar ideas?
Again I must stress that this is just an idea that occurred to me and is
not to be taken as an offense. Just to get the discussion going.
--
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* Ilkka C Puusaari * Ordo Medicorum * F I N L A N D *
* puus...@cc.helsinki.fi * Universitatis Helsingiensis * EUROPE *
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me
>time and I'm not sure if I'm retranslating correctly) ask the great
>eagles to take the One Ring to Orodruin? Surely a flight of say a dozen
>of these could have flown over the borders of Mordor and dropped the
>ring into the volcano with more certainty than the way it was really
>done.
I believe that the reason they weren't used was that something so obvious would
have been detected by Sauron. That was the whole reason for having a halfling
take it...Sauron had only just learned of them and didn't know very much of them
Also, the prophecies of the elves and the Men of Gondor stated that it was a
halfling who would destroy the ring. For the eagles to have done this would
have changed the entire mythos of Middle Earth.
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send comments/flames etc. to fjk...@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
-rohan-+Dunkerson C.B.
> Why didn't the Counsil of Elrond (I've read the Book in Finnish every
>time and I'm not sure if I'm retranslating correctly) ask the great
>eagles to take the One Ring to Orodruin? Surely a flight of say a dozen
>of these could have flown over the borders of Mordor and dropped the
>ring into the volcano with more certainty than the way it was really
>done.
>sure that JRRT had some view of this other that it would have ruined the
>story. Anybody had any similar ideas?
First I'd point out that it can be seen from Tolkien's Letters that he was
livid when somebody doing an animated screenplay of the Hobbit had people
jumping on giant eagles and flying everywhere all the time. He said that
such would severely injure the plot and quite frankly change the structure of
Middle Earth.
As for taking the ring. Well, the eagles were never accused of being subtle.
Everywhere they went people spotted them coming from miles off. You really
expect them to sneak through Mordor? Further, dropping it in wouldn't work...
the top was sealed. The only way inside was through the cracks of doom which
was a relatively small hole in the side of the mountain... the eagles would
have to land and squirm through... and orcish archers are surprisingly
effective.
--
Conrad B. Dunkerson -- con...@novalink.com
Bertrand de Levinwir -- con...@usl.com
Anthony Wilkinson
> OK. First I want to apologize if this kind of speculation irritates some
> devoted fans of JRRT. This just came into my mind while reading LotR for
> the third time:
> Why didn't the Counsil of Elrond (I've read the Book in Finnish every
> time and I'm not sure if I'm retranslating correctly) ask the great
> eagles to take the One Ring to Orodruin? Surely a flight of say a dozen
> of these could have flown over the borders of Mordor and dropped the
> ring into the volcano with more certainty than the way it was really
> done.
> Was it that the eagles as messengers of Valar weren't allowed to
> interfere so directly with the affairs of Middle Earth? Or was the risk
> of being intercepted by the Nazgul on Fell Beasts too great? I'm pretty
> sure that JRRT had some view of this other that it would have ruined the
> story. Anybody had any similar ideas?
>
rather susceptable to the lure of the ring and would be overcome by it.(much
like Boromir - they were much alike to the proud Prince).
Just an idea...
> Again I must stress that this is just an idea that occurred to me and is
> not to be taken as an offense. Just to get the discussion going.
>
> --
> **************************************************************************
> * Ilkka C Puusaari * Ordo Medicorum * F I N L A N D *
> * puus...@cc.helsinki.fi * Universitatis Helsingiensis * EUROPE *
> **************************************************************************
___________________________________________________________________________
Anthony Wilkinson A.WIL...@cc.uq.edu.au
COMPUTER SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
Brisbane Qld 4072 AUSTRALIA
Nathaniel Mills Johnston
worked.
1: Sauron could've spotted the eagles (he was very
nearly able to spot one motionless hobbitt on Amon Hen (a good
200 miles at least), he'd easily have been able to see some
rather large, well defined objects coming straigh at him from
the exact location he was monitoring with utmost vigilance. He
could then use the Aerial Nazguls to take them out.
2: A large point of the whole walk-down-to-Gondor
exercise was to make Sauron think that Boromir/Denethor had
seized the Ring and was getting ready to wage war against him.
They were still playing that when they marched to the Morannon.
3: A big old eagle wouldn't have been able to get into
the Crack of Doom. There is no evidence to suggest that
Orodruin had a caldera of any kind and the council wanted
someone to throw it in anyway. If an eagle dropped it from any
height safe enough to ensure that he wouldn't get fried by the
updrafts, who knows if the Ring'd hit it's target.With the
Ring's luck, said updrafts would probably blow it onto Sauron's
Road. If an eagle had a rider, who's to guarantee his safety
when the Flying Beasts come up to get him. I don't think
Thorondor is quite up the standards of old Vingilot.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea. It just happens to be as
impractical as having the Dwarves carve a tunnel from Aglarond
or the Emyn Arnen even, to the lava-ducts of Orodruin. No-go.
--
What's taking the Eastern Seaboard Fission Authority so long???
In the dark, see past our eyes, || Nate Johnston
Pursuit of truth, no matter where it lies|| nm...@virginia.edu
-Metallica ||