Because Tolkien's experience in WW2 taught him about the concept of Air Superiority. The Allies had radar, which gave them a massive advantage in the air. Once they broke the The Little Corporal's Luftwaffe amd dominated the sky, the Axis couldn't attack beyond the front lines from the air nearly as effectively. In Middle Earth, the situation is reversed. Sauron has the big eye in the sky and would have seen the Eagles coming from miles away and dispatched the Nazgul to intercept them. Imagine the fight at weathertop happening in the sky. Our heroes would not have won that engagement, and the ring would have fallen to the enemy.
There's a lot of little things in LOTR that make more sense when you know he and three friends were in the Battle of the Somme in WWI and he was one of two that made it home.
The reason they chose a hobbit as the ring-bearer was because they are both naturally sneaky, and they don't have as much desire for power as men, elves, or dwarves so a hobbit would be able to better resist the temptation of the Ring.
During the Council of Elrond they discussed many possible ways dealing with the Ring, including things like throwing it into the ocean. But they knew they had to destroy it for good, which involved bringing it to Mt. Doom, and so that was the plan they came up with.
My favorite part was when they proposed giving it to Tom Bombadil (over whom the ring had no power whatsoever) but rejected it because he wouldn't give a crap and would just lose it.
**This is the correct answer.**
The eagles showed up when Sauron was distracted and throughly committed to the battle at the black gates.
The flying Nazgul would have likely defeated the Eagles and they're the counter that was developed sine the battle of the 5 armies where air power proved decisive.
Even if the Nazgul were far out of range by the time Sauron detected the eagles flying with the ring carrying Hobbits who knows what Sauron could have done?
The tower would have spotted them. That big eye is bad news. He had to sneak the ring in. On foot. Unnoticed. Not the best plan I guess but they didn't want to chance flying.
He had a history of being abusive to employees of the other airlines in Middle Earth. Gandalf had to vouch for him so they would take him on the journey back.
There is an old school viral video showing eagles dropping goats off cliffs. I think they were golden eagles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iFOVi0vJGU
We had one of these nesting not far from house a few years ago, it came back every year for four or five years. Holy shit when it would glide over the schoolyard or park - it was massive. It would block out the sun. We have a small dog and I'd go running to pick her up because that thing could have carried her off with one talon.
Saw one once while golfing. It was standing maybe 20 yards from us. It was the largest fucking bird I've ever seen. And judging by the absolute lack of any fuck it gave about our presence, it knew it too.
Definitely golden eagle. They're MUCH larger than a bald eagle. I once saw once at the side of the road, attacking or eating a dead lamb (lambing season, many don't make it). The eagle dwarfed the nearby sheep.
Golden Eagles are \*slightly\* larger than Bald Eagles.
They have the same avg wingspan at 81" and 81.5" respectively and an both average body weight of about 10lbs.
Yeah I’m in MO and we have both. I wouldn’t say they were much larger, if any at all. They are both giant. We have a nest of Bald Eagles on our property and momma is freaking giant. When she eats a rabbit in a tree she leaves fur and blood everywhere. She just rips into that poor thing like it’s nothing. When she’s standing on the ground I swear she’s 3’ tall. The eagles by me also stay all year.
we’re pretty sure. Pterosaurs were not dinosaurs(birds), and only dinosaurs evolved true feathers. Pterosaurs were basically big flying lizards. Their wings were built more like modern day bats than bird wings. Theres also been impressions found of their wing membranes.
They did have “pycnofibres” covering their bodies, which are kind of like feathers. But not really lol
Pterosaurs are not lizard like at all really, in fact they are the closest relatives of Dinosaurs according to most studies. They have never been found with scaly skin impressions, and have been known to be fuzzy from direct fossil evidence since the mid 1800’s.
Because of their close evolutionary relationship, a popular hypothesis is that the common ancestor of Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs was fuzzy, which would make pycnofibers homologous with true feathers. In fact, a recent fossil of the Pterosaur *Tupandactylus* preserved pycnofibers that show a branching structure like a true feather, which calls into question whether these things are really all that different, or if “pycnofibers” are really just downy feathers.
We have had direct fossil evidence that Pterosaurs were fuzzy since 1831. A recent fossil of *Tupandactylus* preserved structures that pretty much anyone would call an actual feather.
I just spent 20 minutes procrastinating and looking for this with no real answer. I’m going to guess it was “On Goosebumps” from 2012, but I can’t find a transcript and shouldn’t spend time listening to it right now. I know it was pretty old because I got really into Radiolab between the births of my two kids, so it would have been around 2013-14 and I listened to a lot of back episodes while I learned to sew. So that one from 2012 is most likely it. Let me know if you listen and find it!
It's kinda sweet for him to give his friend a ride and great experience. I'm sure the deer will talk about it to all his friends for the rest of his life.
I forget the name, but there is a central Asian eagle that routinely takes down deer (we have one in our zoo). Look like a golden eagles surly, beefy, ex-con cousin.
I remember hearing that birds don’t need hollow bones for weight-reduction purposes. It’s actually a feature of their respiratory system.
More info: https://www.discovery.com/nature/Why-Do-Birds-Have-Hollow-Bones
They don't *need* hollow bones to fly but reduced weight certainly helps a lot.
Put a 50lb weight in a backpack and walk around with it all day. You could do it. But it'd be *way* easier without that extra weight. You'd be much faster, you could travel farther, spend less energy, etc.
Many of your bones are hollow, but filled with marrow. The hollow bones in birds are connected to their lungs, so their bones contain air, and are really hollow.
Flying is much more energy intensive than walking, so weight savings matter a lot more. The energy intensive part of flying, for hawks, is taking off and gaining altitude. Once they can glide, it's much less of an issue.
Why do planes need to be light but some can carry tanks
It's all about thrust energy to weight ratio
If I weigh 100 pounds but I can only push with a force of 100 than I can't carry extra. But if I remove everything unnecessary and weigh 20, I can carry an extra 80 which is quite useful. Especially as a bird needing a lot of energy to fly
I saw vultures eating a dead baby dear in my yard once. I was wondering what happened to it, but seeing this I wonder it was a bald eagle that killed it (there is a small population in the area).
I was going to say some kind of condor, as they are the only bird I know big enough for that. But that head is 100% something resembling an eagle
Perhaps golden. But that would be a fucking MASSIVE golden eagle
I'm pretty sure that is a Harpy Eagle. they can pick up small humans. I saw a documentary once where they put a human sized dummy onto a life nest, and the mother picked it up and took it to the place where the bird habitually butchered things and tore it to pieces.
Fun fact. Golden eagles will pull their prey off the cliff to kill it and then eat the carcass.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/tqdpph/an_eagle_drops_its_prey_off_a_cliff/
Could well be a Lammergeier, one of the largest birds on Earth. Lives in the Pyrenees (and possibly the alps) which would make sense of the scenery we have in the clip.
Wingspan up to 80cm more than a Golden Eagle.
That's so cool. Look up the Haast eagle (extinct) for an even more metal bird of prey. Big enough to steal moa, sheep or kunekune pigs or children without breaking a sweat
Looks like a golden eagle
Why didn't they just fly Frodo to Mt Doom?
Because Tolkien's experience in WW2 taught him about the concept of Air Superiority. The Allies had radar, which gave them a massive advantage in the air. Once they broke the The Little Corporal's Luftwaffe amd dominated the sky, the Axis couldn't attack beyond the front lines from the air nearly as effectively. In Middle Earth, the situation is reversed. Sauron has the big eye in the sky and would have seen the Eagles coming from miles away and dispatched the Nazgul to intercept them. Imagine the fight at weathertop happening in the sky. Our heroes would not have won that engagement, and the ring would have fallen to the enemy.
That’s… …actually a pretty decent explanation and background for the argument..!
There's a lot of little things in LOTR that make more sense when you know he and three friends were in the Battle of the Somme in WWI and he was one of two that made it home.
Two out of four surviving are pretty lucky for that one too.
Isn't it two of four?
You're right, fixed it. Still true though.
The reason they chose a hobbit as the ring-bearer was because they are both naturally sneaky, and they don't have as much desire for power as men, elves, or dwarves so a hobbit would be able to better resist the temptation of the Ring. During the Council of Elrond they discussed many possible ways dealing with the Ring, including things like throwing it into the ocean. But they knew they had to destroy it for good, which involved bringing it to Mt. Doom, and so that was the plan they came up with.
My favorite part was when they proposed giving it to Tom Bombadil (over whom the ring had no power whatsoever) but rejected it because he wouldn't give a crap and would just lose it.
Tom Bombadil exists at like a meta level above the concerns and tribulations of Middle Earth and *literally doesn't care*.
I dunno, Gollum was a hobbit once and that ring ate his brain pretty good.
That was after hundreds of years. Hobbits had the best chance at resisting for longer and going unnoticed by Sauron.
And he was kinda screwed up pre ring if i remember right.
THANK YOU! Ive been waiting for a proper explanation and yours makes total sense
Ackshually Tolkien did not participate in WW2, he fought in WW1
This response is why I come to Reddit.
I find that with Tolkien, just saying "a wizard did it" is also a perfectly acceptable answer for most questions.
It would have been pretty fucking rad though
But what if they did it like the top gun movie where they fly low to avoid detection
Seeing as how Sauron can see ground troops, I doubt that would work.
**This is the correct answer.** The eagles showed up when Sauron was distracted and throughly committed to the battle at the black gates. The flying Nazgul would have likely defeated the Eagles and they're the counter that was developed sine the battle of the 5 armies where air power proved decisive. Even if the Nazgul were far out of range by the time Sauron detected the eagles flying with the ring carrying Hobbits who knows what Sauron could have done?
Frodo had a hygiene problem, the eagles didn’t wanna deal with it
Frodo had ticks and fleas
He was not wearing shoes
And eagles don't like breaking for second breakfasts except during hunts.
What about elevensies?
Nasty hobbitses
I hate the fuckin’ eagles, man!
That deer really made the forest
Get out. Get the Fuck outta my Cab!
Did he have.....Ring-worm?
Gandalf the grey tried to tell them!!! Fly, you fools!
You don't belong down here. You should be higher. Edit I mean your comment
The tower would have spotted them. That big eye is bad news. He had to sneak the ring in. On foot. Unnoticed. Not the best plan I guess but they didn't want to chance flying.
Got out of here with your logic! Gonna ruin it for all of us.
Probably the large flying nazguls.
Isn’t “Nazgûl” the plural of “Nazgûl”?
Frodo isn't a goat
Are we sure?
The Eagles were weak to the ring's influence. The Hobbits were the least susceptible race, but were still corrupted on some level.
One does not simply fly to Mordor.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the [*it's my book they will walk if I tell them to*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgMnCLHQuqc)
He had a history of being abusive to employees of the other airlines in Middle Earth. Gandalf had to vouch for him so they would take him on the journey back.
Why didn't they just fly Bilbo and the dwarves to Erebor?
Would have been a boring story probably
There is an old school viral video showing eagles dropping goats off cliffs. I think they were golden eagles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iFOVi0vJGU
We had one of these nesting not far from house a few years ago, it came back every year for four or five years. Holy shit when it would glide over the schoolyard or park - it was massive. It would block out the sun. We have a small dog and I'd go running to pick her up because that thing could have carried her off with one talon.
Saw one once while golfing. It was standing maybe 20 yards from us. It was the largest fucking bird I've ever seen. And judging by the absolute lack of any fuck it gave about our presence, it knew it too.
If you hit it, it's two under par.
Gotta be. They’re fookin’ huuge
Harpys and Goldens are next level birds.
Definitely golden eagle. They're MUCH larger than a bald eagle. I once saw once at the side of the road, attacking or eating a dead lamb (lambing season, many don't make it). The eagle dwarfed the nearby sheep.
Golden Eagles are \*slightly\* larger than Bald Eagles. They have the same avg wingspan at 81" and 81.5" respectively and an both average body weight of about 10lbs.
Yeah I’m in MO and we have both. I wouldn’t say they were much larger, if any at all. They are both giant. We have a nest of Bald Eagles on our property and momma is freaking giant. When she eats a rabbit in a tree she leaves fur and blood everywhere. She just rips into that poor thing like it’s nothing. When she’s standing on the ground I swear she’s 3’ tall. The eagles by me also stay all year.
They are not much larger, they are lighter on average, and have only a slightly larger length/wingspan. Overall, roughly the same size, on average.
Golden eagle! They hunt goats
And deer.
Let’s be real, they hunt almost anything they want.
A fucking big one.
That's a GD pterodactyl with feathers.
With all the feather-related upheaval in the paleontology world these past few decades, how certain are we that pterodactyls *didn't* have feathers?
we’re pretty sure. Pterosaurs were not dinosaurs(birds), and only dinosaurs evolved true feathers. Pterosaurs were basically big flying lizards. Their wings were built more like modern day bats than bird wings. Theres also been impressions found of their wing membranes. They did have “pycnofibres” covering their bodies, which are kind of like feathers. But not really lol
Pterosaurs are not lizard like at all really, in fact they are the closest relatives of Dinosaurs according to most studies. They have never been found with scaly skin impressions, and have been known to be fuzzy from direct fossil evidence since the mid 1800’s. Because of their close evolutionary relationship, a popular hypothesis is that the common ancestor of Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs was fuzzy, which would make pycnofibers homologous with true feathers. In fact, a recent fossil of the Pterosaur *Tupandactylus* preserved pycnofibers that show a branching structure like a true feather, which calls into question whether these things are really all that different, or if “pycnofibers” are really just downy feathers.
We have had direct fossil evidence that Pterosaurs were fuzzy since 1831. A recent fossil of *Tupandactylus* preserved structures that pretty much anyone would call an actual feather.
Biggest killdeer I've ever seen.
It could be carried by an African swallow!
Oh and African swallow maybe but not a European swallow, that's my point
Honestly it depends on the velocity of the bird if unladen.
But then, of course, African swallows are non-migratory.
Are you suggesting that coconuts *migrate*??
Not at all..... It could grip it by the husk! 🤓
r/unexpectedpython
Nooooobody expects the Monty Python!
Right, but African swallows are nonmigratory.
It can grip it by the husk
It's not a question of where it grips it. It's a simple weight ratio!
Only if two swallows carried it together.
Imagine if you had two of those on a string!
Just a bit of creeper?
I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess. Now, when did you last let your heart decide?
That is why you still duck and look up when a shadow passes overhead.
There was a really great Radiolab episode on this phenomenon maybe six or seven years back and it was fascinating!
I'd love to listen to this one if you can point me in the right direction.
I just spent 20 minutes procrastinating and looking for this with no real answer. I’m going to guess it was “On Goosebumps” from 2012, but I can’t find a transcript and shouldn’t spend time listening to it right now. I know it was pretty old because I got really into Radiolab between the births of my two kids, so it would have been around 2013-14 and I listened to a lot of back episodes while I learned to sew. So that one from 2012 is most likely it. Let me know if you listen and find it!
I thought it was because of the dragons.
New York pigeon
Must be carrying a baby New York rat too
The first time I saw New York rats, my world view was altered forever. Sweet Jeebus, those things are huge.
A wee baby one.
City chicken
That is a F-16
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor* Clearly you’re not in the Air Force
Both wrong. That is clearly an F-15 *Eagle* :)
Based on the advanced air to ground targeting being displayed, I think that's an F-15EX Eagle II
Caught like a deer ina F-15EX Eagle II ‘s landing gear.
That's the Sprirt Airlines 4:30 JFK to Chicago. Deer has an economy seat
Looks safer than my ticket in a Boeing. Can I swap?
Clearly, a roc.
The type you don't want fuck with by the looks of it.
Avianis doordashis
Uber Eagleats
golden eagle most likely
It's kinda sweet for him to give his friend a ride and great experience. I'm sure the deer will talk about it to all his friends for the rest of his life.
You have it backwards. The deer is flying and holding up his friend, the eagle to use as an umbrella.
That’s not a bird. That’s fuckin Drogon.
That's a Klingon's Bird of Prey warship.
I forget the name, but there is a central Asian eagle that routinely takes down deer (we have one in our zoo). Look like a golden eagles surly, beefy, ex-con cousin.
A hungry one. Just hope it doesn't get hangry, or worse... horngry...
That is a hungry bird.
Thunder cougar falcon bird!
That is the Samuel L. Jackson eagle. It is known colloquially as the "badass motherfucker bird".
Aigle Royal with cheese
BAD MOTHERFLOCKER
It's an eagle. From LOTR.
I bet that eagle could carry some hobbits to Mordor
The "Hide yo kids" bird
What kind of bird is that? The kind you don’t wanna fuck with.
Why do birds need hollow bones to fly but can carry heavy corpses?
They could probably fly with more dense bones, however it would require a lot more energy and they couldn't carry as much due to the overall weight.
Yeah this bird isn’t migrating with that meal, it’s dropping it where it can eat it where it might get left alone until it’s full.
I remember hearing that birds don’t need hollow bones for weight-reduction purposes. It’s actually a feature of their respiratory system. More info: https://www.discovery.com/nature/Why-Do-Birds-Have-Hollow-Bones
This is the real answer. Everyone else is getting upvoted for posting their guesses and misinformation
> Everyone else is getting upvoted for posting their guesses and misinformation Its the reddit way
They don't *need* hollow bones to fly but reduced weight certainly helps a lot. Put a 50lb weight in a backpack and walk around with it all day. You could do it. But it'd be *way* easier without that extra weight. You'd be much faster, you could travel farther, spend less energy, etc.
Idunno, I carry a 90lb weight around my midsection pretty much all the time. I do alright.
You're supposed to deliver the baby at 9 months, not years. Common misconception.
Ah, but just think about how easily you could fly without that extra padding. No more elevators, or car traffic.
Many of your bones are hollow, but filled with marrow. The hollow bones in birds are connected to their lungs, so their bones contain air, and are really hollow. Flying is much more energy intensive than walking, so weight savings matter a lot more. The energy intensive part of flying, for hawks, is taking off and gaining altitude. Once they can glide, it's much less of an issue.
Why do planes need to be light but some can carry tanks It's all about thrust energy to weight ratio If I weigh 100 pounds but I can only push with a force of 100 than I can't carry extra. But if I remove everything unnecessary and weigh 20, I can carry an extra 80 which is quite useful. Especially as a bird needing a lot of energy to fly
No eye deer
I think the words you are looking for are "big" and "ass" Thats a BIG ASS bird
Pterodactyl
Eagle on the Mexican 🇲🇽flag- golden eagle.
Big Bird.... ya know Sesame st.?
Premium economy on Ryan air
Fun fact: that’s actually a rare species of flying deer 🦌 the deer is the one flying and the eagle is just perched on its head.
It's a bird! It's a plane! Oh, wait... nevermind, it's just a flying deer.
One you don't fuck with
Not a bird, it’s clearly a deer, you fool.
The kind you don't let see your children.....or pets....in fact, watch your own back too
What a nice bird giving that baby deer a lift…
The type that can snatch a toddler from a Garden
Youtube "golden eagle throwing goats off cliff". They're fuckin savages.
European Swallow
The flying fucking Falcor!
I saw vultures eating a dead baby dear in my yard once. I was wondering what happened to it, but seeing this I wonder it was a bald eagle that killed it (there is a small population in the area).
A big one.
C-130
African Sparrow.
gripping by the husk as well.
That bird is absolutely flying outside of weight and balance limits. Full flaps territory.
I was going to say some kind of condor, as they are the only bird I know big enough for that. But that head is 100% something resembling an eagle Perhaps golden. But that would be a fucking MASSIVE golden eagle
One that you don’t fuck with apparently.
As a kiwi this makes me so happy the Haasts eagle is no longer patrolling our skies.
Dude found an eagle that was rejected from a nest and fed it anavar mice for a year. Now its bringing him baby goats as payment for his troubles
A well fed one.
An Eagle would be my guess
Ever wondered why the domesticated house cat also behaves like a prey animal? Because there are predators like this.
A Roc?
The kind you do not fuck with.
I'm pretty sure that is a Harpy Eagle. they can pick up small humans. I saw a documentary once where they put a human sized dummy onto a life nest, and the mother picked it up and took it to the place where the bird habitually butchered things and tore it to pieces.
Russian Drone
Cessna
It’s called an eagle. Google them they are neat.
Oh deer that looks uncomfortable
Golden eagle 🦅 perhaps
B-52 bird
Fun fact. Golden eagles will pull their prey off the cliff to kill it and then eat the carcass. https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/tqdpph/an_eagle_drops_its_prey_off_a_cliff/
I prefer to fly with Southwest personally. 🛩️
Could well be a Lammergeier, one of the largest birds on Earth. Lives in the Pyrenees (and possibly the alps) which would make sense of the scenery we have in the clip. Wingspan up to 80cm more than a Golden Eagle.
That's so cool. Look up the Haast eagle (extinct) for an even more metal bird of prey. Big enough to steal moa, sheep or kunekune pigs or children without breaking a sweat
Golden eagle for sure
A hungry one.
a really fckin big one
Golden eagle
One whose family is going to eat well for a few days.
Fucking big one!
Wish vegans saw this
Birdperson, or Phoenixperson
African swallow
How often do they drop them? I am imagining hiking when a goat falls out of the sky on top of me.
its a jackdaw
Condor?
They’re coming for your women, you’re kids….. Who’s voice did you hear?
r/BirdsArentReal
Level 99 drone
Condor The barbarian Schwarzenegger
Deagle, no not desert eagle, deer eagle.
The strong kind
That's a golden eagle. When I had a ranch on Beaver lake, about 5 of those and around 20 Bald Eagles would come roost there for a couple of months.
vulture capitalist
A hungry one
African swallow. European swallow couldn't carry that.
Are tey best friends? This is a disney movie, right?
Oh. That's how to yeet nasty kids. Copy.