The Eagles' Arrival
The Eagles' Arrival marks the decisive reversal in the Battle of Five Armies, transforming a near-certain defeat for the allied forces of Elves, Men, and Dwarves into a hard-won victory. As the goblin army, reinforced by Wargs and led by Bolg, pressed the defenders from all sides, the sudden appearance of the Eagles from the North shattered the goblin assault and allowed the allies to rally and ultimately prevail.
The Moment of Desperation
By the time the Eagles arrived, the battle had reached its darkest hour. The goblins had scaled the Mountain from the far side and were streaming down to attack the defenders from above, while the main goblin host, including Bolg's bodyguard of huge goblins with scimitars of steel, pressed the allies in the valley. Bard was fighting to hold the Eastern spur but giving ground slowly, and the elf-lords were at bay on the southern arm near Ravenhill. The defenders had stemmed the first onslaught, but victory had vanished from hope. Bilbo Baggins, watching from Ravenhill among the Elves, saw the situation as hopeless and wished he were well out of it.
The Cry and the Descent
Just as the clouds were torn by the wind and a red sunset slashed the West, Bilbo looked round and saw a sight that made his heart leap: dark shapes, small yet majestic against the distant glow. He gave a great cry: "The Eagles! The Eagles! The Eagles are coming!" Bilbo's eyes were seldom wrong. The eagles were coming down the wind, line after line, in such a host as must have gathered from all the eyries of the North. Bilbo cried out again, dancing and waving his arms, and soon the elves took up the cry, which echoed across the valley. At that moment, a stone hurtling from above smote heavily on Bilbo's helm, and he fell with a crash and knew no more.
The Eagles' Role in the Battle
The Eagles had long had suspicion of the goblins' mustering; from their watchfulness, the movements in the mountains could not be altogether hid. They had gathered in great numbers under the great Eagle of the Misty Mountains, and at length, smelling battle from afar, they came speeding down the gale in the nick of time. It was they who dislodged the goblins from the mountain-slopes, casting them over precipices, or driving them down shrieking and bewildered among their foes. Not long after their arrival, they had freed the Lonely Mountain, and elves and men on either side of the valley could come at last to the help of the battle below. Even with the Eagles, however, the allies were still outnumbered until Beorn himself appeared in bear's shape, seemingly grown to giant-size in his wrath, and crushed Bolg, causing dismay to fall on the Goblins and sending them fleeing in all directions.
Aftermath and Significance
The Eagles' intervention was the turning point that allowed the allied forces to break the goblin siege and pursue the fleeing enemy. Songs have said that three parts of the goblin warriors of the North perished on that day, and the mountains had peace for many a year. After the battle, Dain crowned the chief of the Eagles with gold and swore friendship with them forever. Bilbo, who had been knocked unconscious by a stone just after spotting the Eagles, later expressed regret that he had not seen them again, though he hoped to see them on the way home. The Eagles' arrival thus stands as the moment when the tide of war turned, fulfilling the narrative pattern of rescue from above that had earlier saved the company from the Wargs and goblins in the Misty Mountains.
