Eagles

The Eagles of the Misty Mountains are a race of ancient, noble birds, the greatest of all birds in the northern world. Proud, strong, and valiant, they are not kindly in a tame sense—some are cowardly and cruel—but the ancient race of the northern mountains are distinguished by their noble-heartedness. They do not love goblins nor fear them, and when they take notice of goblin mischief, they swoop down and drive the wicked creatures shrieking back to their caves. The goblins hate and fear the Eagles, but cannot reach their lofty seats or drive them from the mountains. The Lord of the Eagles, their king, possesses eyes that can look at the sun unblinking and see a rabbit moving on the ground a mile below even in moonlight; he sits on a lonely pinnacle of rock at the eastern edge of the mountains, black in the moonlight, and from that high vantage he surveys the lands below.

Rescue from the Wargs and Goblins

The Eagles' first intervention occurs during the company's desperate flight from the goblins. After escaping the Misty Mountains, Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves are trapped in trees by a ring of Wargs, with goblins gathering below and setting fire to the forest. Gandalf, preparing to leap down among the spears, is instead seized by the Lord of the Eagles, who swoops down from above and carries him away. The other Eagles follow, snatching the dwarves from the treetops. Bilbo, nearly left behind, catches hold of Dori's legs as Dori is borne off, and swings in the air with his arms nearly breaking. The Eagles carry the company to the Great Shelf, a wide rock on the mountain-side, where they set them down safely. There Gandalf and the Lord of the Eagles, who know one another slightly and are on friendly terms, discuss plans. Gandalf had once rendered a service to the Eagles, healing their lord from an arrow-wound, and this past kindness underpins the rescue. The Lord of the Eagles will not take the company anywhere near where men live, for men would shoot at them with great bows of yew, thinking they were after sheep; but he is glad to cheat the goblins of their sport and to repay his thanks to Gandalf. The Eagles bring dry boughs for fuel and rabbits, hares, and a small sheep for the company to cook, and the dwarves manage the preparations while Bilbo, too weak to help, lies down. The next morning, Bilbo is allowed to climb onto an eagle's back and cling between its wings, and fifteen great birds rise from the mountain's side, carrying the company to the Carrock, a great rock in the plain. The Eagles set down their passengers one by one on the top of the rock, and the Lord of the Eagles bids them farewell with the polite eagle-saying: "Farewell! wherever you fare, till your eyries receive you at the journey's end!" Gandalf replies with the correct response: "May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks." The Lord of the Eagles later becomes the King of All Birds, wearing a golden crown, and his fifteen chieftains golden collars made from gold given by the dwarves; Bilbo never sees them again except high and far off in the Battle of Five Armies.

Turning the Tide at the Battle of Five Armies

The Eagles' second and decisive intervention occurs during the Battle of Five Armies. As the goblins, led by Bolg, press the combined forces of Elves, Men, and Dwarves, and victory seems lost, Bilbo, standing on Ravenhill, sees a sight that makes his heart leap: dark shapes, small yet majestic against the distant glow of a red sunset. He cries out, "The Eagles! The Eagles! The Eagles are coming!" The Eagles come down the wind, line after line, in such a host as must have gathered from all the eyries of the North. They 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. They dislodge the goblins from the mountain-slopes, casting them over precipices or driving them down shrieking and bewildered among their foes. It is not long before they free the Lonely Mountain, allowing elves and men on either side of the valley to come at last to the help of the battle below. Even with the Eagles, the allies are still outnumbered until Beorn himself appears in bear's shape and crushes Bolg, causing the goblins to flee. After the battle, most of the Eagles return to their eyries, departing with the first light of morning. Dain crowns their chief with gold and swears friendship with them forever. Bilbo, who had been knocked unconscious by a falling stone just after spotting the Eagles, later expresses regret that he did not get to see them again, but Gandalf assures him he may see them on the way home.

Narrative Role and Significance

The Eagles function as a deus ex machina in the narrative, appearing at the two most desperate moments of the quest to rescue the protagonists from otherwise certain death. Their interventions are not random but are prepared by prior relationships: Gandalf's past service to the Lord of the Eagles, and the Eagles' own long-standing enmity with the goblins. They are not merely tools of the plot but are given their own motivations, culture, and code of conduct—they will not risk themselves for dwarves in the southward plains, but they are glad to cheat the goblins of their sport. Their presence underscores the theme that help can come from unexpected quarters, and that alliances forged in the past can bear fruit in times of need. The Eagles also serve as a symbol of the wild, noble forces of the natural world that stand against the darkness of goblins and dragons, and their final appearance, crowned with gold and sworn to friendship, marks the restoration of peace and order in the North.