An overlooked aspect of The Lord of the Rings' lore is yet another reason that the Great Eagles could not have flown the Ring ...

Tolkien invented the eagles for The Hobbit, and used them sparingly as a fast travel system for his wizard in The Lord of the Rings. Boyens, Jackson, ...

Yes, the Eagles do help sometimes, but it’s up to them. Gandalf the Grey had saved Gwaihir the Windlord from a poisoned arrow, thus creating a lifelong friendship and bond between the two.

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025.

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday.

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025.

Eagles frequently feature in Tolkien’s stories, often swooping in and saving other characters from seemingly hopeless situations. Shaun Jeffers.

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025.

A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — For more than a decade, passengers at New Zealand ’s Wellington Airport have boarded flights below the figures of two giant, hovering eagles from the Hobbit ...