With this information, it can be estimated that Gwaihir could fly from the Shire to Mordor in just over 2 days, uninterrupted.

Again referring to the map mentioned above, this trip from Isengard spans roughly 125 miles. Doom and are the 'orc-rags' that they wore through Mordor. That clothing was still on them when Gandalf and the Eagles rescued them on the slopes of Mt. I will claim it as my own It is mine' said Frodo. When they finally left the road from the Black Gates to Barad-dûr, Frodo and Sam threw away most of this orc-gear, including all the military stuff, but apparently kept wearing the clothing. 'I came here to destroy the Ring, but I have changed my mind' said Frodo, sounding quite unlike himself. The eagle rescues Gandalf from the Tower of Orthanc on the night of September 18th and drops him off in Edoras ' ere dawn,' suggesting a flight around 6 hours in length. 'But you must Master Frodo All of Middle Earth is counting on you' said Sam. The Ring succeeded, but luckily Gollum was there.

This is why Frodo was ultimately unable to destroy the One Ring himself. This is why its powers increased, as it was important to crush any possibility of destruction by seducing the bearer. Working out how fast the Great Eagles can travel in The Lord of the Rings is much harder, especially since the creatures only carry Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom ' out of the fire to the King,' suggesting that the Hobbits were flown down to the field of battle, rather than directly to Gondor.Īnother notable journey Gwaihir makes is more helpful. The One Ring was a powerful magical object and it was probably aware of the danger it was facing. Using a scale map (via EncyclopediaOfArda), the distance between the Shire and Mordor as the crow (or eagle) flies can be estimated at around 1100 miles. With that target in mind, how much faster could the Great Eagles have made the journey? This is somewhat trickier to calculate, requiring a mixture of arithmetic and guesswork to reach an answer.

Frodo and sam mount doom gif