| Eagles | |
|---|---|
| In-universe information | |
| Creation date | First Age |
| Home world | Middle-earth |
| Base of operations | Encircling Mountains, Misty Mountains |
| Leader | Thorondor, Gwaihir |
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, the Eagles or Great Eagles,[T 1][T 2] are immense birds that are sapient and can speak. The Great Eagles resemble actual eagles, but are much larger. Thorondor is said to have been the greatest of all birds, with a wingspan of 30 fathoms (55 m; 180 ft).[T 3] Elsewhere, the Eagles have varied in nature and size both within Tolkien's writings and in later adaptations.
Scholars have noticed that the Eagles appear as agents of eucatastrophe or deus ex machina throughout Tolkien's writings, from The Silmarillion and the accounts of Númenor to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Where Elves are good, and fully sentient, and Orcs bad, Eagles and other races are in between; the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins fears he will become their supper, torn up like a rabbit, and is indeed served rabbit for supper. The scholar Marjorie Burns notes, too, that Gandalf's association with Eagles is reminiscent of the god Odin in Norse mythology. Others have seen Biblical echoes, especially when the Eagle-messenger sings of the final victory to Faramir in phrases reminiscent of Psalm 24.
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