The eagles cannot fly them too far on their journey because men will shoot at them, but they give the expedition a place to rest for the night and bring back animals for the
Firstly, the Eagles didn't want to fly over Mirkwood due to the darkness they felt growing in those woods. Second, the Eagles were disliked by the men of Dale and Laketown because they ate sheep and other livestock, and so the bowmen tried to shoot them down whenever possible.
The Eagles of the Valar are huge, and that's an understatement. Not only would their flight above Mount Doom cause a stir in Sauron's forces, but there is no physical way for Gwaihir to drop the One Ring precisely into the Cracks of Doom.
The Hobbits were small enough that they could sneak by without being detected, which made them perfect carriers for the Ring. The Eagles just simply would have been too large, and they wouldn't have been able to physically drop the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, as there would have been no way for them to enter it.
Gandalf's particular eagle friend is Gwaihir the Windlord, who owes Gandalf for some service the wizard paid to him in the past — possibly a life-debt, though The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are somewhat contradictory on this.
The eagles cannot fly them too far on their journey because men will shoot at them, but they give the expedition a place to rest for the night and bring back animals for the dwarves to roast and eat. In this chapter, Bilbo demonstrates that he has mastered the use of the ring and understands its strategic power.
However, there's always a loophole. Perhaps the Balrog could fly, but it had too much momentum and not enough space to get its wings going. Or Gandalf could have prevented him from flying -- after all, they were fighting as they plummeted through the mountain.
' It is a testament to the Eagle's friendship and loyalty to Gandalf, that they were willing to fly so close to danger for him, and also to Gandalf's belief and faith in the goodness of people winning out over the evil, that he took with him 3 Eagles, in the hopes that Gollum might still be able to be saved, both from ...
Though someone could start out with good intentions, the Ring would eventually corrupt them. And that is why Gandalf can't touch it. He is afraid that if he did, it would corrupt him and make him just as bad as Sauron since Sauron put so much of himself and his evil into the One Ring.
So, Smaug was NOT the last dragon in Middle-earth. However, he was probably (in Tolkien's mind) the last GREAT dragon in Middle-earth.
However, a specific scene in The Lord of the Rings has led fans to theorize that Frodo and Legolas didn't talk, not because of time, but because the hobbit didn't know Legolas' name (and was too embarrassed to ask).
Sauron was hunting for the Ring so that he could again take physical form, and the Great Eye was a way to show his relentless search for the Ring. Peter Jackson chose to show Sauron as a fiery, lidless eye so that Sauron would feel more like the present and growing threat that he was.
In The Book of Lost Tales, it is said that Orcs were "bred from the heats and slimes of the earth" through the sorcery of Morgoth. Again, Tolkien later changed this, as Morgoth could not create life on his own. This led to the most popular theory that Orcs were created from corrupted Elves.
However, they were afraid of the men of the Vales of Anduin, who shot arrows at the Eagles (including the chief whom Gandalf saved) to keep them from stealing livestock. Therefore, the Eagles took the Company only a short distance.
Gandalf knew exactly where the Ring was, and who owned it. At any time he could've stepped in to help Bilbo destroy it if he did indeed confirm it was the One Ring. However, Gandalf would also have known how corrupting an influence the Ring can be. So he wouldn't have taken it himself, even if he had known earlier.
Second, Gandalf could not just “send” the Eagles anywhere. They were autonomous beings who lived far into the Misty Mountains. Being able to find them and ask them would have been time consuming and tedious especially without Radagast.
In the film adaptation, however, Gandalf mentions the Blue Wizards but claims he doesn't remember their names. This is actually due to a copyright issue because the names of the Blue Wizards don't appear in the trilogy.
Sauron Thought Frodo Was Just a Spy
Even though Sam has hold of the Ring, the Orcs could question Frodo and piece together what was going on. And Sauron is likely made aware of Frodo's intrusion, as the Mouth of Sauron (his loyal messenger) learns about the Hobbit and the mithril armor he carries.
As he is an ancient spirit tied to the woodland and the acorns and the leaves, it would make sense that he is only able to exist when he is near them. It also explains why he can't take the ring to Mordor and destroy it himself, because he is encased within his borders, and cannot step outside them.
The Great Eagles were the messengers and spies of Manwë, and possessed the ability to see through all physical matter, except for the blackness of Morgoth's evil pits. Morgoth first discovered the limits of their sight prior to the fall of the great stronghold of Utumno.
Loyalty… and a special kind of loyalty, as Sam was more devoted to another person — Frodo — than himself. You would need a substantial amount of such devotion not to take the Ring for yourself. Even as it was, Frodo taking back the Ring was not easy for Sam.
As instructed by Gandalf, Radagast sent Gwaihir to bear the news to him at Isengard, but Gandalf was at that time imprisoned at the pinnacle of Orthanc. On an autumn night, Gandalf saw the Eagle flying towards him and so Gwaihir rescued the Wizard.
As a Valar, Morgoth led a whole slew of Balrogs in the First Age, but because Sauron was only a Maia, the Balrog would have had no loyalty to him. He was his own master in Moria, and no Dark Lord was going to ruin that. Thus, if he really wanted to recruit the Balrog, Sauron would have had to dominate it first.
Avarice, principally for mithril, drove the dwarves to go too deep and awaken the Balrog. The Dwarves attempted to fight the Balrog, but its power was far too great for them. In their efforts to hold Khazad-dûm against it, many Dwarves were killed: Durin's successor Náin ruled for only a year.
The movies didn't show it, but the Balrog all but defeated Gandalf in a battle of spells. So, the bottom line is that some brutish beast like Smaug (regardless of his size) wouldn't have been a threat to a Balrog. The only thing that could save Smaug would be his wings -- if he flew away in full retreat.