Posted: January 30, 2000 at 22:33:18: by Michael Martinez
: I think that the original Great Eagles i.e. the Eagles of
: Thorondor were Maiar given mortal form (not wholly unlike the
: Istari), and that most of them returned to Aman after the War
: of Wrath; but some of them "went native" and interbred with
: normal eagles, and their offspring and descendants were the
: Great Eagles of the Third Age i.e. the Eagles of Gwaihir. They
: probably were not in direct communication with Manwe but still
: had some sense of his will.: Anyone agree/disagree? Well, like many other people, I used to believe the Eagles were Maiar, but Tolkien doesn't actually say they are. THE SILMARILLION (which seems canonical enough on this point) merely says that the thought of Yavanna would summon spirits from afar, and that these spirits (sent by Iluvatar) would inhabit trees and eagles. The Maiar were specifically Ainur who entered Ea to assist the Valar. I no longer believe the Eagles were any kind of Maiar.
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