Lore Deep Dive: Saruman's Fall and the Eagles

Two topics discussed in the "Council of Elrond"  but not thoroughly explored are Saruman's fall from wisdom and the nature of the Eagles that seem to crop up in convenient plot corners.

Fall of Saruman

This will be a longer post during the read through of Two Towers when we dive deeper into Saruman and have some more textual evidence to work from. For now, we'll focus on a what we know of Saruman so far and how he is talked about at the Council of Elrond.

Saruman came to Middle-Earth as the leader of the Istari (wizards), the most powerful of the five Maiar (lesser Valar) sent to ME to help Elves, Men, and Dwarves oppose the Hobbits. These five were forbidden from using their powers directly against Sauron or else risk becoming as he was: corrupted and twisted. 

Saruman and Gandalf never really got along. Gandalf was friendlier with the "lesser" of folk, like Hobbits, the Rangers, random travellers, and the common-folk while Saruman enjoyed consorting with the mighty like the Lords of Gondor or the Wise among the Elves.  Additionally, when the Wise got together to discuss the problem of Dol Guldur (the place in The Hobbit where Sauron was hiding before returning to Mordor), Gandalf was the preferred choice to lead the the White Council instead of Saruman. Gandalf refused Galadriel's request and Saruman became their leader. Of course, Saruman grew increasingly jealous of Gandalf and their bond began to fray.

Saruman decided early on that the best way to combat Sauron was to learn as much as possible about the One Ring, with the hopes of undoing Sauron's power eventually. Saruman became obsessed with the Ring and the process of making it. Over the years, his obsession turned from undoing the Ring to bending it to his will to destroy Sauron.

When Gandalf rode to Orthanc to counsel with Saruman, Saruman invites Gandalf to join him as rulers over a new peaceful world. He declares himself "Ring-maker" to show off that he has dabbled in making his own rings of power. Gandalf refuses and ends up on top of the tower, but it is important to note that Saruman does not believe his acts are wicked. He firmly believes that his acts are for the good of Middle-Earth and that only through his rule will peace be achieved.

This is not dissimilar to what Sauron himself thought. Can you think of any other "villains" who firmly believed that they were in the right? It's a common trope now, but less common in Tolkien's day especially in mythologies or fantasy type novels.

The Eagles are Coming!

One of the easiest (and laziest) criticisms of the Lord of the Rings is why the Eagles are not used more to transport the Ring throughout the journey. We see them appear several times, notably to pull Gandalf's ass from the fire, and then disappear. At best, they seem like a "wave of the hand" tool of mythology to describe awesome events briefly. At worst, they are a lazy deus ex machina for Tolkien to write out of a corner. In reality, they are probably a bit of both.

Here's my best shot at explaining their role:

Think about how Odysseus in the Odyssey is pushed around by the deities and even though some are very sympathetic and would like to help him, they don't. The divine only get involved to progress the plot in seemingly impossible situations. It's fiction. It's mythology. It's a grand tale of the origins of a people and the foundational legends of a land. It's not meant to be literal. 

However, from an in-universe perspective, the Eagles should still not be directly involved in the War of the Ring. 

There are three classifications of living things in Middle-Earth: sentient species (men, elves, dwarves, etc), the Kelvar (fauna - animals), and the Olvar (plants, trees, and the sort). Sentient species can protect their own interests while the Kelvar and the Olvar need guardians.

The Eagles are the mightiest of the Kelvar, guardians of the critters of Middle-Earth. They are spirits from Valinor (probably similar to Gandalf and the Istari) and are known as the "Eagles of Manwe" (King of the Valar) which were sent to oppose Morgoth and later Sauron. However, like the Istari, they are not supposed to directly use their might to oppose Sauron, instead advancing Manwe's own cause which only they know. Manwe is also the type of deity that prefers to sit back and watch nervously as the mortals figure shit out on their own with only very limited direct intervention.

This is Tolkien's nod to God's Will and how some things just cannot be known by men and we shouldn't worry too much about it. Similar to Tom Bombadil, accept the mystery and move on.

But I've heard other explanations and I'll include a few here. I don't subscribe to all of them (or any) but they are interesting and I enjoy the debate.

1. The Ring is too powerful and would tempt the Eagles - This one I believe. Gandalf wouldn't take it for fear of corruption so the Eagles probably are not exempt over the same prolonged exposure.
2. The Eagles would be "frozen" by the Eye of Sauron coming towards Mt. Doom - Eh, the "Eye" is a metaphor and not a physical EYE like in the Peter Jackson movies. While the gaze is strong, the Eagles probably wouldn't be literally frozen. They could be very well deterred though and the Ringwraiths riding Fell Beasts could fight them off causing a Hobbit to fall from their back.
3. The Eagles don't care about what happens in Middle-Earth - Nah, they are servants of the King of the Valar (Manwe) and are literal deus ex machina. Manwe cares deeply about what happens in Middle-Earth but, like the deities in many mythologies, wants the mortals to deal with it on their own with minimal intervention. The Eagles and Manwe are very invested but their deepest conviction is set against the easy helping.

Just a few of my thoughts here. Basically, the Eagles are a plot device to get folks out of peril quickly after the tension ends. People brag about climbing Mt. Everest, not making the trek back. The Eagles just expedite that last process. From a lore perspective, Tolkien provides an established back story of their non-intervention.

I don't see a plot hole, I see building a mythology.