A Lord of the Rings video game answered one of the great questions about the One Ring 15 years ago

For decades, followers of The Lord of the Rings have debated a seemingly simple question: if the Great Eagles could travel enormous distances, why didn't they take Frodo directly to Mordor to destroy the One Ring?

Although the universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien offers explanations for this question, a video game released over a decade ago decided to address the issue directly.

This was The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, an action RPG developed by Snowblind Studios and published in 2011.

An adventure set during the events of The Lord of the Rings

War in the North presents a parallel story to the events of the original trilogy.

Players control a group of characters who face the forces of Sauron while the Fellowship of the Ring continues its mission.

One of the most striking characters is Beleram, a Great Eagle who assists the protagonists during part of the adventure.

Its presence allows the game to directly explore one of the most well-known questions in Tolkien's history.

So, why not use the eagles?

During the adventure, the protagonists can converse with Gandalf and ask him precisely why the Great Eagles could not be used to transport the Ring to Mordor.

The answer is quite logical within Tolkien's universe.

Eagles are not creatures under the command of Gandalf or the inhabitants of Middle-earth. They are independent beings who can decide when to intervene and when not to.

Furthermore, transporting the Ring directly to Mordor would not be a simple mission.

Flying to Mordor does not mean going unnoticed

One of the main problems would be the enormous risk of being detected.

A Great Eagle crossing the skies towards Mordor would hardly go unnoticed by Sauron's forces.

Enemy territory was heavily protected and the Eye of Sauron itself represented a constant threat.

Therefore, using the eagles as a safe air transport could end up becoming a suicide mission.

The eagles were not an army either

Another important detail is that Gandalf could not simply order the Great Eagles to participate in the mission.

The game makes it clear that characters like Gwaihir, Lord of the Winds, were allies of Gandalf, but were not under his control.

This explains why their participation at certain moments in history does not mean that they could be freely used for any mission.

What if the Ring had been thrown into the ocean?

The video game also raises another curious possibility: taking the Ring far from Mordor and throwing it into the sea.

However, this alternative did not guarantee its destruction either.

The main problem was that the One Ring could not be destroyed by conventional methods. Its fate was linked to the fire of Orodruin, Mount Doom.

Therefore, simply hiding it or throwing it into a remote place would not have really solved the problem.

Could dragons destroy it?

The conversation with Gandalf even raises another even more striking possibility: using dragon fire.

But it wouldn't work either.

According to the explanation presented in the game, not even Ancalagon the Black, considered one of the most powerful dragons in Tolkien's history, would have had enough power to destroy the One Ring with his fire.

This once again highlights one of the most important characteristics of the Ring: its destruction required extremely specific circumstances.

A curious detail that still generates debate

Although War in the North was released in 2011, its answer continues to be interesting for Tolkien fans because it directly addresses one of the most recurrent debates of the saga.

The game does not turn the eagles into a magical solution for Frodo's journey. On the contrary, it shows that using them would have involved numerous risks and that they could not be considered a simple means of transport.

Tolkien's own story also makes it clear that the Great Eagles have their own will and do not function as a military force at the service of the protagonists.