The Winged beasts vs The Eagles

In the siege of Minas Tirith, the Nazgul wre causing havoc agaisnt the soldiers of Gondor. In this situation, support from the Eagles would have proved most useful. Why then did Gandalf not seek the support of the Gwaihir the Windlord? The orcs would have been reluctant to fire arrows at the Eagles if they swarmed close to the winged beasts, incase they slew the wrong target.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I don't think the Nazgul did much. Apart from crying and demoralizing the Gondorians in the few days before the battle, and twice pursuing Faramir when he retreated to the city, they did not intervene. The pursuit of Faramir was too fast for the Eagles to come from the North, and otherwise there was no need of their help. Also the Eagles did not just come on Gandalf's call. How would he contact them? Gwaihir was sitting in his nest, Gandalf was seven hundred miles away. And the Eagles could as well serve their purpose by getting rid of the mountain goblins. Mainly, the battle at Pelennor was not a battle where the Eagles could - by logic - be of much use. They could not attack the hosts in plains, at maximum they'll get shot down. They were not close to the Gondorians in any way. So, I think it would be weird if they came.

[Boromir88]

Legate, you bring up good points about the Eagles not being at the battle (and let's remember they do show up at the Morannon ). However, I am going to disagree with you with this one:

I don't think the Nazgul did much. Apart from crying and demoralizing the Gondorians in the few days before the battle,

I think the Nazgul had a great effect during the Siege of Minas Tirith and Pelennor Fields. This was while Sauron's Army was already swarmed at the Gate:

...But soon there were few left in Minas Tirith who had the heart to stand up and defy the hosts of Mordor. For yet another weapon, swifter than hunger, the Lord of the Dark Tower had: dread and despair.
The Nazgul came again, and as their Dark Lord now grew and put forth his strength, so their voices, which uttered only his will and his malice, were filled with evil and horror. Ever they circled the City, like vultures that expect their fill of doomed men's flesh. Out of sight and shot they flew, and yet were ever present, and their deadly voices rent the air. More unbearable they became, not less, at each new cry. At length even the stout-hearted would fling themselves to the ground as the hidden menace passed over them, or they would stand, letting their weapons fall from nerveless hands while into their minds a blackness came, and they thought no more of war; but only of hiding and of crawling, and of death.~The Siege of Gondor

I don't think the Nazgul (and the fell beasts they road) were swooping around gobbling up Gondorian soldiers as the movies portrayed...as Tolkien compares them circling above the City ('out of sight and shot') to vultures; vultures being carrion fowl. However, they were always present and having an effect during the battle:

So it was that Gandalf took command of the last defense of the City of Gondor. Wherever he came men's hearts would lift again, and the winged shadows pass from memory...
And yet - when they [Gandalf and the Knights of Dol Amroth~me] had gone, the shadows closed on men again, and their hearts went cold, and the valour of Gondor withered into ash.~ibid

I think the Nazgul did have a great presense about them during the Siege of Gondor, but do agree that the Eagles could not have helped in that situation, at that time, due to the reasons you gave.

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Legate

I think the Nazgul did have a great presense about them during the Siege of Gondor, but do agree that the Eagles could not have helped in that situation, at that time, due to the reasons you gave.

I cannot remember the exact quote, but was it not said that the Nazgul feared the Eagles? They were effective in keeping the Nazgul at bay in the Back Gate Opens chapter. Even if the Eagles were deployed to keep the Nazgul out of sight, it may have helped the soldiers of Gondor.

As for Gwaiher, would he not have heard news of trouble in Gondor? His eyes see far, he is wise & even gives Gandalf counsel when asked, & he has many servants. I would imagine he could have sent scouts to spy out the lands, particularly as he was in close friendship with Gandalf & Radaghast. Also, it must not be underestimated the speed at which Eagles can fly, they are the windlords of the sky, unrivalled.

[Raynor]

Originally Posted by The Siege of Gondor, RotK

Ever they circled the City, like vultures that expect their fill of doomed men's flesh. Out of sight and shot they flew, and yet were ever present, and their deadly voices rent the air.

In my opinion, the eagles may have acted as a powerful deterrence against these maneuvers, moving at the same safe distance from ordinary weapons - which would have probably kept the nazgul at a longer distance, thus diminishing their direct effect and this sort of local air superiority would have been a strong, positive, moral factor for the defenders. If I were to make a comparison before battles, sort of speaking, their role at the last battle would not have made much of a difference (and less than at Minas Tirith), seeing that that entire military mission was doomed from the start, less the hobbits prevailed. By and large, and strictly in military terms, the chances of success of the Minas Tirith battle were far higher than that of Morannon, and the eagles would have meant more at the former than at the latter.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

What you say here, Boro and Raynor, is true, but still I don't think the Eagles would have to come to Gondor just because some battle is fought there. Don't let us forget - as Gandalf says - that different battles of almost or the same importance were fought at that time also in the North, and we don't know whether the Eagles joined them or not, but if they were to join any of the battles, then I think more likely in one that took place near to them. In the light of this it's only logical that they arrived at the battle of Morannon, when the main battles were already won on the North. And still, note that according to the Tale of the Years, the battles of Lórien (the second one) and Dale were fought several days before and still the Eagles arrived at Morannon only in the last hour (the Nazgul were just driven off, but 99% of the battle they were flying above the hosts undisturbed). So what you said about Gwaihir hearing news about the trouble in Gondor, Mansun, I think would make no difference - he had the same sort of enemies nearer to his own nest, and he could not be sure whether there are going to be any winged Nazgul at Minas Tirith or if there are not going to be any here on the North until the battles started (if he even knew about their existence, which is not definitely sure).

As a side note - please don't let ourselves get influenced by the movie nonsense (and I presume you are not, I'm saying that just to be sure) - Gandalf had nothing to do with the Eagles coming to Morannon, they arrived on their own account. I would presume them to be "driven by fate", them being birds of Manwë and all, but it is also possible that they simply decided that the North is more or less safe now and that they'll try to help in the final battle (of which, again, they could have learned by some "divine message" or how to call it). (Is not something about the reason of their coming in the Letters, for example?)

And if I were to be indeed nasty to the Eagles, then what exactly is said about the Eagles and the Nazgul is just this:

Originally Posted by Cormallen Field

There came Gwaihir the Windlord, and (...)[other eagles]. Straight down upon the Nazgûl they bore, stooping suddenly out of the high airs, and the rush of their wide wings as they passed over was like a gale.
But the Nazgûl turned and fled, and vanished into Mordor's shadows, hearing a sudden terrible call out of the Dark Tower...

So technically, the Eagles arrived only to pick up Frodo and Sam. "Group Alpha, to the evac point!" The Nazgul, as we see from the quote, did not turn back because of the Eagles, but because they were called back by Sauron (to stop Frodo), that is clear. It just happened that the Eagles arrived at the same moment (and who knows, maybe if the Nazgul had time to fight back, the Eagles would tear the winged beasts to pieces). But all the time the Morannon hosts fought under the shadow of terror, and the coming of Eagles was just one of (though important) the factors to boost the morale of the western armies in the end.

The battles fought in the North were of far less importance to Middle Earth than the survival of Minas Tirith. The scale of the army heading from Mordor to Gondor would also have been far greater than anywhere else. Plus we add the fact that the Eagles had already appeared in the Battle of Five Armies of their own accord. They would have served as an excellent shield to fend off the Nazgul if deployed by Gandalf. He would have had plenty of time to send messengers to gain the support of the Eagles. They are also loyal to him when called.

[Raynor]

Originally Posted by Legate

What you say here, Boro and Raynor, is true, but still I don't think the Eagles would have to come to Gondor just because some battle is fought there.

I agree that, in the general sense, the eagles would and should not come to a battle simply because it is fought. However, I believe that the importance of the city of Minas Tirith, as the foremost bastion of resistance, and its battle, is far higher than any other, at that time. Even if the hobbits prevailed, the forces of the West would have an incredible challenge ahead of them if the armies of Mordor already commanded Minas Tirith.