I’m sure everyone knows by now, but the eagles didn’t go because last time the Valar intervened they absolutely mangled middle earth and really fucked shit up. So they waited for the tiny humans and hobbits to do it before giving them a lift home for the good work!
I guess I just feel bad for the eagles looking like they aren’t absolute units.
Are you implying the eagles are Valar? What you say about the Valar intervening is true but the eagles are mortal beasts. The reason I’ve heard most often is that eagles are not stealthy enough, Sauron would see them coming and counter them with fell beasts, nazgul, archers, siege engines etc. This kind of assault is exactly what Sauron expects from someone who just claimed the ring for themselves and what he is prepared for. Gandalf stresses that the quest relies on secrecy and stealth. If the eagles going to war would wreck middle earth, wouldn’t it have happened during the battle of the five armies? Or at the battle of the black gate?