[lathspell]

Hello MoN!

Surely you cannot kill people at the Downs where you are already dead [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

First of all: I'd like to know what you think so fishy about the Rings of Power.

And now the Eagles. Ofcourse Eagles could fly to Mount Doom, there are no geological barriers along the way if you can fly. Yet you would have to pass the Mountains (either Ered Lithui or Ephel Duath) or the Morannon. In any case they would have been spotted there, if not long before. Nazgul would be there to fight them and the Eagles would be the ones that have to save M-e by avoiding or defeating the Nazgul.
I don't think Gwaihir Windlord would do anything to his Eagles to put them in danger except in the greatest need (as in: Bttle of the Five Armies and Battle at Pelennor Fields). As long as it was uncertain if there was another way (or just a way) into Mordor, I believe they wouldn't go freely to Mount Doom, putting themselves to danger. In LotR Gandalf says the mission with the Ring relies on it's secrecy, but with the Eagles secrecy would soon be gone.
So, I guess the Eagles could, but wouldn't fly to Mount Doom except in the greatest need (when Frodo and Sam lay there) and more important: after the destruction of the Ring, thus no more Sauron and no more Nazgul. They had a clear air, which they otherwise would not have had.

Both the Ring and Sauron are evil, yes. The source lies with Morgoth, who corrupted Sauron in the early days. Thus Sauron became the servant of Melkor (his chief servant) and did great damage from his fortress in Angband. But then, in the Second Age, after the fall of Thangorodrim and Morgoth, he returns in Mordor and, after walking among the Elves for a long time, makes the One Ring. He made this Ring to seek domination over all others. To corrupt them and force them under his will. Because of Sauron being evil and putting a lot of his power into the Ring it would be evil. But also because it's purpose solely is to gain it's Master world domination it is evil. Sauron uses his Ring for this and ofcourse an extremely big armie.
Letting his power into the Ring and using it seek dominance over all other Rings (and indirectly over all the 'Free People') is what made the Ring evil. For Sauron himself did many more deeds out of evil which I haven't spoken about in this post.

But certainly you are right to suggest that all this is because the writer said so. If LotR was written from the view of Sauron and his forces the Elves probably would have been described as 'nasty, cruel people with terrible shining white faces' and would have been the 'bad ones'.

greetings,
lathspell