What is the name of the great eagle who rescues Bilbo and the Dwarves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit?

The story behind the answer

The great eagle who rescues Bilbo and the Dwarves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is identified as the Great Eagle.

After the company escapes from the Goblins and Wargs, the Eagles carry Bilbo, Thorin, and the Dwarves away from danger. Tolkien’s text does not give this individual eagle a personal name in The Hobbit; he is referred to as the Great Eagle, and he is the leader of the Eagles who assist the travelers. This makes the answer different from Gwaihir, a named Lord of the Eagles who appears prominently in The Lord of the Rings.

The Eagles are intelligent, powerful beings associated with Manwë, the chief of the Valar, in Tolkien’s mythology. Their interventions are limited, and they do not simply solve the central quests by flying the heroes everywhere. Tolkien explained that practical, narrative, and moral reasons kept the Eagles from being an all-purpose transport service. The naming distinction between the Great Eagle and Gwaihir is a frequent source of confusion.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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