Gwaihir = Lord of Eagles?

Why are we presuming that Gwaihir is the Lord of the Eagles from The Hobbit? We have literally no reason to apart from “Windlord” having “lord” in it. As mentioned, there’s no reference at all in the text to the previous arrow wound thing nor the golden collars. And if Tolkien intended us to recognize him as thr same character, would he not use that name, Lord of the Eagles?

I seem to recall Anderson addressing this in The Annotated Hobbit as well.

A close reading if the text should not make assumptions (not to get all “Bob isn’t a Hobbit” again...)
 
I wondered about this. If Gwaihir IS the Lord of the Eagles, then why would he say that he was 'sent to bear tidings not burdens'? Wouldn't a Lord have said that I 'came' to bear tidings? I would think that even if the Lord of the Eagles was personally taking on the errand (at Radagast's request.) he would have said 'I came.' However, that alone was not conclusive. So, I looked a bit deeper and...

if we look forward to the fulfillment of the quest*, when Gandalf says 'Twice you have borne me, Gwaihir, my friend,' he is certainly speaking of (1) his rescue from Orthanc and (2) his retrieval from Celebdil.

But, in the Hobbit, the narrative states that 'Just at that moment the Lord of the Eagles swept down from above, seized him (i.e. Gandalf) in his talons, and was gone.'

So, the text would indicate that either Gandalf lost count of the number of times that Gwaihir had rescued him (3) or Gwaihir is NOT the Lord of the Eagles form the Hobbit, as the rescue of Frodo and Sam would constitute the fourth of the eagle-airlifts for the Grey Pilgrim

*at the beginning of the 'Field of Cormallen in Book 6.
 
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So, the text would indicate that either Gandalf lost count of the number of times that Gwaihir had rescued him (3) or Gwaihir is NOT the Lord of the Eagles form the Hobbit, and the rescue of Frodo and Sam would constitute the fourth of the eagle-airlifts for the Grey Pilgrim

Or else eagle rides expire after a certain period of time. That gap of nearly 80 years means Gandalf has to start earning miles all over again.
 
As a kid, I always read the rescue as the black gate, specifically this passage:

"There came Gwaihir the Windlord, and Landroval his brother, greatest of all the Eagles of the North, mightiest of the descendants of old Thorondor, who built his eyries in the inaccessible peaks of the Encircling Mountains when Middle-earth was young. Behind them in long swift lines came all their vassals from the northern mountains, speeding on a gathering wind. 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."

as Landroval being the greatest of the Eagles, making him the eagle king from the Hobbit and the one who rescued the company from the wargs and goblins. Gwaihir would be a new character now, and if his job is to carry messages then that could explain his absence from the Hobbit (that and he wasn't invented yet).

Hearing Corey talk about Landroval and Meneldor being the same that saved Beren and Luthien at Angband, that furthers my old belief that all the extra stuff in the passage above after "Landroval his brother" is in reference to Landroval. Gwaihir has an important job, but if he's the chief of the eagles, wouldn't he send someone else? Similarly to how it's Legolas at the Council of Elrond on his father's behalf? Also, the rescue of Gandalf at Orthanc, Gwaihir was "sent." If he's the boss eagle, is he there then on mission from Manwe? Or is he sent by his brother Landroval?
 
Ok, according to Hammond & Scull (LotR- Reader's Companion) Gwaihir comes from Sindarin, gwai 'wind' + hir 'lord'. Landroval ('wide-wing'), Thorondor from Sindarin thoron 'eagle' + dor 'lord' , and Meneldor (presumably 'lord of the sky' from menel 'firmament, heavens' + dor 'lord'.
 
Presuming Landroval and Meneldor’s longevity, there seems no reason to believe Thorondor, he of the inaccessible cliffs, isn’t similarly still alive. Therefore, though I do believe that Windlord is an important title, I also believe that Thorondor bears a more important one still. There’s a Witch-king, why not a Windking? My guess is Thorondor has retired from Middle Earth and resides on the high peaks of Valinor, but retains his title. If so, I believe Gwaihir is the eagle lord of Middle Earth, and ultimately responsible for all corpse removal, Gandalf, dwarf, and hobbit retrieval, showing up at the end of big battles, and generally knowing things in his domain.
 
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