[Gwahir the WindLord]

Well in the literary world, ignoring the obvious use as an apparatus designed to facilitate a good plot, Gwaihir would be something like an avatar of Manwë himself, and after Ar-Pharazôn set foot on Aman, and the world was broken, Manwë took a less direct role in the affairs of men.  Since the ring became part of the affairs of men, he wouldn't allow Gwaihir to actually participate in the destruction of Sauron, but he would allow him to indirectly affect things that would lead to it, perhaps directly feeding off of Tolkien's christian belief in divine providence.

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It's true that the Valar took less and less of a role in the affairs of Middle-earth as the ages progressed, and that Manwe sent the Eagles to Middle-earth not to fight Morgoth, but specifically to keep an eye on Morgoth because he still felt pity for the Noldor exiles. As such, the Eagles did not play an active role in fighting the forces of darkness but rather limited themselves to keeping vigilant watch in order to be present when most needed and least expected, e.g. assisting in the rescue of Maedhros, bearing away the body of Fingolfin, etc.

That is a great point, Adam; I never thought about it like that. That same idea, I think, shows up in other places in Tolkien's work as well. For instance (correct me if I'm wrong), though they do take a more direct role, the Istari were sent from Valinor not to fight Sauron directly (as I somehow remember reading somewhere that they were forbidden to match power with power), but to lead and guide the free peoples of Middle-earth to exercise their own agency and choose to fight against the Shadow.

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You are correct; while they were sent by the Valar to contest the power of Sauron, Unfinished Tales says that they were forbidden to match power with power. Also of particular note from this section of Unfinished Tales is the fact that the Istari were Maiar.

Sorry, to join this conversation so late, but I'd like to point the fact that the Istari, could have taken the ring and done almost the same thing that the eagles did, but they didn't. Adam was right, after the removal of the Valar from the circles of the world Manwe made his 'servents' take less active roles in helping men, hence the Istari, and Eagles.

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What may be a more compelling reason for why the Eagles simply did not take the One Ring and destroy it themselves is the fact that they, like the Istari, were Maiar, and were therefore subject to the power and influence of the Ring. Desire for or possession of the Ring could (and perhaps would) twist them towards selfish ends, such as happened to Saruman, or if they tried to use it towards good ends, greater evil would be done through it. Most importantly, once a Maia possessed the ring, it is uncertain whether they would physically be able to let go of it, as it seems as if the greater the power of the bearer or desirer, the greater the hold the Ring exercised.

Thus if an Eagle took the ring to destroy it. . .

"In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a great Bird. And I shall not be dark, but great and swift as Sunrise and Sunset! Powerful as the Mountain! Dreadful as the Tempest and the Storm! Swifter than the wind! All shall follow me and tremble!"

[Dol Guldur]

To finish, during the war of the ring, one or two of the nazghul occupied Dol Guldur until the Sauron called them back for the assault on Minas Tirith. During this period the armies of Dol Guldur attacked Lothlorien in what amounts to two great assaults on the Elven kingdom. After the second defeat Galadriel, Celeborn and the forces of Lorien destroyed Dol Guldur and laid bare it's foundations.

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In line with note, it's important to note that the moated fortress of Caras Galadhon was established during the Third Age in order to provde a bulwark against the forces of Dol Guldur; it did not exist beforehand. Thus while it was the seat of governance during the stewardship of Galadriel and Celeborn, most of the Galadhrim still dwelled beyond the white road in the forest beyond even by the time the Fellowship reached Lorien.

A note on geography directly pertaining to Dol Guldur, Caras Galadhon, and some of the other posts in this thread. . . Caras Galadhon was located on the eastern part of Lothlorien, on the west bank of the River Anduin, while Dol Guldur was almost directly to the east. The Gladden fields were located on the west bank of the Anduin, north of the Northern Fences of Lothlorien.

[Hello hello!]

....from Kenshin right ? your nick ?

Welcome

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Thanks for the welcome!

To answer your question, the Shinsengumi do indeed appear in Rurouni Kenshin, Peacemaker Kurogane, and other anime series, but they are first and foremost one of the most intriguing historical factions active during one of the most interesting periods of history, and it's that fact that has compelled me to take the name they came to be known as as a handle and nickname in games and on forums.

For those unclear as to who the Shinsengumi were, they were a group of ronin established in Edo (present-day Tokyo) during the waning days of the Tokugawa era to guard the Shogun during a trip to the Imperial capital at Kyoto, but who ended up staying in Kyoto as something of a police force sponsored by Matsudaira Katamori, Lord of Aizu and Military Administrator appointed by the Bakufu. In Kyoto, which became a gathering place for many young politically-minded samurai and ronin of the era, they worked to keep the peace in often bloody confrontations in which they earned their fame and are remembered to this day as heroes and patriots, though they were ultimately on the losing side.

Welcome aboard Eugene. By the way, how old are you?

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A ripe old twenty.

[Hello hello!]

Hello, all!

I'm glad to be a part of this community. . . seeing as it's customary for new members to introduce themselves, here's a little bit about myself. My name is Eugene Chen and I'm currently a university student in the United States. I'm interested in everything from politics to technology, with my favorite author being Tolkien, my favorite means of procrastination as watching anime, my favorite music being from the classical and romantic eras, and my favorite film being Amadeus.

Hope to see you all around the forums!