Some of these things are there because they exist in the kind of stories that inspired Tolkien in the first place. Characters appear at just the right time by chance or fate, "can't be killed by man" is taken literally, a simple disguise fools everyone.
This isn't set in our world. It's closer to the world of Beowulf, the Eddas, or the Grimm brothers.
Thanks, that is a better way of putting it than what I wrote. It's a mythic tale of a quest, so asking why the Eagles didn't shortcut the quest is kind of missing the point.
This isn't set in our world. It's closer to the world of Beowulf, the Eddas, or the Grimm brothers.