Eagles of the Ered Rhívamar

The great eagles of the Blue Mountains are rarely sighted in the North, but their smaller cousins in the Ered Rhívamar can be seen soaring above the tundra. The great birds are considered sacred by the Jäämiehet, who believe the eagles to be the departed spirits of their ancestors watching over them. They would be very displeased (to the point of violence) with anyone they found harming an eagle or an eagle's nest. The Lumimiehet regard eagles as good omens. To see an eagle just before a hunt or a journey is said to assure a safe return. The eagles themselves do not hunt Men or any other speaking people, preferring to dine on fish and seals. They make their eyries high in the Ered Rhívamar and are rarely encountered, save as far-off specks in the sky. Both the Jäämiehet and Lumimiehet tell tales of eagles attacking Orcs. They regard this as something akin to "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," and for this reason alone, no Ystävä Talven would deliberately harm an eagle.