[Elladan and Elrohir]

I can't vote, because options 1, 2 and 4 all apply. Option 1 - obvious. He slipped. Duh.

Option 2 - Well, of course, it was Eru's will that he slip. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring -- by who? Eru obviously. And, the Gandalf quote about Gollum having some part to play before the end has already been cited.

Option 4 - This is THE only way the Ring could have been destroyed, and is also the only way the climax can wrap up perfectly; both of those are IMHO. Tolkien says that Gollum COULD have, in another situation, voluntarily cast himself and the Ring into the Crack. I disagree (the author IS after all sometimes wrong in his Letters), putting forth the premise that the will of the Ring prevails over all others, especially at Mount Doom.

And it is perfectly fitting that, after all that Frodo and Sam and Gandalf and Aragorn and all the rest do, in the end the destruction of the Ring is beyond their power. One slip from the one least likely (in theory) to destroy it -- and Middle-earth is saved.

Finally, though I realize it is not the topic, I would like to say that I see no difference between Eru and God, any more than I see a difference between Aslan and Jesus. Sure, He's in a different world, with different situations to deal with, but where's the real difference? We can infer from The Silmarillion that Eru is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good. We know from the Athrabeth that Tolkien was apparently so concerned with the connection between M-E and our own world (at one point) that he detailed Eru's Incarnation. Eru is God. There is no doubt in my mind that Tolkien would agree. His God (and mine) transcends worlds, and reaches even into the ones that we humans create. "God is the Lord, of angels, and of men -- and of elves."

Sorry, I know that's off-topic, but it is related to the topic, since Eru's authority has been called into question. And it still can be, since you may not (and some obviously do not) agree with me. Perhaps a separate thread should be begun on this topic???