[Child of the 7th Age]

Iderjit,

I agree with you. I have always felt this was the still, small voice of Eru. The words are too striking to be anything else. I think the true task which Frodo took on at the council was not to toss the Ring in the fire, but to be an instrument of Eru. (This ties in with earlier quotes on Bilbo being meant to find the Ring, and Frodo being meant to get it from Bilbo.)

That does not negate Frodo's free choice (for whatever reason he made it!). Eru does not take over folk like this without their consent! Frodo had to make a "free" decision in his heart before Eru could reach out and use him as an instrument.

In this case, the instrument was his voice. Later on, it would be his body in getting to the mountain itelf.

I have always felt that no one, Gandalf or Eru, actually expected Frodo to toss the ring in the fire. Even in the earliest discussion of the Ring, Gandalf was aware that the hobbit couldn't voluntarily destroy it. In the Letters, Tolkien says this task was actually impossible for anyone in Arda, since no being is perfect. Frodo's job, that which he accepted at the council, was to get the ring to the location of Mt Doom. Then, other forces took over.

Sadly, after the quest, Frodo had trouble accepting that limitation on his role. Again, in the Letters, Tolkien says part of Frodo wanted to be a "hero" rather than an instrument of Providence. And part of him still desired the Ring. Again, given Tolkien's view of human nature, this is almost inevitable.