You put the eagles on the same level as Bombadil...hmmm maybe. That makes sense. And yet, they seem much more involved since they seemingly came to do battle with the Nazgul at the end and I don't think Bombadil had any equivalent on the evil side. Their attack on the Nazgul (if that was really what that was) puts them on a different standing with the battle against Sauron than those similarly aloof characters that functioned (somewhat unintentionally) on Sauron's side. I'm thinking here of Shelob (and maybe even the Balrog?)who seemed to have an agenda apart from Sauron's.

Thanks so very much for letting me bring up the dreaded eagle question. You folks have been so good about letting me go on and on and on :-)