A possible mythical origin of Tom Bombadil

[Beowa]

The meter of Tom Bombadil reminded me of Old King Cole, both merry fellows and old souls. So I asked ChatGPT to analyze the Bombadil poems in relation to the Roud Folk Song Index. While I didn't get a hit on Old King Cole, I did get a hit on John Barleycorn, a precursor to Old King Cole. John Barleycorn is believed to originate from an ancient Anglo-Saxon deity called Beowa. Tolkien shows up on the Beowa wikipedia page.

Merry = tipsy. Beowa's blood = beer and whisky. Tolkien was into how mythology and culture transform over time, names and portfolios of deities, that kind of stuff. He was also into agrarianism. Beowa is also traced back to Adam, the first man. Barley is one of the oldest cultivated grains. Tom Bombadil is merry, dances and sings, has a ruddy complexion and takes nothing seriously. Seems like he's at least had a few pints with a whiskey chaser, probably with Farmer Maggot(ed). He controls the natural world, converting it from danger to safety with words/knowledge, a mythological rendition of the emergence of agriculture. He pairs with a water spirit.

There are a lot of elements that seem to merge together, but I'm not a Tolkien scholar so I thought I'd let the experts take a look. Tom seems to be a spirit of the agrarian life, which isn't a revelation but this appears to confirm it with a specific origin from Tolkien's areas of expertise. Apart from the child's doll, which could also be a reference to ancient people using them to represent gods, and to corn dollies.

This sort of intersection of a lot of similar things tends to morph together over time, and Tolkien was using this linguistic evolution to create his own languages, cultures, legends and myths. So it seems to me that Tolkien would have taken a similar route with Tom,- "one of the reddest and highest red herrings that were ever dragged across a literary trail", a deliberate enigma to highlight that the origins of some myths, if not most or all, are blurry, especially if beer and whiskey are involved.

 

[TrackerOrc]

Seems like he's at least had a few pints with a whiskey chaser, probably with Farmer Maggot(ed).

😆

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Interesting! Tom does make a kind of spirit, which produces noticeable effects:

The drink in their drinking-bowls seemed to be clear cold water, yet it went to their hearts like wine and set free their voices. The guests became suddenly aware that they were singing merrily, as if it was easier and more natural than talking.

Tolkien was certainly fond of "pints and whiskey", and I imagine they produced some singing in his numerous groups of like-minded friends, from St. Edward's to Oxford. Old Tom's brew seems to be a purer, more "natural" form, in line with his character as a nature-spirit.

And yes, as so often with Tolkien's "inventions", numerous sources appear to contribute, get mixed together, and come out as something fresh, yet resonant.

Another welcome contribution to "Tom lore", @Beowa! And to the ever-growing list of "Tom threads"! 😄 Here's a recent one you may like to browse:

Tom Bombadil’s Speech

I am slower on the uptake than some, so this comment may be old hat, too many of you. Have all of you noticed that Tom Bombadil‘s speeches, even those written in pros, are almost all written in the same meter as his songs? For example, his first speech, if written in verse: whoa! Whoa! Steady...

thetolkien.forum

Though of course we've had them as long as this forum's existed; there was even an early poll:

Is Tom Bombadill someone who'd get annoying?

POLL: Is Tom Bombadill someone who'd get anoying? A friend of mine says Bombadill could get anoying. I'm sorry I... I just don't see it!

thetolkien.forum

As you can see, our threads get revived from time to time, so feel free to dig through the TTF catacombs for more on Tom. 🙂

And welcome to our forum! If you'd like to introduce yourself "formally", and say something about your particular interests, don't forget our New Members forum:

https://thetolkien.forum/forums/new-members.58/

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

Also feel free to tap on the “Tom Bonbadil” tag at the top of the post for more, there’s lots lol (not that yours isn’t welcome!)

tom bombadil

thetolkien.forum

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

You misspelled "Bonbondill", EA.

 

[Ent]

@Beowa - thank you. From one who tries to 'ponder much,' this has great intrigue. A welcome addition to the vast ocean of Bombadil-think.

I look forward to more contributions from you.

 

[Beowa]

Cheers to all replies, thanks for the welcome! I did read the other Tom Bombadil posts before making my own, and found them very interesting!

Got another hit on the theory - Old King Cole is mentioned in Farmer Giles of Ham, which I totally forgot about, so there's evidence of Tolkien being interested in that character as well. I think that Tolkien might have been looking for a meter that matched the doll's name, to use as a template for make his own poetry about the doll's adventures for his children, then connected the dots back through the ages from Old King Cole to John Barleycorn to Beowa like "an echo of an echo" of an echo when adding Tom into the LoTR.

Maybe Tom capturing Goldberry symbolizes man domesticating barley/grains as the beginning of agriculture and civilization, her being the daughter of a river-woman may symbolize irrigation being part of the domestication of grains.