How old is Tom Bombadil?

[Godflesh]

I wonder how old Tom Bombadil are, he is he, The Silmarillron dont mention him at all, pretty strange if you have read Tom Bomadils own general "discription" on himself. He should be older then the ents and the world itself.

 

[Mildiscar]

He is ageless.
I think that Tom Bombadil is JRR Tolkien himself. He knows everything, he does not fear anyone, he was here before the gods ...

 

[Grond]

Welcome Mildiscar and Godflesh. Hail and well met.

I disagree with you assertion Mildiscar, that Tom was here before the gods. He either sprang from the thought of Eru and was a Maia or he was created during the Song of the Ainundale. I don't think JRRT in any of his writings was definitive but tended to refer to Tom as an enigma.

 

[Tar-Steve]

I don't remember reading about Tom in "THE HOBBIT".

 

[Grond]

I guess our new administrators need to redirect it to the proper topic then no?

Grond was just responding to a thread, properly placed or no.

 

[Walter]

Welcome, Godflesh and Meldiscar

Yup Tom hasn't been mentioned in the Hobbit nor in the Sil. But I find Mildiscar's thought interesting.

Tom states about himself: He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside., Tom doesn't interfer with the story (except for making sure the heros can go on with the story and aren't hindered by an offensive tree and or a barrow-wight), he is not at all affected by the ring, etc.. Anyone remembers how Alfred Hitchcock used to show up in his films only for a few seconds?

There is a thread about Tom Bombadil elsewhere, if memory serves me well.

 

[Jago]

Hi! Its me Jago! son of Jono Garetts.
My father once told me long ago that when JRRT was writing the hobbit he pictured himself as bilbo. He did much the stuff Bilbo did. It was like his alter ego.

 

[Beleg Strongbow]

Originally posted by Jago
Hi! Its me Jago! son of Jono Garetts.
My father once told me long ago that when JRRT was writing the hobbit he pictured himself as bilbo. He did much the stuff Bilbo did. It was like his alter ego.

He was probably a maiar setling in M.E before even Melkor left Aman. Thats how old he is. His been here since the begining.

 

[Anfauglith]

Do you really want to know???

He was, he is , and he will be. Anyway Eru probably created him, or even he was created in the Aïnulindalle. But he is the kind of people that affect the world only being. That's all folks

 

[Elanor2]

I have always seen Tom not as a Valar or Maiar, but simply as part of Arda, created at the same time. Like a manifestation of the consciousness of Arda itself.

That's why, I think, he has power over all things of Arda and no creation of Man, Elf or other being has power over him. If he does not manifest his powers except within the boundaries he has (at some point in time) chosen for himself, is because he does not need to. He remains as Arda remains, and as long as Arda exists he will continue to be, in one form or another.

Goldberry, on the other hand, might be a Maia.

my2c Elanor2

 

[Camille]

I agree with you Elanor2, Tom seams to me like some being related to Earth, more like a maia or a vala.

 

[gimli_alvevenn]

a friend of mine told me he had been reading in another forum, who had discovered that he wasmost likely to be a valar, at the same point as Melkor, that is why he is not affected by the ring, can see frodo, and that explains why he "was there when time started. I think the real question about age in LOTR is how old is treebird?

 

[Lantarion]

LOL Treebird!
Welcome Godflesh, Mildiscar, Jago and Anfauglith! You'll soon find me to be a nitpicking pain in the neck, but I can't resist a misspelled word.
Anfauglith, that's a very good take on the matter. I agree. Although the (note spelling=) Ainulindalë was the offspring of the thoughts of both Ilúvatar and the Valar.
Then a note on Quenya pronounciation: Maiar and Valar are Ainur, gods and demi-gods, or angels of Ilúvatar. The '-r' at the end of the words is the plural suffix. The singulars of the words are Maia, Vala and Ainu.
whew. I think that's enough nitpicking for today.

 

[7doubles]

he is of the kindred of maia of Yavanna. long he sang in the gardens of Lorion to melian his love beside the twilit meres and sang with song of nightingales and melian danced to her delight as was his. apon a time she traveled to the hither lands because of her pity for the land wasted by melko and tobboling of the lamps and was not yet ready to forsake wholy the labor of ole and he soon fallowed soon after because he no longer wished to sing witout the nightingales song but he ever was lost to middle earth and wandered aimlessly forever singing lonly it was he who taught the elves to sing beside the waters of kuivienen where orome found them and it was he who first showed the elves how to awaken the ents. and his name is "Tinfang Warble"

 

[dgoof911]

What about the book "The adventures of TOm Bombadil"? Does that give any information on him?

 

[7doubles]

the treetment for "over the hills and far away" is that of Led Zepplin's "the battle of evermore" whats odd is the fact that on side 2 of zepplin 4 is their own remake of over the hills and far away but not sticking to the perscribed treetment then topping it off with misty mountain hop


for you information buffs.