Tom Bombadil

[Kelonus]

Tom Bombadil is a strange yet fascinating character. Only Tolkien knows who he really is.

 

[Celebthôl]

He is an Enigma

We know for certain what he is not, so you decide from there what he is

He is not an

Elf, Man, Dwarf, Hobbit, Orc.

We know this for certain because the ring had totally NO effect on him, and it would have if he was one of these.

He is not a Maia, As again, the ring had no power over him.

He is not a Valar as he is not named as such on any of the lists.

He is not an Ent for obvious reasons.

Therefore, it doesnt leave us with much left to work with. I think hes Father Nature as opposed to Mother Nature

Goldberry, on the other hand, is, i believe an Elf. Possible Telerian as she has something to do with a river elf or some such thing.


That is all i have on this subject

Thôl

 

[Eriol]

Goldberry is "the River Daughter". She reminds me of a Greek nymph; I think of her as a Maia of Ulmo (much as Melian was a Maia, too). I don't think any Elf would be called the River Daughter, and an Elf would have relatives, which would not include a River .

Goldberry, in my mind, is "easy" to figure out. Bombadil is another matter. I don't think he is Eru, mostly because Eru is not a buffoon . It could be said that he is "a spirit", someone who entered Arda at the beginning, before all other Ainur (including the Valar). He would then be another Ainu. Remember that the Maiar are "the people of the Valar"; so that an Ainu who is not of "the people of the Valar" is not a Maia.

My personal opinion is that Tolkien just added Bombadil to the story as a "private joke". He had an important plot function, true, but Goldberry could just as well perform the same role; all Tolkien needed was a friendly Maia there.

He was having a joke with his readers (us ).

But if you want to know the REAL truth about Tom Bombadil, check this thread.

 

[Lantarion]

Exactly my reasoning Eriol.
(That last bit excluded )

 

[Helcaraxë]

Originally posted by Red Istar
I've always thought of him as some kind of spirit, an embodiment of nature.

I concur.

 

[elf_queen]

Yes, he would. Gandalf states that once all free lands were taken, Tom would fall "Last as he was First; and then Night will come."

Well, I don't know. Maybe "fall" just means be defeated or enslaved, somehow I can't imagine Tom dying.

 

[Madonna Baggins]

Originally posted by BlackCaptain
Tolkien says he's an enigma, therefore he isn't anything

He isnt Man
Isnt Elf
Isnt Dwarf
Isnt Hobbit
Isn't Istari
Isn't Maia
Isn't Vala
Isn't Entish....

Tom is Tom, in the body of a man, and the mortality of an Elf.

Is that the reason why the ring didn´t effedt him in any way?
Because he is nothing? He must be something? A ghost?

 

[Madonna Baggins]

what happens if you put the ring on an ent or a balrog? do they disapear? What about other anilmals?

 

[Maegnas]

I have a book and in the back it has every book J.R.R.T ever wrote even some that did not get published. And there one about Tom bombadil but it did not get published I wished it would have though.

 

[Lantarion]

Woah sounds interesting Maegnas! Think you could get some moe precice info no that?

Madonna there is a thread discussing that same question (well, basically) somewhere around here.. I tried to look for it but I didn't find it..
I promise I'll put the link in here when I find it.

 

[Maegnas]

Well I thought about trying to get hold of Christper Tolkien some how and see if he could find out about it and send it to me, I think that Chris could find it cause he was the one left in carge of his dads work and he also finshed a few of his dads books like the unfinshed 1 and 2 and some of the Silmarillion editing.

 

[Lantarion]

Hehe, yes and all 12 volumes of the HoME..
Kudos to Christopher for that!!

Hmm but is he still alive (I certainly hope so).. I have an audio CD with him speaking on it from a while back and he's pretty old on it..

 

[Maegnas]

Did it happen to say where you could get in touch with and where he lives?

 

[Rangerdave]

I am begining to believe that good ole Tom is the sentient manifestation of the Second theme of Eru.



oooooh metaphysical


RD

 

[Lantarion]

oooooh metaphysical

Too metaphysical! ACK!
*gasp*, *groan*, *choke*, *gurgle*, *faint*

 

[klugiglugus]

My own personal opinion is that Tom is metaphorical for Tolkien himself! Think about it, who was there at the very beginning of middle earth? Tolkien!

This idea that Tom was at the conception of middle earth may lead you to think in perhaps some small part of your mind that he had some part in it's creation and whom created it in reality? Tolkien.

Look at the language, the words that Tom speaks, the sort of bounce along in rhyme and sound very much like wilderness and where did Tolkien first have his ideas for middle earth? When he first had the ideas for the silmarillion and where was he then? In a forest when his wife was dancing for him.

I conclude that it is very logical to believe Tom was in fact symbolic for the author himself.

 

[Red Istar]

Originally posted by klugiglugus
My own personal opinion is that Tom is metaphorical for Tolkien himself! Think about it, who was there at the very beginning of middle earth? Tolkien!

This idea that Tom was at the conception of middle earth may lead you to think in perhaps some small part of your mind that he had some part in it's creation and whom created it in reality? Tolkien.

Look at the language, the words that Tom speaks, the sort of bounce along in rhyme and sound very much like wilderness and where did Tolkien first have his ideas for middle earth? When he first had the ideas for the silmarillion and where was he then? In a forest when his wife was dancing for him.

I conclude that it is very logical to believe Tom was in fact symbolic for the author himself.

That is an interesting theory.

 

[Helcaraxë]

Bombadil, Tolkien said, is the "embodiment of the (now fading) Oxford countryside" or something like that. Tom is as old as the World. Also, BC, Bombadil cannot be one with all of Middle-Earth because he has no power outside of his realm.


--MB

 

[Maegnas]

I the book the Myth Maker it is a biogarphy of J.R.R.T and it said that Tolkien's daughter wan'ted a chacater like her doll and then along came Tom.B.

 

[klugiglugus]

I the book the Myth Maker it is a biogarphy of J.R.R.T and it said that Tolkien's daughter wan'ted a chacater like her doll and then along came Tom.B.

Thats possible, I like that reason...