Tom Bombadil’s Speech

[TrackerOrc]

Although with a bit of reflection I might have been a little harsh where Bombadil is concerned. Having looked back at the many, many times I've read LoTR I'm slightly disturbed to realise that I've been skimming over his chapters almost from the start. Oh dear.
Well obviously there's an easy fix for this, I'll give his chapters a proper re-read and see what I may have been missing.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

The Reading Project, revived by @Rivendell_librarian, is an excellent excuse for a close reading. I've been discovering new details, and rediscovering old ones.

 

[Deimos]

Although with a bit of reflection I might have been a little harsh where Bombadil is concerned. Having looked back at the many, many times I've read LoTR I'm slightly disturbed to realise that I've been skimming over his chapters almost from the start. Oh dear.
Well obviously there's an easy fix for this, I'll give his chapters a proper re-read and see what I may have been missing.

The first time I read LOTR I was a bit put off by him, mostly when he came dancing up the path by the Withywindle.
I like him better, much better, when he was in his house and actually talking with the Hobbits.
On subsequent re-reads I came to like him better when he first shows up, and to very much appreciate him when he is in his house, and later when he rescues the Hobbits. But it was Goldberry's talking about him to Frodo that really started me thinking about him in depth.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Do I have a blind spot regarding Tom Bombadil? ......... Yes □ No □
Do I just skim the pages where he is mentioned? .......... Yes □ No □
Do I see no point in him being there at all? ........... Yes □ No □
Do I think there is far too much "Hey Dol, Merry Dol" nonsense? .......... Yes □ No □

No, No, No, and No. 😂

I don't claim to understand Tom's origin, but who does? He's an enigma on purpose, so instead of wasting my time trying to figure out where he came from, I appreciate the unhinged yet wholesome cottagecore vibes he brings to the story.

 

[TrackerOrc]

The Reading Project, revived by @Rivendell_librarian, is an excellent excuse for a close reading. I've been discovering new details, and rediscovering old ones.

Having just re-read the Bombadil chapters I think now is an excellent time for me to head over there.

 

[Idril Celebrindal]

The first time I read FotR I was quite befuddled by Tom and generally disliked him. Now he is one of my favorite characters and I have nearly all his songs memorized.

 

[Idril Celebrindal]

I have read that Greek minstrels could sing the Iliad and Odyssey from memory.

I have been recently studying Ukranian folklore, and I must say... One of the old songs I researched took me half an hour to read, not to mention how long it would take singing it! (although I'm pretty sure that the Illiad and Oddesy are longer than that).
I wonder if anyone has ever memorised the Lay of Lathien...