What IS Tom Bombadil?

[Greymantle]

I finally ordered Letters this afternoon (along with A Tolkien Reader, Unfinished Tales, and the Tolkien Ensemble's A Night in Rivendell... detect a certain theme? $50...My parents have finally decided I'm totally insane, with some justification). So I'll be able to quote soon enough!

 

[ReadWryt]

I don't think Tom can be pidgeon holed as anything from the origins of Middle-earth, being that he was not originally from there. Since he was a creation separate from, and later inserted into, Middle-earth there is no way to guess "what" he is. *Shrug*

 

[Iluisa Olórin]

I agree with you, ReadWryt. I think we forget that this is a story that Tolkien developed; not everything can be identified as belonging to a group - whether Valar, Maiar or Elves - nor should it need to be. Tom is neither of these, nor part of any group. Tolkien himself did not identify him and that was his intention; Tom, as a character alone, is appropriate to the story.

Out of interest, how do people think Tom's recollection of the Men of Westernesse in Fog on the Barrow-downs in FotR significent?

 

[Iluisa Olórin]

I think we forget that this is a story that Tolkien developed; not everything can be identified as belonging to a group - whether Valar, Maiar or Elves - nor should it need to be. Tom is neither of these, nor part of any group. Tolkien himself did not identify him and that was his intention; Tom, as a character alone, is appropriate to the story.

Out of interest, how do people think Tom's recollection of the Men of Westernesse in Fog on the Barrow-downs in FotR significent?

 

[Grond]

Originally posted by lhutton
...Out of interest, how do people think Tom's recollection of the Men of Westernesse in Fog on the Barrow-downs in FotR significent?

They simply point out that Tom was there...Tom saw it happen. I would imagine that if Tom spoke to Farmer Maggot on a fairly regular basis, he would have spoken to the Men of Westernesse. Elrond did say at the Council that of old, Tom was know as "...Orald by Northern Men."

As far as relating any significance to it, I think it simply adds to his being identified as an enigma. He has been a part of and seen all things of Middle-earth... from the subtle light of the lamps...to the darkness when they were cast down...from the brighter light of the Trees...to the darkness of Ungoliant and Melkor...from the light of the fruit of the trees (sun and moon)...to the next darkness when Melkor is again released and the Final Battle is fought.

 

[Ståle]

The fact that the Ring does not have any power over him suggests that he probably was not a Maia. Gandalf was a Maia, and he would not touch the Ring. Then again, he was a Maia in a weaker from, and perhaps when he become embodied, he lost much wisdom and power.

Still, I think Tom is Aulë. My points are those of the Essay posted earlier. It's really a great read.

 

[Curufinwe]

tom's wife

We do agree that his wife was a maia though , probably a maia of Ulmo right?

 

[Curufinwe]

Eru

Would Eru of ever walked on Ea ,in any form that is?

 

[Grond]

I'm not sure that Goldberry was ever addressed. (Whistles for lore expert Cian for help from the Letters of JRRT). I personally would like to think she was a Maia and if she was, being the "daughter of the River" she would be of Ulmo's Maiar.

I'll look more tonight. I have been concentrating so hard on old Tom that I completely forgot about good ole Goldberry.

 

[Earnil]

I don't think Tom could be either Aule or Iluvatar. Because I remember reading somewhere that the Ring was soo powerful that it could even affect the Valar, and also that it wouldn't be safe even in the 'Undying Lands'.

Instead I think Tom is the personification of Arda. Because for one thing, the ring does not affect him. If he was Arda personified then the Ring being forged from him wouldn't have been able to affect him. And also Tom doesn't really care for anything except himself and the natural world, and also Goldberry, which would mean that if he only cared for himself, and considering to he cared also for Arda then perhaps that would mean Tom is Arda personified.

 

[Bombadillodillo]

The essay above is splendid. However, it seems unlikely to me that Bombadil is Aule. The difficulty of identifying him as Aule is that Aule loves to make things. Aule is most akin to Melkor of all the Valor and consequently of all the Valor most like Sauron, Melkor's servant, the difference being that Aule loves the making more than the possessing of artifacts.

Like Aule Bombadil clearly takes little delight in possessing which he understands as a tremendous burden. Even the brooch he takes from the barrow treasure is to ornament Goldberry and remind him of her who wore it long ago. However, there is no indication that Bombadil loves making things. His only love seems to be Goldberry.

He seems to delight in the creatures of the world. However, he has no concern for the great happenings of the world. In this too he differs from the Valor. For the Valor have a great love of the First Born especially and the followers to a lesser degree. Aule especially loved to teach the Elves; indeed (if my memory serves) he loved teaching the inhabitants of Arda so much that he created a race whose only interest would be learning his arts, namely the dwarfs, which rather displeased Illuvatar. Tom may delight in men and hobbits and elves and even learn of their doings from people like farmer Maggot, but he has little interest in collaborating in their affairs. He has so little concern for the affairs of others that one would almost think him completely self absorbed living in his own world, but that he so willingly helps the hobbits in their need.

It is clear that Bombadil is not concerned with the affairs of Arda. He also does not seem to be interested in making things. Yet he does manifest one concern for Arda in his brief appearance (and I have not read his tales so I do not know whether others appear there). He brings Goldberry the last of the lilies so that she can preserve them for spring. However, even this seems to be a concern more of the River daughter than of Tom. Goldberry (who may be Maiar) still remains Tom's only real concern.

From this my conclusion is that Tom Bombadil is not Valar nor Maiar. For the Valar create Arda through their music and they and the Maiar come to Arda to form it according to their vision and both to delight in and direct the affairs of Children of Illuvatar. Tom doesn't seem to have any direct interest in creating artifacts or in fashioning and tending the flora and fauna of Arda or directing and aiding the affairs of Elves and Men.

This is also a good indication that Tom Bombadil is not Illuvatar from whose thought came the Ainur and who directed their music and who is father of the First Born and the Followers. Illuvatar is the father of all and is extremely interested in the affairs of all mentioned. Although his role is most subtle and mysterious and his purposes moreso, he is very interested in all the affairs of Arda. He is surely the mysterious power at work greater than the ring refered to by Gandalf. It was he I think, perhaps through Ulmo (who knows the secret foundations of the world and directs the currents of the Great River and beneath the Misty Mountanins and who also knows more secrets of Eru than any other) Illuvatar arranges for Bilbo's finding of the ring. His subtle providence and no 'chance' brings Tom Bombadil to the rescue of the hobbits from Old Man Willow. His hand is certainly involved in the happenstance of the fellowship of Gollum and the two hobbits in their journey to Mordor. Illuvatar is very subtle in his direction of the affairs of Middle Earth and none know his mind completely, but he is most interested in the affairs of Men and Elves and hobbits.

Concerning Bombadil as being fatherless, we should note that Illuvatar is father of all and alone truly fatherless. Tom Bombadil may be known to the elves as fatherless, but he is known by many names. He does not so name himself. The elves call him fatherless, but they could call the Valar and Maiar fatherless too. It is strange that Bombadil should be so named. Perhaps, the elves call Bombadil fatherless because he came into being with Arda and to the Elves it seemed he should have a father, whereas the Valar and Maiar came to Arda from outside and are not coeval with Arda. No, he is not Illuvatar.

The most intriguing aspect of Tom is his mastery of the world. He knows the world very well. He knows the tune for every creature, it seems. And since, as someone else remarked, Arda was created by music, it might be said that in knowing the tune for each, Tom truly knows what each thing is. He is master because he knows things deeply and also from the beginning. Tom Bombadil is, but what or who he is, I do not know. He knows and Eru.

 

[Earnil]

I heard an opinion from someone else on the Tolkien Online messageboards that they think Tom could have been a dischord in the Great Music that created Arda. I can't remember exactly what it was they said, but it definitely said something about Tom possibly being a dischord in the Great Music that the Ainur made.

 

[Earnil]

I read somewhere that Tolkien got the idea for Tom from a doll one of his children had, and he first wrote The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, then later when writing LOTR he introduced Tom into it.

And as for Goldberry, I believe that she could be the daughter of Uinen, one of the Maiar of Ulmo. Because Uinen was a Maiar of the oceans and waters of Middle Earth, so perhaps that could mean the she is the river-woman that is mentioned. But I have noticed one flaw in my theory, Ainur could not reproduce, and so I have come up with Goldberry being a creation of Uinen and Osse, or maybe Uinen and Ulmo, and being kind of like the eagles, having spirits akin to the Maiar in them.

 

[gaffer]

it's kind of generally accepted that tom bombadil and goldberry are both maiar spirits, among the first to inhabit middle-earth.

 

[Bucky]

Funny, I just started a thread elsewhere on whether Bombadil or Treebeard is older.

I also am reading FOTR & today was in the chapters with Tom....

Goldberry says "He is"
Reminds me of Moses at the burning bush when he asks God what name should I say you sent me by?
God says "I am".

So, from that can we assume Tom always was & always will be?
Is he Illuvator in a human form? I doubt that. If he is, did he, like the Istari, place certain bodily restrictions on himself?

He can't be Elf.
Why?
Because he states he was there & "knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside".
No Elves born by then.
Didn't Elbereth create the stars?
The 13 original Valar were there before Melkor, the Dark Lord. (it says in the Silmarillion that Melkor saw what the Valar had done...and descended upon Arda), so he could be one of them or Maiar the Valar brought with them.
If so, I think Orome or Ulmo would be most likely.
But, this doesn't fit into the fact that the Valar dwelt in Valinor, not in Middle Earth, especially in the 3RD Age.


Or, is he the very embodyment of Middle Earth in a person's s body? He does have a unique connection to & mastry of the natural world.

 

[Iluisa Olórin]

What if he's of a race Tolkien didn't identify?

Tom Bombadil was never identified and that was Tolkien's intention; to suggest that he might be a Maia or a Vala, an Elf or a spirit or Ilúvatar himself, is futile.

 

[Curufinwe]

There is so many theories that could comply with Eru and tom like tom could be Gaia or eru in human form or they could be the same or Eru could of made the world for tom etc. I dont think we will ever know.

 

[J'ohn]

Ah, I dunno, Gaffer...

Certainly, as Tom himself says, he was around "before the Dark Lord came from the Outside"...This can only refer to Sauron [some people believe it might refer to Melkor, but he was the first one to enter Arda, after all!]. So, Tom is either a Maia or a Vala. However, the Maiar seem to be influenced by the One Ring, and they desire to have it and keep it, once they own it. As Gandalf has said [Gandalf is a Maia, anyway], "Do not tempt me!". And still, Tom gave back the Ring to Frodo without hesitation.

It is my personal belief that Tom Bombadil is a Vala, more precisely, Aule.

Of course, one can claim that Tom is Illuvatar himself, but who knows? *shrug*

SBS

 

[gaffer]

i don't know; that's kind of a stretch. first of all, we'd have to be on the same wavelength that, if you're theory was right, he'd be one of the vala that have already been named...there couldn't be one that wasn't accounted for. secondly, i would think that, if one of the vala was missing or at least known to be in middle-earth, it would be pretty well-known, at least to someone like gandalf. (after all, tom got to middle-earth before the itsari and they would have known if aule or someone was already there) just my opinion.

 

[Bucky]

Actually, it could, and most likely does mean Morgoth, not Sauron when Tom says that about 'when the Dark Lord came in from the outside'.

Tom prefaces that by saying 'before the dark knew fear', meaning Morgoth hasn't come to import evil to Middle Earth.

I wrote about this elewhere last night.
In the Silmarillion, it says that the Valar came down, made all this nice stuff, & 'Melkor looked down, saw what they had done & decended in wrath upon Arda'.

So, the Valar were there before Morgoth.....

If Tom's one of the Valar, he is about as opposite of Aule as could be.....