Tom Bombadil

[Teresa Edgerton]

Now that's a very interesting idea, ommigosh.

Tolkien identified very heavily with Beren (whose name is inscribed on his grave), a sort of romantic idealized alter-ego, but now that you mention it, Bombadil does sound much more like a real counterpart for Tolkien. Much more.

(Envying Neil his experiences in the Shropshire forests. The forests around here aren't nearly so .. foresty.)

 

[Jay]

The questio nfo Tom Bombadil was answerd by Tolkien, he is simply a intentional enigma.

His origin is described here:

"Tom Bombadil was a well-known figure in the Tolkien family, for the character was based on a Dutch doll that belonged to Michael. The doll looked very splendid with the feather in its hat, but John did not like it and one day stuffed it down the lavatory. Tom was rescued, and survived to become the hero of a poem by the children's father, 'The Adventures of Tom Bombadil', which was published in the Oxford Magazine in 1934."

From The Story Teller: JRR Tolkien a Biography


Tolkien reiterates the intentional enigma here:

"Many readers have , for instance, rather stuck at The Council of Elrond. And even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally"

From Tolkiens Letters#144

 

[Noor-Al-Haya]

The Tom Bombadil chapter is definately one of the best, lighthearted and entertaining chapter's in the novel, a bit of escape from the darker side. On a different note, if anyone has read Bored of the Rings, Tim Benzedrine and Hashberry (based on Tom B and Goldberry) has got to be the funniest parody ever, surely worth a read.

 

[Amber]

I always thought that Tom Bombadil was nature made into a person. He was the land force in personal form. The ring came from the land, and therefore cannot influence it, which is why Tom wasn't affected by the Ring. Tom Bombadil is the purest force. If trees and land could speak, that would be old Tommie.

And it fits in with Goldberry as well. The river's daughter and the land's son ^^

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

Tom Bombadil never really did much for me, but I can definitely see his necessity in the overall scheme of things. He represents a powerful good that is friendly and pure without the coldness of the elves or the vulnerability of the hobbits. He is a completely benign power force, and he's easy to like. The elves, for all their goodness, inspire an offsetting awe, and the hobbits, men, and dwarves are all a little too close to our own reality, since they can succumb to weaknesses like greed and lust and fear. Tom is magic made friendly.


That being said, I didn't mind that Tom Bombadil was left out of the movies, but the plot focus on the Arwyn/Eowyn/Aragorn love triangle was way too Hollywood for me.

 

[dwndrgn]

That being said, I didn't mind that Tom Bombadil was left out of the movies, but the plot focus on the Arwyn/Eowyn/Aragorn love triangle was way too Hollywood for me.

I agree. I wish they could have left that alone.

 

[Amber]

Absolutely. *shudders* Hollywood saccharin is too much for me

 

[Rahl Windsong]

I always had the impression that Bombadil was supposed to be God, or at least as omnipotent as God. After all, he is "the Eldest." Tom is pure, he is a totally natural being, and the ring has no power over him. In this respect, he's kind of allegorical. He's neither good nor evil--he just exists and takes care of his domain. It really annoyed me that Bombadil, The Old Forest and the Barrow Downs weren't in the movie, and yet they had all the extra Arwen/Aragorn stuff which didn't do much for the plot at all. I suppose they wanted to use Liv Tyler as eye candy, but COME ON, stick with what's important! Hey, and another thing, Arwen didn't save Frodo at the ford!

Aye and I am hoping perhaps they filmed the Tom Bombadil scenes and maybe they will add them in for the super deluxe directors cut edition DVD of all three movies with "extra footage" ect. <prays>

Rahl

 

[Thadlerian]

As to 'What was the point of Tom
Bombadil?', well for me he introduced the Hobbits and the readers to the sheer magic that awaited 'us' outside of the Shire. And for me this was another safe haven, in a land swamped in hellish danger. A big psychological factor when considering how few santuaries there are throughout the book, just Rivendell and Loth'lorien. I concede that this entry was potentially to satisfy personal interests and would probably not survive many editors knives in todays market, but hey it adds to the magic, mystique and beautiful wonder of this amazing literary achievement.

I agree. At this point in the book, the largeness of the outside world is overwhelming. Bombadil's house represents sort of a "buffer zone" for the hobbits.

I am glad they didn't include it in the movie. For me, the House of Tom Bombadil is something sacred and genuine, and there's no chance at all Peter Jackson could have made a worthy depiction in the movie.

 

[Balinor]

plot focus on the Arwyn/Eowyn/Aragorn love triangle was way too Hollywood for me.

i agree if for no other than they took glorfindel out of the film so arwen could have more of a role

 

[HieroGlyph]

Morning! Got up, made a coffee and decided to get through a little more 'back-log' upon these boards... Slightly bleary-eyed still, but I havent seen any mention of the 'sheer joy' within this character. Whats the matter folks? Does this fun and laughter evade you all so easily? He's such a jolly guy, I think thats reason enough for Prof. Tolkien to have included him. Then there is the mystery of him and his lovely wife -a prelude to those 'literary vistas' that I have mentioned elsewhere. I enjoy thinking of Tom. And that alone is reason enough for me to have come across him.
As an aside, I've often pondered if theres some connexion between Tom Bombadil and Tulkas.....? Mere conjecture, but allow us the wonders and wanders

'Ruddy complexion - laughter (even in battle) - unbeatable - simple...'

lol 3 edits, Im really bleary-eyed, indeed!

 

[Marky Lazer]

"And even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally)."
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, No 144, dated 1954

 

[HieroGlyph]

And that mystery is a joy, of itself, too. Thanks, Marky.

 

[sanityassassin]

Tom was a great character for me mystical and magical a being of immense power tied to the love of the land to me tom and goldberry are like the father and mother of there own little part of middle earth plus the chapter with tom is a little bit of light relief from the heavy presence of the black riders

 

[direghost]

I had debated with friends for years and years about the nature of ol' Tom, with many of our theories similar to those mentioned above. But as a poster above alludes too, there's an article (which I conveniently can't find now) that talks about how it was a doll for his kids and he put it in there just as sort of a guest cameo. Sometimes a doll is just a doll, I guess.

 

[Marky Lazer]

Quick search on google: http://tolkien.cro.net/else/tombom.html