Who is Tom Bombadil

[Teresa Edgerton]

Although those who still feel like singing when old and doddering are much to be envied.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Also called 'going senile'...

 

[Grimward]

But I think that what Grimward meant (as I did when I first mentioned content), was that the LotR, when published, didn't contain anything that was haphazardly left in it.

It was, Py, and thanks. The man was so consumed with delivering a complete work for the Lord of the Rings that "...every part has been written many times. Hardly a word in its 600,000 or more has been unconsidered." (Letter to Milton Waldman of Collins Publishing, some time in 1951). Clear evidence that Tolkien wasn't satisfied quickly with his work in most cases, possibly because (among other reasons) he thought some of that early work "haphazard", Teresa! So, yes, I agree with you about his process of writing, but the published work (in my opinion) is not haphazard in the least.

 

[Pravuil]

'Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.'

Now, an argument can be made that the Dark Lord referenced is Sauron. The writers of the article argue (and it makes sense) that it is more likely that he meant Melkor/Morgoth, because "[before the Dark Lord came from Outside] is referring to an event of cosmic significance, and a specific point in the World's history, which isn't the case with Sauron". Since Melkor, Manwë and Varda were the first of the Valar to enter Arda, and if Tom was somehow there before them, he is much older than the Maiar. (Of course, since Melkor et al. were the first Vala to enter, this also means Tom cannot be a Vala.)

The Dark Lord is certainly Morgoth--he is the one who caused night to be associated with fear or vice versa. Examining the structure of the sentence, it could be interpreted many ways... 1) Tom is indeed Eldest of all beings in Arda (or, for a more radical approach, Eru Himself...) and does remember the first raindrop and acorn as well as much before that (the only thing "in" Arda before these things as well as qualifying as eldest (accepting Eru, or perhaps a human incarnation/Christ aspect of Eru, was the Flame Imperishable (which is a vague Flame at best...) 2) Tom knew the night before it was fearless, which was before the Dark Lord came from Outside. This doesn't neccesarily make Tom Eldest in Arda now, at least not among all beings, putting him some time around when the Valar where shaping Arda (and so creating the rains and acorns). Using this interpretation, the Valar could precede Tom by a good bit, and from here the interpretations for Tom become many... Eldest of the Children of Eru, some being created by the Valar, etc. etc.


The Valar all departed to Aman and there is plenty of other supporting evidence against Tom being among the Valar. However, in the Silmarillion pg. 11 pp. 3 (Ainulindalë) it reads: "And the Valar drew unto them many companions, some less, some well nigh as great as themselves, and they laboured together in the ordering of the Earth and the curbing of its tumults."


In the end, I believe it's best to realize that the simple truth is that Tom is. If there is a definite solution to Tom's exact identity he would no longer be quite the enigma, and as Tolkien's letter said, Tom was meant to be just that and to have people coming up with all sorts of outlandish theories. If Tom is indeed a riddle that Tolkien made to be solved, the writer made it a very hard riddle (his letter near enough denies that path of thinking).

Also, in one of the last chapters of the book, instead of returning to the Shire with the Hobbits, Gandalf heads towards Tom's house, and says, "I am going to have a long talk with Bombadil: such a talk as I have not had in all my time. He is a moss-gatherer, and I have been a stone doomed to rolling. But my rolling days are ending, and now we shall have much to say to one another." If a mighty Maiar like Olorin considers himself to be just a rolling stone relative to Tom, clearly then Tom must be someone much more significant than a Maiar.

The stone analogy has nothing of Tom's here supposed precedence of power about it. Rather, Tom is removed from the goings-on of the world outside his domain (sitting there and accruing moss, if you will) and Gandalf is a very active character throughout the story (a stone doomed to rolling, or setting things in motion by his own initiative). Sometimes I like to tell myself Tom is an Istari, but as much as I would like it this seems very unlikely.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Sometimes I like to tell myself Tom is an Istari, but as much as I would like it this seems very unlikely.

He'd have to be one of the blue wizards who went south. That would be unlikely.

 

[Connavar]

I'm glad that Jackson cut that part out. That whole section where they are wandering through the woods, eating every chance they get, up through the encounter with Bombadil is the one section of the entire trilogy of books that I have never been able to finish. If the Bombadil section had been put into the first movie, I probably would have been bored witless. Ive never read anything else by the author except for The Hobbit, but I figured that the Bombadil character was fleshed out more in some other writing. Still, I thought that whole section was just boring and pointless. "Why is this even here?" I always ask myself.

Hehe that part of the book is what finished me off, i couldnt force myself. I wanted to see what LOTR was about book wise but it was too slow,boring for me.

 

[Grimward]

It was slow, Conn, but in addition to the transition (and the other mechanics noted) that I mentioned in one the earlier posts, it allowed Tolkien to work on Frodo's character development and paint some of Middle Earth's history (as revealed in the Silmarillion, etc.) as a back drop against what is to come, giving the Barrow Downs (the next chapter, which ceases to be slow) more "teeth", if you'll pardon the pun. Chin up, bear thru the Bombadil chapter and you will be rewarded, as significant parts of that history become extremely relevant at later, climactic points!

 

[Connavar]

I shouldnt have given away my new copy of the first book that i had. The library books look like they are 100 years old.

If i wasnt such a fantasy newbie back then i just would have jumped past those slow woods pages to the next chapters. See what was happening.

I'm not allergic to that kind epic fantasy but i have rarely read more school text like prose.....