Who IS Tom Bombadil?

[Ragnarok]

I want to know everyone's opinion, cause to me, this is probably the most interesting item in all of JRRT's works.

[Ståle]

Aüle the Smith :D

[Dengen-Goroth]

He who has many names, Iarwain Ben-adar, oldest and fatherless, amungst the dwarves he was known as Forn, and Orald amungst the Northern Men. He is an enigma Tolkien put in, for which there is no explanation. A timeless creature who saw the world from the Two Trees, to the horrors of Feanor, to the kin-strife of Gondor, and the War of the Ring.

[Pippin_2nd]

Tom seems to be strange litlle creature, but the River Daughter is the one that confuses me!! Does this "woman" hold any relativity in this book?? Does anyone else have a veiw on this??:confused: :rolleyes:

[Mithrandir_II]

I always thought of Tom as Aule and Goldberry as his wife Yavanna... anyone else have any thoughts on this... I know there is no conclusive proof, but it seems to make sense.

[Curufinwe]

Goldberry is a maia of Ulmo's but there is a few of the threads around and nobody has come up with Tom, But anyway someone called him a caretaker for middle earth which Would seem the most suitable for him, maybe he is meant to be the gaia of middle earth? (and I do meant gaia not maia if anyone thiks i did a typo)

[Tuor]

I don't think he is a caretaker for ME because at one point he says that he is at the end of his domain or something like that. among the theories I have heard are that he was the Witch-King or Iluvatar. heh.

[Mithrandir_II]

Originally posted by Tuor
I don't think he is a caretaker for ME because at one point he says that he is at the end of his domain or something like that. among the theories I have heard are that he was the Witch-King or Iluvatar. heh.

Well, he is not the witch-king, after all... the witch-king is killed by eowyn and merridoc. And after the War of the Ring, in RotK, gandalf says he would much desire speaking with Tom about the great happenings in Me...

and if he was Eru (Illuvatar) wouldn't that technically make him the caretaker of middle-earth?

[Ragnarok]

I always thought he was Eru incognito. Just hanging out in the pleasant world he created. He has control over everything it seems. He must be Eru.

[chrome_rocknave]

Ok tell me this...
Somewhere it said that Treebeard was the oldest living thing and somewhere else it said that Tom was the beginning......now who is oldest?

[Ragnarok]

You might be mistaken, because that kind of thing is everywhere. Hes the oldest that, shes the oldest this. Well, Tom, Treebeard, and Ungoliant are the some of the oldest creatures. But its still skeptical on who Tom really is and where Ungoliant came from.

[SarumansTreason]

How do we know that Tom Bombadil isn't the first? Couldn't Iluvater be a thought of Tom's? Could Middle-Earth and all of the "heavens" be Tom's song? Who knows. That gets my cote. Tom Bombadil, the REAL Iluvater of Middle Earth.

[chrome_rocknave]

One of my friends says that everytime she reads about Tom she thinks of Jed Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillys......ok thats off topic but I agree :p

[Gandalf714]

Now here's an idea. If anyone reads Clive Cussler he puts himself in his books, do you think Tom could be Tolkien? In which case he would be ME. Just something to think about.

[chrome_rocknave]

Very very intersting Gandalf! I must ponder this...but I think you may be right :D

[Earnil]

I have my own theory on Tom, and that would be, Tom is the personification of Arda. Afterall he was first, and in the Council of Elrond Glorfindel says that if Sauron got the ring back Tom would be the last to fall as he was first. And the only way I can see this working is if Tom was the personification of Arda.

And as for Goldberry, I think she is the daughter or creation of the River-Woman who I believe is Uinen, the female Maiar of Ulmo, and a Maiar of the oceans and waters of Middle Earth. And that she has a spirit in her akin to the Maiar, just like the Eagles.

[Rogar]

As has been pointed out in other threads quoting the letters of Tolkien Tom is an enigma and was named for one of Tolkien's childrens dolls. It is always good to have something unexplained in a literary work especially when there is an explination.

I think of Tom (very fondly I might add) as being the most powerful character in the books. His ambivelance to the rest of the world comes from his Timelessness. He saw the first trees and the rise and fall of countless powerful forces. The current events during the books were but a passing thing to Tom. Even Gandalf states that he would probably misplace the ring if it were given to him. This is not out of carelessness but because Tom would not see the one ring as such an important matter. He saves our Hobbit friends, not because he serves a power that wants him to, but because it was the right thing to do at the time.

No matter how you think of Tom you must admit that when reading about him your heart grows a bit lighter and you feel a little bit safer from the forces of evil.

[Sindarin elf]

To me Tom seems to represent a pagan earth spirit from pre-christian times

In the context of the LOTR, he was the power of the land orginally, and then the elves etc came along. now there time is waning - I think somewhere in FOTR he makes the comment that once all the land was his, and there is now only his restricted area that he resides in with his wife.

Like the elves his power is waning, although he would seem to have been far stronger then they, and while his power is becoming more limited, he still has incredible strength in his domain.

Possibly one day when men fall and ME changes again, his strength will return.

[Tom Bombadil]

tom bombadil is my fav character in LOTR. and i am very disappointed he wasnt in the FOTR (movie). anyway i think he originated from elves.

ps. i am a newbie here and i would like to say hi to everyone!:)

[Beorn]

Well, I got to thinking last night...and I set off the smoke detector, but that's besides the point...

Anyway, I can think of two references to Tom B. as a singular being...the only one of his kind.

'Fair lady!' said Frodo again after a while. 'Tell me, if my asking does not seem foolish, who is Tom Bombadil?'
'He is,' said Goldberry, staying her swift movements and smiling.


Simply saying 'He is' could be thought of as reference to a singular thing.

'Who are you, Master?' [Frodo] asked.
'Eh, what?' said Tom sitting up, and his eyes glinting in the gloom. 'Don't you know my name yet? That's the only answer. Tell me, who are you, alone, yourself and nameless? But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.'


The only singular beings I can think of are Ilu and creatures like Ungoliant...

Maybe his name means something when switched around...

EDIT: Check out these!! http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=617&highlight=Bombadil
http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118&highlight=bombadil

[TulKas Astaldo]

Refer to my name

Compare the descriptions of the two...

Faster than any horse, stronger than an Ent...

[Wonko The Sane]

I read a theory in "The People's Guide to JRR Tolkien" which is a collection of essays published on the internet by members of theonering.net (or some other such website) that stated that Tom Bombadil was Tolkien's representation of the Green Man.... *shrugs* Don't know what to make of it.