Tom Bombadil

"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."

― Tom Bombadil, In the House of Tom Bombadil.

File:Brothers Hildebrandt - Tom Bombadil.jpg

Tom Bombadil by Brothers Hildebrandt.

Tom Bombadil was an enigmatic figure that lived throughout the history of Arda. He was known to the Hobbits. He seemed to possess an unequaled power in the land around his dwelling. Although seemingly benevolent, he was not allied to the Free peoples.

His existence passed into Hobbit lore and was referenced in poems such as The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

History

The origins of Tom Bombadil are unknown, however he already existed when the Dark Lord came to Arda, signifying he was alive even before the coming of the Valar.

His role and nature in the Elder Days is unknown but he must have witnessed most of the major events and battles. He also witnessed the reducing of the great forests that covered all Middle-earth, and perhaps of his powers.

The level of his interactions to the outside world is also unclear, however he seemed to have a name among many peoples and perhaps became a folkloric figure in the traditions and legends of Elves, Dwarves and Men.

During the Third Age, Tom Bombadil lived in a little house by the river Withywindle in the Old Forest, together with his lovely wife Goldberry. He had contact with the Bucklanders and Farmer Maggot and perhaps he owed his jolly and whimsical attitude by that contact.

However since he was merry and benevolent, some of the Free peoples considered him a potential ally, as Elrond and Erestor considered that he should be present at the Council of Elrond, however according to Gandalf, Tom Bombadil was perhaps not fully aware of the struggle of Light and Darkness and could not prove useful to their causes.

War of the Ring

On September 26, T.A. 3018, he encountered four hobbits while he was searching for water-lilies for his wife. Two of those Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, had been captured by Old Man Willow. Tom, who was the master of the Old Forest, rescued them, and took all four of them to his house.

The four hobbits stayed two nights, and he told them many tales and songs. Apparently, Gildor Inglorion had been to Tom's house, as he knew the hobbits were fleeing the Shire. With cunning questions, he made Frodo tell him of the Ring. When Tom tried it on, nothing happened, and when Frodo put it on, Tom could still see him.

The following morning, Tom warned his guests of the Barrow Downs, and advised them to pass any barrow on the western side. He also tought them a song, should they come to peril.

And they did come to peril. Tom chased off a wight with song, and broke the spells on the barrow in which the four hobbits were captured. While he sent the Hobbits into calm down, he went for provisions. He also brought the ponies, that had belonged to Merry. After that, he broke the spells of the barrow. From the barrow's mighty hoard, he took a brooch for Goldberry, and gave a dagger to each of the hobbits. He then advised them to make for The Prancing Pony in Bree.

The peril of the hobbits was not over; an attack on their lives was carried out, and their ponies were set loose. The ponies apparently remembered the care they were given in the house of Tom Bombadil, and returned to stay beside Tom's own pony, Fatty Lumpkin. He returned them to Barliman Butterbur, the proprietor of The Prancing Pony. Since he had paid eighteen pence as compensation for the loss, he was now the owner of five fine ponies.

Tom Bombadil's Nature

"He is a strange creature"

― Elrond The Council of Elrond

Tom Bombadil by John Howe.

Tom Bombadil's mythological origins in the cosmology of Middle-earth have puzzled even erudite fans. For example the fact that the Ring had no power on Tom would either suggest that Tom existed in both the Seen and the Unseen realms, or that the Unseen had no effect on him.

Speculative ideas about his true nature range from simply a wise Elven hermit to an angelic being (a Maia or Vala), to the creator God, Eru Ilúvatar.

Tom as Eru

When Goldberry was asked by Frodo Baggins who he was, she simply said "He is" which parallels the scriptural name of God "ho On" (the One who is). Goldberry also said that Tom is simply "the Master", and the theory that Tom is an incarnation, embodiment or "avatar" of Eru has been favored by the fans.

It must be added, however, that Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, so the idea of an incarnation of the Creator being married may not have went well with him; he explicitly said that the idea of God's Incarnation was too large to fit in his work.

In any case however, Tolkien experimented with this idea in the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth about a future incarnation or Eru into the world.

Tom as an Ainu

If we reject the Eru theory, the most common possible explanation is that Tom is an Ainu such a Vala. Tom seems to have unlimited power inside the boundaries that he set for himself and perhaps the reason of why he has such powers might be the fact that he set himself limits in which he is master.

However since all the Valar are accounted are well known by names, one has to associate one with Tom. Furthermore, it is nowhere referred that a Vala abandoned Valinor to leave on Middle-earth. The most common theory is therefore that Bombadil is just a "rogue" Maia who perhaps stayed behind and did not follow the other Ainur at the Breaking of the World. The number of the Maiar is unknown, so it's easy to associate Tom with them, unlike the Valar.

Tom remembers to be the "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". Eldest is also a title given to Treebeard.

If Tom refers to Melkor, who was the first Vala to enter Arda, Tom was already there even before all the Valar, dismissing the theory that he is a Vala or a Maia. Furthermore his Elvish name 'Eldest Fatherless' does not fit to the Ainur because they have a father, Eru. If Tom was refering to Sauron, however, then being a Maia may not be as far fetched.

Tom as a nature sprite

A more radical and abstract theory is that he is possibly the embodiment of Arda itself, a "Father Nature", or some kind of non-spiritual 'sprite' which (unlike the Ainur) was of non-divine nature. Not only does the Ring have no effect on him, Tom himself seems unable to affect the Ring in return which shows that Tom was outside the divine plan and struggle and had no position in it. Bombadil could be a side-effect of the Music of the Ainur and that would explain why he was there in the beginning, as well as his name "Fatherless": since he is only a part of creation, he has no "father".

The problem with this explanation is that no such beings, are mentioned elsewhere in the mythos, nor is it supported in other essays of the cosmology (for example, the Valaquenta).

Beings like him

Whatever his nature, another question about Bombadil is whether he is one-of-a-kind being, or if he has other colleagues in other parts of Arda. Bombadil could be for example the "spirit of Arda" in general, or just the "spirit of the Old Forest" with other such beings in other forests.

The nature of Goldberry (and River-woman) is also obscure. They could be the same kind of being like himself, or his female counterpart(s). If we had more knowledge about them, we could partially answer the question about Tom as well.

Gandalf, when narrating his fight with Durin's Bane, mentions tunnels made by dark nameless things whose existence Sauron knows not, since they are "older than him".

Etymology and other names

Tom Bombadil went by many names:

• Tom Bombadil is said to be a Bucklandish name, added by Hobbit chroniclers to his many older ones. It is, like many names of the Bucklanders, untranslatable.
• To the Elves and Dúnedain, he was known as Iarwain Ben-adar, which translated to "oldest and fatherless".
• To Men (of Rohan and Bree), he was known as Orald. This is an Old English word meaning "very ancient.
• The Dwarves knew him as Forn. This too is a reference too his age: it is Old Norse for "(belonging to) ancient (days)". In some imprints of The History of Middle-earth Index, this name was accidentally spelled with a "P" as the first letter.

Portrayal in Adaptions

Tom Bombadil, as he appeared in EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II

Because he is left out of the three major adaptations (Ralph Bakshi, BBC's 1981 series and Peter Jackson's), Tom Bombadil's main role (providing the Barrow-blades) is omitted or retold in all. He does have several appearances in other adaptations, though.

1955: BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings:

One of the few things known about this radio series is that Norman Shelley voiced Bombadil, and Tolkien thought his portrayal "dreadful". Goldberry was portrayed as his daughter, rather than his wife.

1979: Mind's Eye's The Lord of the Rings:

In this series, Tom was voiced by Bernard Mayes. Like Norman Shelley before him, he also voiced Gandalf.

1992: BBC Radio's Tales from the Perilous Realm:

When he adapted the 1981 radio series, Brian Sibley deeply regretted cutting Bombadil from the radio series. When he made Tales from the Perilous Realm into a radio series, he decided to change the section "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil". Rather than several (unadaptable) Hobbitish poems, Sibley adapted the chapters from The Fellowship of the Ring. Bombadil is voiced by Ian Hogg.

2002: Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring:

Daran Norris portrayed Bombadil with a Scottish accent. His role is much like that in the book, and as one of the few characters in this video game, he keeps most of his songs.

2002: Peter Jackson's The Two Towers:

In the extended edition, some of Bombadil's poems are transferred to Treebeard, and so is his encounter with Old Man Willow.

2006: EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II:

Bombadil is a character in this video game. Unlike his nature in the book, he is shown strong and battleready, and plows through enemy lines whilst merrily singing. His most powerful weapon is a "Sonic Song", and all his other weapons are inspired by song and dance.

Collectibles

In April 2008, Gentle Giant released the Tom Bombadil Mini Bust.

Inspiration

Tom Bombadil may have been inspired by the character Väinämöinen (spelt 'Wainamoinen' in English) in the Finnish national epic Kalevala, or Father Francis Xavier Morgan at the Birmingham Oratory:

"... Father Francis Xavier Morgan, then aged forty-three, who shortly after the Tolkiens moved into the district [Edgbaston] took over the duties of parish priest and came to call. In him Mabel soon found not only a sympathetic priest but a valuable friend. Half Welsh and half Anglo-Spanish (his mother’s family were prominent in the sherry trade), Francis Morgan was not a man of great intellect, but he had an immense fund of kindness and humour and a flamboyance that was often attributed to his Spanish connections. Indeed he was a very noisy man, loud and affectionate, embarrassing to small children at first but hugely lovable when they got to know him."

― J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography

See also

• Images of Tom Bombadil

External Links

• Entry in the Encyclopedia of Arda (a concise overview of the discussion)
• What is Tom Bombadil? by Steuard Jensen (a detailed explanation)
• Who is Tom Bombadil? by Gene Hargrove (a somewhat unorthodox but well-presented essay)
• Count, Count, Weigh, Divide discusses Tom Bombadil's moral aspects at length