Goldberry

2013-03-20T22:36:52Z

76.226.133.220: typo

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[[File:Ted Nasmith - Beyond the Old Forest.jpg|thumb|''Beyond the Old Forest'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]
'''Goldberry''', the "River-daughter", was the wife of [[Tom Bombadil]].

==History==
Although her origins are uncertain, it has been speculated that she is a [[Spirits (creatures)|river-spirit]] of the river [[Withywindle]]. Otherwise, she and Bombadil are enigmas.<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=[http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/Bombadil4Spirits.html What is Tom Bombadil? Viable Theories: A Nature Spirit?]|author=Steuard Jensen|website=[[Tolkien FAQ]]}}</ref>
[[File:Mareishon - Tom Bombadil and Goldberry.jpg|thumb|left|Tomb and Goldberry]]
According to the [[Buckland]]ish poem ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (poem)|The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', Goldberry was in the [[Withywindle]] when she pulled Tom by his beard under the [[water-lilies]] out of mischief, but he ordered her to let him free. The next day he came to the [[River-woman]] and asked Goldberry to be his wife, and the creatures of the [[Old Forest]] (the [[badger-folk]] and other animals) attended their wedding.<ref>{{AB|1}}</ref>

In {{TA|3018}} Tom Bombadil travelled to the lower reaches of the Withywindle to gather white water-lilies for her, and it was while returning from a lily-gathering expedition that he discovered [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and his companions, and rescued them from [[Old Man Willow]].<ref>{{FR|I6}}</ref> Goldberry seems to have used her lilies to recreate her original home in the river: when Tom brought the [[Hobbits]] back to his house, they found a seated Goldberry surrounded by water-lilies floating in pots of earthenware.<ref>{{FR|I7}}</ref>
[[File:D.W. Luebbert - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|''Goldberry'' by D.W. Luebbert]]
Goldberry welcomed and tended the [[travellers]] to their home. The [[hobbits]] thought of her as a beautiful and calm being, with a beauty resembling an [[Elf]] but less exotic to their hearts. Her voice was described as "the song of a glad water ... coming down like silver". The hobbits would listen to her sing in a voice like rain, and they would imagine rivers and pools.
==Inspiration==
[[Tolkien]] wrote about Goldberry that she "represents the actual seasonal changes in [river-lands]." <ref>{{L|210}}</ref>
==Portrayal in Adaptations==
'''1955: [[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1955 radio series)]]:'''
:Because adaptor [[Terence Tiller]] thought the age difference between Bombadil and Goldberry was too big, he made them father and daughter.<ref name="CaG">[[Wayne G. Hammond]], [[Christina Scull]], ''[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]] [[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide:Reader's Guide|Reader's Guide]]'', "Adaptations", pp. 8-23</ref> [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] thought little of the change.<ref>{{L|175}}</ref> No actress is credited specifically for the part, though [[Nicolette Bernard]] is the only female in the episode's cast list, making it likely she voiced Goldberry.<ref name="RT1672">Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1672, [[25 November|November 25]], [[1955]]</ref>

'''1992: [[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|''Tales from the Perilous Realm'' (1992 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Sorcha Cusack]] played Goldberry in the episode "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil".<ref>[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|''Tales from the Perilous Realm'' (1992 radio series)]], CD Booklet</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:Goldberry appears at the house of Tom Bombadil. One of the tasks the player has to accomplish is bringing collecting [[water-lilies]] for Tom and Goldberry. She is voiced by [[Kath Soucie]].<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]], "Withywindle Path"</ref>

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Goldberry|Images of Goldberry]]

{{references}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Goldbeere]]
[[fr:encyclo:personnages:baie_d_or]]
[[fi:Kultamarja]]

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Goldberry