# Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadillo!



## Úlairi (Mar 4, 2009)

> _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - In the House of Tom Bombadil_
> 
> *'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.*


 


> _The Letters of JRR Tolkien_ - #_144: To Naomi Mitchison_
> 
> *And even in a mythical Age, there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally).*


 

_Hey dol! Merry dol! ring a dong dillo!_
_Tom's so perplexing I cannot damn chill-o!_
_Yes, to the abyss he has been explored!_
_And because of this I know you're all bored!_
_But why dost Tom deserve such a stigma!_
_So let us now truly ponder this enigma!_


I know the nature, persona, character and origin of Tolkien's greatest puzzle has been explored to the very depths of the boundless abyss left in his wake; but let us ponder, if we can, what Tom truly _Is_. He may be an intentional enigma; but Tolkien has nonetheless given him a place in his _Legendarium_ and Tom thus exists as one of the creatures of Arda.

To continue the quote from above:



> _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - In the House of Tom Bombadil_
> 
> *'He is, as you have seen him,' she said in answer to his look. 'He is the Master of wood, water, and hill.'*
> *'Then all this strange land belongs to him?'*
> *'No indeed!' she answered, and her smile faded. 'That would indeed be a burden,' she added in a low voice, as if to herself. 'The trees and the grasses and all things growing or living in the land belong each to themselves. Tom Bombadil is the Master. No one has ever caught old Tom walking in the forest, wading in the water, leaping on the hill-tops under light and shadow. He has no fear. Tom Bombadil is master.'*


 
There are these continuous references to Tom being the Master of the Old Forest; but (so far) this is all that we know of him. He controlled the Barrow-wights and Old Man Willow; so we know he has intrinsic power over the Dark - including the One Ring:



> _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - In the House of Tom Bombadil_
> 
> *'Show me the precious Ring!' he said suddenly in the midst of the story; and Frodo, to his astonishment, drew out the chain from his pocket, and unfastening the Ring handed it at once to Tom.*
> *It seemed to grow larger as it lay for a moment on his big brown-skinned hand. Then suddenly he put it to his eye and laughed. For a second the hobbits had a vision, both comical and alarming, of his bright blue eye gleaming through a circle of gold. Then Tom put the Ring round the end of his little finger and held it up to the candlelight. For a moment the hobbits noticed nothing strange about this. Then they gasped. There was no sign of Tom disappearing! ... then he [Frodo] slipped the Ring on.*
> ...


 
Tom is completely unaffected by the power of the Ring. This could possibly infer that he had some level of conrol over it as the invisibility conferred by the One Ring potentially only affects those who have not the strength of will to control its power (read the implications made in _Letter _#_246_). He can also see Frodo in the realm of Spirits to which the Ring transmutes its bearer; in which we can reason that the Istari and the Elves already exist being immortal and having stronger control over their _hröar_. However, as Tolkien states about Tom:



> _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - The Council of Elrond_
> 
> *'... He is a strange creature, but maybe I should have summoned him to our Council.'*
> *'He would not have come,' said Gandalf.*
> ...


 
The Ring has no power over Bombadil; but Tom has no power over the Ring either. What is interesting in delving into the nature of Tom from the above quote is that he has not the power to withstand Sauron in his own land and he therefore must not be one of the Valar, or even an incarnation of Eru. Tom also says that he "_is not master of Riders from the Black Land far beyond this country_". I have heard many theories that he is Oromë which is ludicrous for various reasons (no Nahar being one of them). There is also the complicated concept of exactly when he came into Arda. 



> _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - In the House of Tom Bombadil_
> 
> *'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 the Outside.'*


 
The extract: "_the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from the Outside_" is perhaps where the origin of Tom Bombadil can be possibly derived from the text. CT also commented on this particular excerpt:



> _The History of Middle-earth VI: The Return of the Shadow - VI: Tom Bombadil_
> 
> *Tom Bombadil was 'there' during the Ages of the Stars, before Morgoth came back to Middle-earth after the destruction of the Trees; is it to this event that he referred in his words (retained in FR [The Fellowship of the Ring]) 'He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside'? It must be said that it seems unlikely that Bombadil would refer to Valinor across the Great Sea as 'Outside', especially since this was long ages 'before the seas were bent', when Númenor was drowned; it would seem much more natural to interpret the word as meaning 'the Outer Dark', 'the Void' beyond the Walls of the World. But in the mythology as it was when my father began The Lord of the Rings Melkor entered 'the World' with the other Valar, and never left it until his final defeat. It was only with his return to The Silmarillion after The Lord of the Rings was completed that there entered the account found in the published work (pp. 35-37) of the First War, in which Melkor was defeated by Tulkas and driven into the Outer Dark, from which he returned in secret while the Valar were resting from their labours on the Isle of Almaren, and overthrew the Lamps, ending the Spring of Arda. It seems then that either Bombadil must in fact refer to Morgoth's return from Valinor to Middle-earth, in company with Ungoliant and bearing the Silmarils, or else my father had already at this date developed a new conception of the earliest history of Melkor.*


 
CT appears to have concluded that TB was referring to the Darkening of Valinor. However, there is a quote from _The Silmarillion_ that I personally contend is the actual time of the Coming of Bombadil to Arda.

..._continued below_...


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## Úlairi (Mar 4, 2009)

_...continued..._



> _The Silmarillion: Ainulindalë - The Music of the Ainur_
> 
> *And then the Valar drew unto themselves 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. The Melkor saw what was done, and that the Valar walked on Earth as powers visible, clad in the raiment of the World, and were lovely and glorious to see, and blissful, and that the Earth was becoming a garden for their delight, for its turmoils were subdued. His envy then grew the greater within him; and he also took visible form, but because of his mood and the malice that burned in him that form was dark and terrible. And he descended upon Arda in power and majesty greater than any other of the Valar, as a mountain that wades in the sea and has its head above the clouds and is clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire...*


 
The phrase "_And he descended upon Arda_" infers that at that time he was somehow extrinsic of it; *Outside *it. There is also references to Morgoth being _beyond the arrows of the Sun_ in another of the _Ainulindali_ - which is the version of the Sun and Moon being the primary sources of light - where this is concordant with the version in _The Silmarillion_ where it refers to him going to _other regions_. It seems as though that it is then conceivable that Tom was one of the c_ompanions_ that the Valar drew to themselves. These were quite obviously the Maiar; and I contend and conclude that Bombadil must therefore be a Maiar, most likely of Yavanna (or possibly Oromë). I believe there may be some affiliation to Yavanna based on the following passage:



> _The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Homeward Bound_
> 
> *'As well as ever, you may be sure,' said Gandalf. 'Quite untroubled; and I should guess, not much interested in anything that we have done or seen, unless perhaps in our visits to the Ents.*


 
There is the inherent issue, however, of Tom being is own master - of being masterless. Is he thus subject to any Vala? Is being a c_ompanion _necessarily being subjagated to the will of the Valar? He is an _ëalar_ but were all other _ëalar _servants and helpers of the Valar? No, Ungoliant was initially in the service of Melkor but had the freedom to reject him; could this not thus be the same for Bombadil?

However, the most perplexing aspect of this derivation from the text is that all Maiar seemed to have an affinity to the power of the Ring and were corruptable by this attraction. This is shown quite explicitly through Gandalf's temptation. Saruman fell prey to its lust. We see no other creature in Middle-earth capable of truly resisting the Ring*. *There is a reference in the aforementioned quote of some of the Maiar being as close to the power of the Valar but if Bombadil were say, like Eonwë, in inherent will and being, he would be able to resist Sauron if he came himself to the Old Forest to contest Bombadil for the Ring. Tom's connection to the earth seems to be his weakness, and his strength; just as the Ring is Sauron's. It the earth also Bombadil's Ring; like Morgoth's? Is Bombadil, in a sense, an Anti-Morgoth? 

Gandalf also says something quite astonishing about Bombadil (and I am unsure if it was actually used in the final publication of _The Lord of the Rings _as I cannot find it):



> _The History of Middle-earth VI - XII: At Rivendell_
> 
> *Why did I not think of Bombadil before! If only he was not so far away, I would go straight back now and consult him.We have never had much to do with one another up till now. I don't think he quite approves of me somehow. He belongs to a much older generation, and my ways are not his.*


 
An _older_ generation than Gandalf who, assumably, was also there at the beginning of Arda also? Or did Gandalf arrive later? 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now, this thread isn't just simply about the discernment of _what _Tom Bombadil is; but _who _he is and how he relates not just to the story; but to us, the reader. This is why I placed the thread in the _Annals of the Eldanyárë_.

Tom is (supposedly) Tolkien's only extant _intentional _Allegory in _The Lord of the Rings_ and he is an Allegory of the vanishing English countryside:



> _The Letters of JRR Tolkien_ - #_19: To Stanley Unwin_
> 
> *Do you think Tom Bombadil, the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside, could be made into a hero of the story? Or is he, as I suspect, fully enshrined in the enclosed verses? Still I could enlarge the portrait.*


 
There are many quotes in _Letters _about old Tom; but it is here where I wish to leave it as open as possible for the rest of you; so that we all may _enlarge the portrait_. Tolkien considered Bombadil to be the country that he loved; and the embodiment of natural science in Arda. There are a myriad of other interpretations to Tom. I, for one, consider Tom Bombadil to be an embodiment of the Author himself - portraying and perpetuating his character through his invention. The texture of Tom Bombadil is almost removed and extrinsic of the text. He too, seems to be from the Outside - from beyond the Void where Tolkien's own imagination lay. 

*So, what do you personally believe Tom represents in The Legendarium? What is Your Allegory?*


We admire the courage and sacrifice of Frodo; the love and friendship of Samwise Gamgee; the wisdom of Gandalf and Elrond; the beauty of Arwen and Galadriel; the charismatic lordliness of Aragorn and even the fall and redemption of Boromir. There is therefore also the other important question in which we can place Tom in the context of our own lives:

*Who is Tom Bombadil to you? Does he encapsulate anything within your life?*



*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## Prince of Cats (Mar 4, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

Ring-a-Ding, Dillo! There's a good way to get my attention  

I see one of the biggest barriers to understanding the nature of Tom is our sources of what information we do have. Tom is, by what information we have, older than all the people who give us information about him. And much of what was said at Elrond's was given as speculation (at least that's how I read it). While I do understand that these are our only sources for information and we must work with what we have, I can't agree with you that:



LOTR said:


> *'I know little of Iarwain save the name,' said Galdor; 'but Glorfindel, I think, is right. Power to defy our Enemy is not in him, unless such power is in the earth itself. And yet we see that Sauron can torture and destroy the very hills. ...'*


means


Úlairi said:


> What is interesting in delving into the nature of Tom from the above quote is that he has not the power to withstand Sauron in his own land and he therefore must not be one of the Valar, or even an incarnation of Eru.


When Galdor just said he "know little of [Tom Bombadill] save the name." 

That said, I really love Tom and appreciate you brought this thread forward. It's something I'd kind of like to remain a mystery but if we can figure it out that sounds great too 


As for what Tom represents, both to the story and myself, ... that's something I'd love to be able to answer because there are many emotions there but not too many words yet. I'll try to work on it  

Thanks again for starting this topic, Úlairi


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## Úlairi (Mar 4, 2009)

*The Tom Bombadil Thread and Fan Club!*



Prince of Cats said:


> Ring-a-Ding, Dillo! There's a good way to get my attention


 
I thought so; I just found it to be such an appropriate title. Glad you like it! 



Prince of Cats said:


> I see one of the biggest barriers to understanding the nature of Tom is our sources of what information we do have.


 
Absolutely correct. The reason I posted the quote from _Letter _#_144_ at the beginning of the thread was, essentially, to get past that barrier that many have about Tom being "_The Enigma_" or "_The Unanswerable Question_". Tom is beyond enigma; he is beyond question. 

"_He is_"...

And we're here to find out what. 



Prince of Cats said:


> Tom is, by what information we have, older than all the people who give us information about him. And much of what was said at Elrond's was given as speculation (at least that's how I read it).


 
Yes, but then again, so is Treebeard. 



> _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - The White Rider_
> 
> *'... Treebeard is Fangorn, the guardian of the forest; he is the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth.*


 


Prince of Cats said:


> While I do understand that these are our only sources for information and we must work with what we have, I can't agree with you that:
> 
> means
> When Galdor just said he "know little of [Tom Bombadill] save the name."




Yes, I would agree with that if it weren't for the words of Glorfindel preceding it. These words were actually, in the creative process of Tolkien, initially spoken by Gandalf on a couple of occasions:



> _The History of Middle-earth VI: The Return of the Shadow - XXIII: In the House of Elrond_
> 
> *'He would, perhaps, if all the free folk of the world begged him to do so,' said Gandalf. 'But he would not do so willingly. For it would only postpone the evil day. In time the Lord of the Ring would find out its hiding-place, and in the end he would come in person. I doubt whether Tom Bombadil, even on his own ground, could withstand that power...*


 
The initial narrative saw Gandalf asserting this contention. Whether Tolkien changed it to Glorfindel and Galdor commenting upon the futility of Bombadil's possession of the Ring for conducive narrative purposes or not; the texture of the conversation in its development as a whole infers that Bombadil could not withstand Sauron. This contention is again repeated by Gandalf below in another version; however, it is indeed changed to his mastery being over his own ground.



> _The History of Middle-earth VII: The Treason of Isengard - The Council of Elrond (2)_
> 
> *'That is not quite the way of it,' said Gandalf. 'The Ring has no power over him, or for him: it cannot either cheat or serve him. He is his own master. But he has no power over it, and he cannot alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others. And I think that the mastery of Bombadil is seen only on his own ground, from which he has never stepped within my memory.*


 
Let's not forget though that in the completed product, Glorfindel has the poignant view of the destructive force of evil against nature and how that would affect Bombadil.



Prince of Cats said:


> That said, I really love Tom and appreciate you brought this thread forward. It's something I'd kind of like to remain a mystery but if we can figure it out that sounds great too


 
I have great hope for this thread as I love Tom too; he has ever frolicked on the corners of my imagination whenever I immerse myself in Middle-earth. It is likely that he will remain a mystery - _The Mystery_. However, to discover the _Origin of Bombadil_ is not the sole point of this thread; as you have already delineated above:

I want this thread not just to be about _Discovering Tom_ - I want it also to be about _Discovering the "Tom" in us_. What is he to Tolkien? Is he *just *the Oxford countryside, a personification of nature, or is he more? If he is a Maia, why is he unaffected by the lust of the Ring? But the greatest of all questions is: what is Tom to us???

And here is a comic interpretation of Tom Bombadil. 

I want this to be _The Tom Bombadil Thread_; and more. I want it to be about Tom, his Origins, his Allegory, his unification and embodiment of nature, science and even morality. I want this to be _The Official TTF Bombadil Fan Club_ without the unnecessary and infuriating pubescent Legolas-loving colloquial exchange...

Tom "_Is_"...

...What?

What "_Is_" he? And not in the sense of just his being (_ëalar_); but what is his purpose? Why is he there in one of the greatest pieces of literature as a puzzle, a mystery, an _enigma_?

I would be confoundedly astounded if someone posted an amazingly insightful theory into Tom's Origins; but I would be equally dumbfounded by a beautiful illustration of who Tom is to that person and how it relates to _The Legendarium_. 



Prince of Cats said:


> As for what Tom represents, both to the story and myself, ... that's something I'd love to be able to answer because there are many emotions there but not too many words yet. I'll try to work on it
> 
> Thanks again for starting this topic, Úlairi


 
I'm looking forward to your reply. I too, am finding words not to be enough for Tom as well; which is quite frustrating. 

It's my pleasure to begin this topic with the freshest of starts that I believe I could give it; Tom, after all, deserves it, doesn't he? 

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## chrysophalax (Mar 5, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

I'm glad you've framed this thread in this way, Ulairi, as it allows both the scholars among us and we ordinary mortals to participate.

For me, Tom and his territory have always represented that perfect place, a Shangri-la, if you will. He can come and go as he pleases, could give a toss about fashion, has an ambiguous relationship with the lovely daughter of a god, has great power and yet is satisfied with his cosy cottage. He's got it good!

This is not to say his little piece of paradise isn't fraught with danger. On the contrary, Old Man Willow and the Barrow Downs just on the edge of his self-imposed border, show us that even paradise has its pitfalls for the unwary and unheeding.

Of all the places in Middle Earth, the Old Forest has been the most intriguing for me. It has the very Lorien-like qualities of restfulness and timelessness, while at the same time Tom provides for his guests not only food and lodging, but entertainment and freely given advice, a perfect host.

There is also the hint of danger about his persona as Iarwain Ben-Adar as he saves the errant hobbits from the clutches of the barrow-wight. Just a hint more of his power comes peeking out, which only served to make me wonder what he might _really_ be capable of should, say, the Black Riders attempt to pass his borders.

His carelessness with the Ring was just what I would have expected from a nature spirit, one not tied to possessions or caught up with normal earthly concerns. He almost seems a bit druidic in his lifestyle...the singing, chanting, walking among the trees and talking with the ponies are like glimpses into a time when people found nothing odd in such behaviour.

This is one creation of JRRT's I'd love to meet!


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 5, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*



Úlairi said:


> I have heard many theories that he is Oromë which is ludicrous for various reasons (no Nahar being one of them).



Perhaps, if Oromë is Tom, Nahar is Fatty Lumpkin.


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## Úlairi (Mar 5, 2009)

*'Behold your Music!'*



The Tall Hobbit said:


> Perhaps, if Oromë is Tom, Nahar is Fatty Lumpkin.


 
Nahar, the silver-shining majestic horse of the Vala Oromë, Fatty Lumpkin? I'll leave that one with you to figure out. 



chrysophalax said:


> I'm glad you've framed this thread in this way, Úlairi, as it allows both the scholars among us and we ordinary mortals to participate.


 
That was indeed what I was hoping for. There are simply some concepts and enigmas within the paper world between the lines where it is more interesting to listen to what scholars of life have to say; instead of the scholars imprisoned inside the letters. 

Perhaps, with time, we can forge another thread worthy of the five stars! The Five Stars of Bombadil! 



chrysophalax said:


> For me, Tom and his territory have always represented that perfect place, a Shangri-la, if you will.


 
Tom being a Shangri-La? What a thought-provoking rationalization. I would have to agree that the world which Tom created for himself - the land within his boundaries - is indeed an earthly paradise, to a point, as you say below. 

I would have to say that Tom is a literary representation also of _nirvana_; a being at perfect peace in the world; and it is interesting that he is portrayed as such through Nature. There are many excerpts in _The Return of the Shadow _and _The Treason of Isengard_ where Tom is referred to as an "_Ab-Origine_". Being from Australia there are a plethora of descriptions of the metaphysical connection that Aboriginals have with the land; which was recognized in Native Title disputes over ten years ago. Tom is the indigenous of Middle-earth and it is through his connection to the land from which he draws his power. Perhaps one of the purposes of the enigma of Tom is to contrast Tom with the Enemy. The Enemy being inherently mechanistic and destructive; seeking to destroy and eradicate Nature or at the very least to warp, twist, mar and pervert it to its own designs. 

Why then, in the context of this discussion, was Tom able to overpower the Barrow-wights and Old Man Willow? 

I also believe that Tom may also be a device used by Tolkien to enamour the reader and incite a passionate love for the Middle-earth of his imagination. A Middle-earth that, at this point of the story, may be lost in the triumph of the Dark. 



chrysophalax said:


> This is not to say his little piece of paradise isn't fraught with danger. On the contrary, Old Man Willow and the Barrow Downs just on the edge of his self-imposed border, show us that even paradise has its pitfalls for the unwary and unheeding.


 
Perhaps then it is not Paradise; but Tom's Paradise. A mirage to the rest of us sinners. 



chrysophalax said:


> Of all the places in Middle Earth, the Old Forest has been the most intriguing for me. It has the very Lorien-like qualities of restfulness and timelessness, while at the same time Tom provides for his guests not only food and lodging, but entertainment and freely given advice, a perfect host.


 
Yes, intrigue! But Tom also has knowledge of the outside world. He knows Barliman Butterbur, the Kingdom of Arnor before it fell to the Witch-king and the Coming of the Elves from Aman. Tom could also be that desire in all of us to carve out our own Paradise amidst a world of turmoil.



chrysophalax said:


> There is also the hint of danger about his persona as Iarwain Ben-Adar as he saves the errant hobbits from the clutches of the barrow-wight. Just a hint more of his power comes peeking out, which only served to make me wonder what he might _really_ be capable of should, say, the Black Riders attempt to pass his borders.


 
And this aspect of Bombadil I find myself being the most fascinating of all of them. His Power. I truly wish to investigate with all the scholars of the lines and the scholars outside them about the intrinsic power that resides within Music. Yavanna created the Trees; Arda was wrought into Being; Lúthien casted spells over the Enemy; Finrod contested Sauron and Tom rescued the Hobbits using the power of Music. Tom continually states that he is the greater singer. Let's all make some Music together. _Ëa! Let these things Be!_



chrysophalax said:


> His carelessness with the Ring was just what I would have expected from a nature spirit, one not tied to possessions or caught up with normal earthly concerns. He almost seems a bit druidic in his lifestyle...the singing, chanting, walking among the trees and talking with the ponies are like glimpses into a time when people found nothing odd in such behaviour.
> 
> This is one creation of JRRT's I'd love to meet!


 
Me too, but he makes me want to pull my hair out! Perhaps he really is JRRT enshrined within the story itself. Perhaps Tolkien is looking to create Music of his own...

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 5, 2009)

*Re: 'Behold your Music!'*



Úlairi said:


> Nahar, the silver-shining majestic horse of the Vala Oromë, Fatty Lumpkin? I'll leave that one with you to figure out.


Well, 10,000+ years is a long time to maintain one's physique.



Joking aside, I've always assumed that Tom (and Goldberry too) was some kind of nature spirit.

Perhaps he is a holdover from the earlier forms of Tolkien's mythology when it still included: 

(from the Book of Lost Tales Part 1 Chapter 3)
"a great host who are the sprites of trees and woods, of dale and forest and mountain-side, or those that sing amid the grass at morning and chant among the standing corn at eve. These are the Nermir and the Tavari, Nandini and Orossi, brownies, fays, pixies, leprawns, and what else are they not called, for their number is very great: yet must they not be confused with the Eldar, for they were born before the world and are older than its oldest, and are not of it, but laugh at it much, for had they not somewhat to do with its making, so that it is for the most part a play for them;


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## Úlairi (Mar 5, 2009)

*Re: 'Behold your Music!'*



The Tall Hobbit said:


> Perhaps he is a holdover from the earlier forms of Tolkien's mythology when it still included:
> 
> (from the Book of Lost Tales Part 1 Chapter 3)
> "a great host who are the sprites of trees and woods, of dale and forest and mountain-side, or those that sing amid the grass at morning and chant among the standing corn at eve. These are the Nermir and the Tavari, Nandini and Orossi, brownies, fays, pixies, leprawns, and what else are they not called, for their number is very great: yet must they not be confused with the Eldar, for they were born before the world and are older than its oldest, and are not of it, but laugh at it much, for had they not somewhat to do with its making, so that it is for the most part a play for them;


 
A magnificent find, The Tall Hobbit! I'm awestruck at the similarities between Tom and the spirits described in the above quote. I should read _The Book of Lost Tales _but I can never bring myself to get too far through it. 

The most ambiguous (and thus intriguing) part of the passage is that these _nature spirits _are *not* _of_ the world, like the Valar; and must also be _ëalar_. Curious. It's very late so I'll have to ponder over this discovery; I believe there may be nexus here to Tulkas. 

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## ltnjmy (Mar 5, 2009)

*Re: 'Behold your Music!'*



The Tall Hobbit said:


> Well, 10,000+ years is a long time to maintain one's physique.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Dear Tall Hobbit,
You may have hit it right on the mark - the mystique about Tom Bombadill. Thanks for your posting !
very sincerely, ltnjmy


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 5, 2009)

*Re: 'Behold your Music!'*



Úlairi said:


> I believe there may be nexus here to Tulkas.



The same passage which I quoted from above indicates that this "host" of spirits came into the world in the company of Aule and Palurien (an early name for Yavanna).

The very next paragraph names Tulkas as being among those who came later.


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 5, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

The Book of Lost Tales also makes reference to another group of nature spirits associated with water: "the troops of the Oarni and Falmarini and the long-tressed Wingildi, and these are the spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean."

So far as I am aware, neither of these hosts of nature spirits is ever mentioned again after the Book of Lost Tales, but neither is there any place where Tolkien specifically rejects their existance.

Could it be that they are still a real and legitimate (but unmentioned) part of the final form of the mythology?

If so, and if Tom belongs to the first host (the sprites of trees and woods, of dale and forest and mountain-side), could Goldberry (or, at least, her mother - the River Woman) belong to this second host (the spirits of the foam and the surf)?


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## Úlairi (Mar 6, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*



The Tall Hobbit said:


> The Book of Lost Tales also makes reference to another group of nature spirits associated with water: "the troops of the Oarni and Falmarini and the long-tressed Wingildi, and these are the spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean."


 
There may be the issue of the literal connection between _foam _and _surf_ and _River-daughter_; but I believe that you've made quite the discovery, TTH. So much so that it is without question the best theory I've yet seen about TB and Goldberry; one that I plan to adopt. 



The Tall Hobbit said:


> So far as I am aware, neither of these hosts of nature spirits is ever mentioned again after the Book of Lost Tales, but neither is there any place where Tolkien specifically rejects their existance.


 
I've looked and looked and I too can find no further references to the spirits mentioned in the above passage. 

In my index of _The Book of Lost Tales - Volume I_ I have minor descriptions of what they are:

_Nermir_: *Fays of the meads. *
_Tavari_: *Fays of the woods. *
_Nandini_: *Fays of the valleys.*
_Orossi_: *Fays of the mountains.*

_Oarni_: *Spirits of the sea.*
_Falmaríni_: *Spirits of the sea-foam.*
_Wingildi (long-tressed)_: *Spiritis of the sea-foam.*

Now, if I had to choose which category Tom derived from I would have to say that he was _Tavari_ (however _Nandini _or _Nermir_ may be equally valid). 



The Tall Hobbit said:


> Could it be that they are still a real and legitimate (but unmentioned) part of the final form of the mythology?


 
I too, am wondering this myself. Has this passage truly been discredited in its entirety for other subsequent preferences? 

There are subsequent mentions of the _Oarni_ further on in _The Book of Lost Tales - Volume I_:



> _The Book of Lost Tales - Volume I: III - The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor_
> 
> *Then Ossë, for Ulmo was not there, gathered to him the Oarni, and putting forth their might they dragged that island whereon stood the Valar westward from the waters till they came to Eruman, whose high shores held the angry flood - and that was the first tide. ...*
> 
> ...


 
It may very well be that we cannot assume the authenticity of the spirits mentioned as, based on the passages above, JRRT obviously abandoned them for later concepts. The _Oarni _are quite intricate creations and appear to be Ainur of lesser degree in the service of Ossë. Would we thus be able to assume that the _Nermir_,_ Tavari_,_ Nandini _and _Orossi_ are also Ainur? This would still then possibly entail that Tom was indeed Maia. 

What the most alluring aspect, as aforementioned, is the acknowledgement that they came initially from beyond Arda with Yavanna, Ulmo and Aulë. I interpret this unequivocally to infer that they are Ainur-Maiar. The quote goes further on to emphasize the distinction made between these s_pirits _and the Eldar: that the Eldar are part of the world and are thus enamoured by it. It is coterminous with the shape and hue that the Valar took upon themselves after their Vision of the Children of Ilúvatar in the _Ainulindalë_. The language employed by Tolkien is virtually identical:



> _The Silmarillion: Ainulindalë - The Music of the Ainur_
> 
> *Moreover their [the Ainur/Valar] shape comes of their knowledge of the visible World, rather than of the World itself...*


 
It is interesting that they consider the Unravelling of Arda to be a mere play; whereas the Valar (and many of the Maiar) take the hurts, pains, sufferings and triumphs and victories of Arda quite seriously; as they are in governance. Is it that these Ainur are not troubled by Arda because they are devoid of responsibility? 



The Tall Hobbit said:


> If so, and if Tom belongs to the first host (the sprites of trees and woods, of dale and forest and mountain-side), could Goldberry (or, at least, her mother - the River Woman) belong to this second host (the spirits of the foam and the surf)?


 
I would agree that's quite a fair derivation from the text. However, Goldberry is referred to as a _River-daughter_. However:



> _The Silmarillion: Valaquenta - Account of the Valar and Maiar according to the lore of the Eldar_
> 
> *But mostly Ulmo speaks to those who dwell in Middle-earth with voices that are heard only as the music of water. For all seas, lakes, rivers, fountains and springs are in his government ...*


 
Although the Oarni, Falmaríni and Wingildi came with Ossë into Arda, as Ulmo was the Lord of Waters and of Ossë, it would be plausible that they too were in Ulmo's service and became river-spirits. Goldberry may have even been an offspring of Ossë and Uinen. 

What I contend confirms that these _spirits _were Maiar, apart from the overwhelming evidence above, is the fact that Bombadil _sings _in attaining victory over his enemies. This appears to be a remnant of _The Music of the Ainur_ in which thought was achieved as acrion through musical expression of being. The greater singer being the victor:



> _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - In the House of Tom Bombadil_
> 
> *Old grey Willow-man, he's a mighty singer; and it's hard for little folk to escape his cunning mazes. But Tom had an errand there, that he dared not hinder. ...*
> 
> ...


 
This predominant theme of music and the inherent strength and power that derives from it permeates all of Tolkien's texts. Is it through music, the creative force of Arda that Bombadil asserts his dominion; and the connection to the Music is undeniable.

Tom, being a nature-spirit that likely descended into Arda at its making must therefore be an Ainur of some degree.

Great find, TTH. I'm also interested to see what Bombadil means to you personally; but don't let that hinder the discussion above either!!!

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 6, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

To me personally, Tom is one of Tolkiens most interesting (and amusing) creations.

It has often been said that Tom doesn't quite fit in LOTR; but to me, he (or rather, the hobbits' adventures with him) provides a much needed transition from the "The Hobbit" like tone of LOTR's early chapters to the more serious writing style of the rest of the book.

I am also quite fond of Tolkien's three poems about Tom: "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", "Bombadil goes Boating", and "Once upon a time".

The first two can be found in the book: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
The Last can be found in the book: Winter's Tales for Children 

As for the connection between "River-Daughter" and "the spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean":

I would point out that river water does sometimes foam (for example: white water rapids or the foam at the base of a waterfall).


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 6, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

Could Tom's seeming immunity to the ring have as much to do with his personality as with his powers?

That is, perhaps the ring simply can't tempt him because he does not desire the types of power which it can offer.

He is a happy carefree being who simply does not see power or dominion over others as something to be desired.


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## Úlairi (Mar 6, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*



The Tall Hobbit said:


> To me personally, Tom is one of Tolkiens most interesting (and amusing) creations.
> 
> It has often been said that Tom doesn't quite fit in LOTR; but to me, he (or rather, the hobbits' adventures with him) provides a much needed transition from the "The Hobbit" like tone of LOTR's early chapters to the more serious writing style of the rest of the book.


 
To tell you truth, I never first adhered to Tom and I also was a naysayer about his place in LoTR. However, over the years I have developed a genuine liking of him; and the purpose of his enigma, as well as his Allegory. Tom, for me, as I have said above, is a device used by Tolkien to enamour the reader with Middle-earth. He is there to propound Middle-earth to the reader, to encapsulate it, and to therefore induce the fear that this place so loved by its inhabitants (as the Hobbits are also used for this purpose) may fall unto the dominion of evil. This is why I believe Tolkien has clothed himself within his own story; as it is through his understanding of this connection between himself as a reader of his own work and the world he has created as an author that he leaves a piece of himself behind in Tom - an important piece. Tom is JRRT and Middle-earth. Tom is Imagination. Tom's interaction with the One Ring I personally believe is there to show us that there is also the concept of incorruptibility existent within Middle-earth. There is something extrinsic of evil that isn't attracted to it or corrupted by it. Tom may just be that elusive ideal of _Arda Unmarred_; but in Middle-earth! 



The Tall Hobbit said:


> As for the connection between "River-Daughter" and "the spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean":
> 
> I would point out that river water does somtimes foam (for example: white water rapids or the foam at the base of a waterfall).


 
Yes, but conversely I would point out that they all were spirits of _sea-foam_. For the sake of semantics though perhaps I could concede on tributaries. 

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## Tyelkormo (Mar 6, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

Tolkien writes in letter 144 "Tom Bombadil is not an important person - to the narrative. I suppose he has some importance as a 'comment'. I mean, I do not really write like that: He is just an invention (...) and he represents something that I feel important, though I would not be prepared to analyse the feeling precisely. I would not, however, have left him in if he did not have some kind of function."

So it could be said that Tolkien himself realises that Bombadil is not that important *for this specific story*, but is more of a side comment, albeit one that Tolkien, for some reasons that seem diffuse to himself, considers essential to make.

Earlier in the same letter, he wrote:
"And even in a mythical Age, there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally)."

In letter 19, Tolkien asked his publisher "Do you think Tom Bombadil, the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside, could be made into the hero of a story?"

I think we have to be careful not to seek more meaning than there is. Tolkien states that Bombadil, while fulfilling a function, is not truly important to the narrative. He describes Bombadil as the spirit of English countryside - which makes him kind of a stranger to the Middle-Earth stories, especially inasmuch as they do not represent the stage of his mythology being a "mythology for England" anymore. Tom had a history outside LotR, and as such, he's an autonomous element dropped into Middle Earth, sharing the events there for a while, without really being part of them, even if he were to be a protagonist (which he is not), much like Alice has adventures in Wonderland, but is not really more than a visitor. And that's also the reason why the Ring doesn't affect him, in my eyes: As much as the Ring may try to tell him what to do, it's nothing more than the Queen of Hearts berating Alice "Hold your tongue!", on which she says "you're nothing but a pack of cards! Who cares for you?"

I'm not really sure there should be more seen in him than that. Since Tolkien sees him as the spirit of the Oxford and Berkshire countryside, why not leave it at that? Tolkien states he is an enigma intentionally, and if I were to speculate, then the reason why Tolkien doesn't want to state more than that or analyze the feeling why he wants to leave him in the story, is that the result might seem to him something not really flattering if widely known, such as a kind of sentimentality and nostalgia. Being (in my eyes) a late-late-late romantic writer, Tolkien definitely had such feelings. But, much like he disliked sledgehammer type allegories, I think he wouldn't make such feelings too blatantly explicit.


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## Illuin (Mar 7, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*



> Originally posted by *Tyelkormo*
> _I think we have to be careful not to seek more meaning than there is. Tolkien states that Bombadil, while fulfilling a function, is not truly important to the narrative._


 





We all know how Tolkien felt when it came to "philosophizing" over Tom Bombadil. But I was hoping to see some fun, far out, newfangled ideas regardless. That would be a lot of fun if people jumped on board. Anyway, here’s a crazy one that popped into my head while reading Úlairi’s post: 



> Originally posted by *Úlairi *
> _I truly wish to investigate with all the scholars of the lines and the scholars outside them about the intrinsic power that resides within Music. Yavanna created the Trees; Arda was wrought into Being; Lúthien casted spells over the Enemy; Finrod contested Sauron and Tom rescued the Hobbits using the power of Music. Tom continually states that he is the greater singer._


 
Interesting thought. If Tom can be thought of as a _nature spirit_, couldn’t we take it a bit further and say that Tom was a _spirit of "*The Music*"_ _of The Ainur_ (a spirit of The Music ascribed to the material creation of Arda). This is in essence the same as a _nature spirit_, because _Ëa/Arda_ (nature) is simply a physical manifestation of The Music (a realization of The Music in time and matter). Maybe Tom’s singing is _an echo of the actual Music of the Ainur_, which has power over that which is unnatural (a reminder of how things were meant to be according to the original _"template"_ of The Music). Old Man Willow was returned to his _"proper"_ state after Tom’s song. The song lyrics themselves simply describe how a tree _"should behave"_ according to the natural order of things (i.e. keeping things _"in sync"_ with The Music ). 



> *The Lord of The Rings - The Old Forest*
> 
> *'What be you a-thinking of? You should not be waking. Eat earth! Did deep! Drink water! Go to sleep! Bombadil is talking!'*


 
Come on people, live a little .


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## Aulë (Mar 7, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*



Illuin said:


> *Eat earth. Dig deep. Drink water. Go to sleep*.


 
Wasn't it Treebeard who said that?


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## Illuin (Mar 7, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

_



Wasn't it Treebeard who said that? 

Click to expand...

_ 
Only in the EE as well; I think. I never bothered with the theatrical version, so I’m not sure .

Hey, 700 posts. I'm in the 700 club now. Where's Jim and Tammy Faye?


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## Eledhwen (Mar 7, 2009)

*The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

I thought this thread could benefit from Tom's entry in The Tolkien Society's Character List:-

"*Tom Bombadil (and Goldberry)*
_Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow. Some believe that Tom's main purpose is to hold up the narrative just long enough to weed out uncommitted readers. Adapters always leave him out of their dramatisations. He seems to have waded in from another story entirely. Don't be fooled. Tom has a few things to say, and wasn't it Tom that found Merry his short sword with the significant runes on it? Tolkien never wrote a multi-layered text-based computer adventure (personal computers did not exist in his time), but he knew a plot twist when he saw one. Tom's lovely wife Goldberry grew up in a river and still wears fish-skin shoes.

The meaning of "Bombadil" is unexplained. "Goldberry" may be from a poetic Middle English name "Goldborow", meaning, presumably, golden city. On the other hand, it may mean a small sweet yellow Arctic fruit used to make jam in Scandinavia."_

Did Tom have a foresight that led him to give Merry the sword that brought down the Witch King of Angmar? Did he know the spells that were folded into the forging of it, and the effect they would have? Hmmm.


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 7, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*



Úlairi said:


> I've looked and looked and I too can find no further references to the spirits mentioned in the above passage.
> 
> It may very well be that we cannot assume the authenticity of the spirits mentioned as, based on the passages above, JRRT obviously abandoned them for later concepts. The _Oarni _are quite intricate creations and appear to be Ainur of lesser degree in the service of Ossë. Would we thus be able to assume that the _Nermir_,_ Tavari_,_ Nandini _and _Orossi_ are also Ainur? This would still then possibly entail that Tom was indeed Maia.



I believe that I may have found an indirect reference to these spirits in the published _Silmarillion_.

It occurs in the Valaquenta - in the final paragraph of the section titled "of the Valar":

"Among them Nine were of chief power and reverence; but one is removed from their number, and Eight remain, the Aratar, the High Ones of Arda: Manwë and Varda, Ulmo, Yavanna and Aulë, Mandos, Nienna, and Oromë. Though Manwë is their King and holds their allegiance under Eru, in majesty they are peers, surpassing beyond compare all others, whether *of the Valar and the Maiar, or of any other order that Ilúvatar has sent into Eä*."

Who are these other orders of beings (besides the Valar and Maiar) which Ilúvatar sent into Eä if not the various types of nature spirits refered to in the Book of Lost Tales?


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## Úlairi (Mar 14, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

I'm surprised to see how quickly this thread died...

There is so much more of Tom to discuss than just his origins. Who is he to you? Does anyone feel his laughter reverberating through the pages of any other of the published works, such as _The Silmarillion_? Can Tom be found where we truly haven't looked before...?

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## The Tall Hobbit (Mar 15, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

From Tolkien's poem "Once upon a Time":


> Once upon a moon on the brink of June
> a-dewing the lintips went too soon.
> Tom stopped and listenes, and down he knelt:
> "Ha! Little lads! So it was you I smelt?
> ...


Who or what were these "lintips"?

Why would they not talk to Tom?

What (if anything) does Tom's lack of knowledge about these creatures say about his status as "Eldest" and "Master"?


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## Prince of Cats (Mar 15, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

Tom Bombadill in LoTR I always see as myself. Or at least, what I should be, what I could be, if only I were never distracted by the truly irrelevant but seemingly important distractions of life. Tom is the beautiful sobriety and true understanding of reality you experience coming down from a wonderful journey (wink wink) in the forest


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## The Tall Hobbit (Apr 5, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

I've always found it somewhat touching that Tom cared for Merry's ponies and made sure that they got a good home following the events at Bree.


> Merry's ponies had escaped altogether, and eventually (having a good deal of sense) they made their way to the Downs in search of Fatty Lumpkin. So they came under the care of Tom Bombadil for a while, and were well-off. But when news of the events at Bree came to Tom's ears, he sent them to Mr. Butterbur, who thus got five good beasts at a very fair price.


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## Úlairi (Apr 10, 2009)

*Re: Hey dol! Merry dol! a ring a dong dillo! The greatest enigma of all! Tom Bombadil*

I've been meaning for quite some time to get to this post as it the myth of Tom's irrelevance is one that deserves to be dispelled.



Tyelkormo said:


> Tolkien writes in letter 144 "Tom Bombadil is not an important person - to the narrative. I suppose he has some importance as a 'comment'. I mean, I do not really write like that: He is just an invention (...) and he represents something that I feel important, though I would not be prepared to analyse the feeling precisely. I would not, however, have left him in if he did not have some kind of function."
> 
> So it could be said that Tolkien himself realises that Bombadil is not that important *for this specific story*, but is more of a side comment, albeit one that Tolkien, for some reasons that seem diffuse to himself, considers essential to make.


 
Perhaps a simple reading of the first sentence is enough to ascertain the extent of Tom's "extraneous insignificance". He is unimportant *to the narrative*. It would likely be obvious to an eighth-grader that Tom's position within the plotline is somewhat enigmatic to the point that notions of redundancy may arise. Tolkien goes on to futher delineate the nature of Tom's existence within the story, as like it or not Celegorm, he's always going to be there. Tolkien himself appears to grapple what Tom's exact "_function_" really is, but if you read the quote further:



> _The Letters of JRR Tolkien_ - #_144: To Naomi Mitchison_
> 
> *I might put it this way. The story is cast in terms of a good side, and a bad side, beauty against ruthless ugliness, tyranny against kingship, moderated freedom with consent against compulsion that has long lost any object save mere power, and so on; but both sides in some degree, conservative or destructive, want a measure of control. ut if you have, as it were taken 'a vow of poverty', renounced control, and take your delight in things for themselves without reference to yourself, watching, observing, and to some extent knowing, then the question of the rights and wrongs of power and control might become utterly meaningless to you, and the means of power quite valueless. It is a natural pacifist view, which always arises in the mind when there is a war. But the view of Rivendell seems to be that it is an excellent thing to have represented, but that there are in fact things with which it cannot cope; and upon which its existence nonetheless depends. Ultimately only the victory of the West will allow Bombadil to continue, or even to survive. Nothing would be left for him in the world of Sauron.*


 
Tom sees the world through rosy-coloured glasses. His is the physical embodiment of pacifism (but not pure pacifism). However, the pacifism of Tom is inactive rather than active; indifferent pacifism. However JRRT refers to the commentary of Tom in _The Council of Elrond _to be a commentary on pacifism and that it finds such things to be wonderful and necessary in a world where blind lust for power seeks to dominate and destroy opposition and ultimately freedom. In this context Tolkien explains that Tom holds a mirror to the hideous face of war. Through a commentary on Tom we then derive a commentary on war. Through a glass darkly we can see that war is necessary for the survival of pacifism but clearly Tom's function is that of perfection. Tom is of course, unimportant in the sense that Frodo must bear the Ring through fire, earth and water to conquer the last embodiment of evil within the world, which is indeed the narrative. He still lies on the wayside skipping merrily along and asking us the most important question: why? The Hobbits rest within Tom's abode before marching off to war and Tom pacifistic envelopment of Middle-earth itself becomes a reason to fight for its preservation.

Whilst quoting the movie often makes me cringe I can nonetheless feel that this particular quote conveys quite well what I believe Tom may very well be:

"_That there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for_."



Tyelkormo said:


> I think we have to be careful not to seek more meaning than there is. Tolkien states that Bombadil, while fulfilling a function, is not truly important to the narrative. He describes Bombadil as the spirit of English countryside - which makes him kind of a stranger to the Middle-Earth stories, especially inasmuch as they do not represent the stage of his mythology being a "mythology for England" anymore.


 
I consider that point to be utterly moot. Tolkien indeed no longer upheld his myth as being a mythology of England, however Tolkien also says of Tom:



> _The Letters of JRR Tolkien_ - #_153: To Peter Hastings (draft)_
> 
> *... he [Tom] is then an 'allegory', or an exemplar, a particular embodying of pure (real) natural science ...*


 
Tom has become more than just an extrinsic element of unused mythology but is _a_ father (not _the F_ather - see Tolkien's discourse in the same letter of "_he is_" and "_I am_" - quite interesting actually) - Father Nature in his majestic glory. The inert function of Tom is representation of the beauty resident within nature itself. We, as the reader through Tom, do not wish to see Middle-earth burn in the fires of malice. 



Tyelkormo said:


> Tom had a history outside LotR, and as such, he's an autonomous element dropped into Middle Earth, sharing the events there for a while, without really being part of them, even if he were to be a protagonist (which he is not), much like Alice has adventures in Wonderland, but is not really more than a visitor. And that's also the reason why the Ring doesn't affect him, in my eyes: As much as the Ring may try to tell him what to do, it's nothing more than the Queen of Hearts berating Alice "Hold your tongue!", on which she says "you're nothing but a pack of cards! Who cares for you?"


 
Quite an enlightening analogy there Celegorm and I would have to agree with you until you decided to sever the connection of the cause and the result and thus take it out of its context. Alice "_renounced control_" through an assertion of her autonomous power but as the protagonist of the story the result of self-realization was climactic. The cause of self-realization effected power over the Queen. The power was simply shifted. Tom's "_renounced control_" was that of the Ring's assertion of power which failed miserably, and not vice versa. Remember the words of Gandalf. Alice is liberated whilst Tom has remained completely free. Alice "_renounced control_" but Tom was rather "_control renounced_". Tom is an autonomous element, but one that was never dropped into the story as his is encased within the flesh of Middle-earth itself and has his own dominion there. Tom resides within all Story. His autonomy comes not through self-declaration but through self-examination. Tom simply "_is_"; he does not "_become_" (or more correctly, "_becomes_" through the reader). Tom, to me, then becomes important as we must seek him as he does not seek us. When we find Tom we see that without him the Shire is just trees, land and hills and not a home worth defending; good worth fighting for. 

Come on everyone, let's go find Tom! 

Also, let's not forget that Tom indeed did give the hobbits the sword which finally caused the destruction of the Witch-king and that he delivered them from evil twice. Is Tom then truly pacifism - or pacifism to a point? Just read above and you'll see that Tom is more than just an extrinsic commentary but a haven preserving the beauty of nature. He is what we may stand to lose if evil is triumphant. We attribute value to Tom through ourselves as nature becomes important through our love for it. I understand the circular nature of the logic that: "_Tom has meaning because we give him meaning_". Tolkien also does not believe that Tom requires philosophizing - neither does nature but the inquisitive human mind shall do so nonetheless. He may not have been important to the author or the narrative, but he sure is vital to many readers. How insightful it was of Tolkien through an extrinsic characterization of nature to subconsciously rouse questions of not just why we are fighting this battle, but what we are actually fighting for. "_From dust we came and to dust shall we return_". Tom, to me, is that all-important first sprinkle of dust - and because of that he is truly beautiful. 

But that's simply why I started the thread in the first place...

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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