[Dancing_Hobbit]

I beg to differ, Saucepan Man. A paradox is a seeming inconsistency that, apon closer inspection turns out not to be inconsistent. thus the phrase "an apparent paradox" is redundent. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

I would also like to suggest that, as I am of the opinion that Tom is unmarred, he is the memory of Arda unmarred. That is why his country is shrinking as the bounds of relatively unmarred land shrink. This still leaves it unclear as to how Tom escaped marring, but perhapse that has something to do with the power of music he has. I don't know, but it's what occured to me.