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Originally Posted by Essex
Sapphire,
Here we go again..........
Main Reason why Tom Bombadil / Old Forest were CRITICAL to the story. (many others, but I've already mentioned these on another thread)
Merry gets given a sword of Westernesse by Tom after they're saved from the barrow-wights. Without this, we have a domino affect on the rest of the story. Let me explain......
No sword, no defeat of the Witch King. That is a FACT.
No defeat of the Witch King, probable defeat of the West at the Pellenor Fields.
Defeat at the Pellenor Fields, no diversionary tactics by Gandalf and Co which could have lead to a possible sighting by Sauron of Frodo and Sam.
Most importantly to me, no defeat of the witch king, then no quarrel between the two hunter orcs that Frodo and Sam stumble across, and I propose that these orcs would have easily tracked down the hobbits if it was not for their fight. Hobbits killed or captured, Ring found, delivered to Sauron, and End of Story.....
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I'm not debating the neccessity of the Old Forest and the Barrow Downs; I'm just saying that the
character of Bombadil, himself, wasn't critical. Tolkien could have inserted another character, with similar powers, in his place without damaging the story. The reason that the character was Tom Bombadil is that Tolkien had already written stories concerning him, and therefore it was for sentimental reasons that he was the one placed in the Old Forest to aid the hobbits. I do, in fact, completely agree with what you say about Merry's sword. In the movie, the swords are given to them by Aragorn; who's to say those blades are the same type that were found in the barrow? Therefore, it still works in the movies. *rimshot*
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Okay, I have officially heard the pickyness to end all pickyness. At another board, someone complained that "the arrow that Legolas shot Grima with, wasn't fletched right for an elven arrow."
*blink blink* And? Why on earth would you complain about that? "Stop the presses, Legolas had an improperly fletched arrow!" I don't really think it matters. It's amazing what some people choose to complain about. I can see how you can point out changes from the book, but this is a bit silly.
Abedithon le,
~ Saphy ~