The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Tom Bombadil and gods of our world’s mythologies

Priya · 12-28-2025, 01:36 PM

… continued from my previous post

Now Christ Church is traditionally known as ‘The House’ by its students and staff. The nickname stems from Latin: Aedes Christi, meaning the House or Church of Christ. Tolkien, I feel, must have pondered and been bemused over what on earth Mercury had to do with Christ Church. Was there some deeper meaning here? After all one might expect Christian related statuary to have been erected at the center of the quadrangle. Something such as a sacred Cross*would have been apt. But certainly not a naked pagan god.

By their sheer absence it is conspicuous that no other statues of Norse, Celtic or Greco-Roman deities are present in any other college grounds. In all of Oxford the mythic statue must have seemed so out of place and character – and Tolkien would probably have felt it. Whether it would have angered him to see a pagan and religious ensemble (scorn which he later displayed in criticizing** C.S. Lewises mishmash of religion and unrelated legends making up the Narnia tales) is up for conjecture. But it was in Tolkien’s nature to seek for deeper reasons and meaningful links.

If the Professor had dug into matters (and of course there is no evidence he did) he would have discovered the former existence of an alike Mercury statue similarly mounted amid the fountain dating back to 1695***. Moreover, the realization would have come that a cult of Mercury became established in England back in Roman times. Mercury was indeed firmly rooted to the English soil.

One curious matter related to the sculpture is the fountain basin itself. Though seasonally filled with water-lilies (which, of course, is an interesting connection for us****) it’s the circular bowl that arouses equal curiosity. Because it has a ‘ring’ lip to it.

Aerial View of Tom Quad showing Ringed Fountain (Mercury at its center)

Symbolically for us, all paved compass paths – North, South, East and West lead to the ‘ring’. To avoid the draw of the ‘ring’ – one must traverse considerably far around it by taking the outer circular path close to the House of Christ. And to avoid ‘temptation’ altogether one must traverse through the connected buildings. In other words – through the ‘body’ of Christ Church itself. Ultimately then, the four-walled ‘House’ encases the ‘ring’ and has mastery over it. And such mastery was, of course, displayed by Tom in his own house. Was that why the chapter was titled In the House of Tom Bombadil? Did Tom’s house have a religious***** side?

… to be continued

* The fountain:

“… occupied the site of an ancient preaching-cross formerly belonging to the priory of St. Frideswide, …”. 
– Notes and Queries, Volume II – pg. 532, July-December 1904, A.R. Bayley

** Harsh criticism has been reported:

“Tolkien said that he thought the book was almost worthless, that it seemed like a jumble of unrelated mythologies. Because Aslan, the fauns … Father Christmas, nymphs … had quite distinct mythological or imaginative origins, Tolkien thought that it was a terrible mistake to put them together in Narnia, a single imaginative country.”
 – Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis, Into Narnia – pg. 312, G. Sayer, 2005

*** The original Mercury statue was erected in 1695 (see Notes and Queries, Volume II – pg. 532, July-December 1904*by A.R. Bayley).

**** Which strongly resonates with both Tom and Goldberry’s association to water-lilies.

***** To be exposed in another upcoming thread.

12-28-2025, 01:36 PM	#6
Priya Animated Skeleton Join Date: Sep 2023 Posts: 43	… continued from my previous post Now Christ Church is traditionally known as ‘The House’ by its students and staff. The nickname stems from Latin: Aedes Christi, meaning the House or Church of Christ. Tolkien, I feel, must have pondered and been bemused over what on earth Mercury had to do with Christ Church. Was there some deeper meaning here? After all one might expect Christian related statuary to have been erected at the center of the quadrangle. Something such as a sacred Crosswould have been apt. But certainly not a naked pagan god. By their sheer absence it is conspicuous that no other statues of Norse, Celtic or Greco-Roman deities are present in any other college grounds. In all of Oxford the mythic statue must have seemed so out of place and character – and Tolkien would probably have felt it. Whether it would have angered him to see a pagan and religious ensemble (scorn which he later displayed in criticizing* C.S. Lewises mishmash of religion and unrelated legends making up the Narnia tales) is up for conjecture. But it was in Tolkien’s nature to seek for deeper reasons and meaningful links. If the Professor had dug into matters (and of course there is no evidence he did) he would have discovered the former existence of an alike Mercury statue similarly mounted amid the fountain dating back to 1695*. Moreover, the realization would have come that a cult of Mercury became established in England back in Roman times. Mercury was indeed firmly rooted to the English soil. One curious matter related to the sculpture is the fountain basin itself. Though seasonally filled with water-lilies (which, of course, is an interesting connection for us) it’s the circular bowl that arouses equal curiosity. Because it has a ‘ring’ lip to it. Aerial View of Tom Quad showing Ringed Fountain (Mercury at its center)** Symbolically for us, all paved compass paths – North, South, East and West lead to the ‘ring’. To avoid the draw of the ‘ring’ – one must traverse considerably far around it by taking the outer circular path close to the House of Christ. And to avoid ‘temptation’ altogether one must traverse through the connected buildings. In other words – through the ‘body’ of Christ Church itself. Ultimately then, the four-walled ‘House’ encases the ‘ring’ and has mastery over it. And such mastery was, of course, displayed by Tom in his own house. Was that why the chapter was titled In the House of Tom Bombadil? Did Tom’s house have a religious***** side? … to be continued * The fountain: “… occupied the site of an ancient preaching-cross formerly belonging to the priory of St. Frideswide, …”.  – Notes and Queries, Volume II – pg. 532, July-December 1904, A.R. Bayley ** Harsh criticism has been reported: “Tolkien said that he thought the book was almost worthless, that it seemed like a jumble of unrelated mythologies. Because Aslan, the fauns … Father Christmas, nymphs … had quite distinct mythological or imaginative origins, Tolkien thought that it was a terrible mistake to put them together in Narnia, a single imaginative country.”  – Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis, Into Narnia – pg. 312, G. Sayer, 2005 *** The original Mercury statue was erected in 1695 (see Notes and Queries, Volume II – pg. 532, July-December 1904by A.R. Bayley). * Which strongly resonates with both Tom and Goldberry’s association to water-lilies. *** To be exposed in another upcoming thread.