Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuruharan
I would argue that the same thing does apply to Gandalf, at least in principle, even if he is not named in the letter.
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Even so, Gandalf making it known to the hobbits that he was visiting Bombadil to have a talk such as he had not had before, not only since he came to Middle-earth as one of the Istari, but
'in all his time', is significant. He described Tom as a "moss gatherer", and himself as a "stone doomed to rolling", so the two were opposites, not regarding good/evil, but active/inactive. Gandalf was a Mover, and Tom was a Watcher. Bombadil's purpose seems to have been to merely be present in Middle-earth, and rarely, to put his hand in events and aid good. He said that his meeting and saving the hobbits was 'no plan of mine', but that implies that it was
somebody's plan, and Tom was not going to look the other way that time. So Tom was mainly a passive outsider with a penchant for remaining out of general knowledge, but the fact that he did take action when required to me means that he was indeed part of the world.