Who do you think Tom Bombadil really was

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

Anyway, I think he is more something that Eru put there to be an antidote to the evil of Middle-Earth, so in a way, he is a manifestation of Eru, as he does what Eru wants, but isn't actually him.

And also, remember the whole thing about trolls being made in mockery of Ents and Orcs being made in mockery of Elves/Men? I would assume that this was already decided in the Music, and that Melkor, hearing of Tom Bombadil (literally), created an opposite, Ungoliant. I'm sure that somewhere I've read that she is the primeval spirit of darkness and so, according to this, Tom would be the primeval spirit of good.

Nay, that really doesn't work. Tom does not actually DO much, does he? Tom could be a spirit of the primeval, good (in the sense: unspoiled, undisturbed) Arda, however, he just is not able to cope with the flow of events. Or, let's say, history. He is old and can just live, live and live on and time can pass him by and not affect him - but at the same time, history works and affects everybody around him violently. "He's a moss-gatherer", and Gandalf put it quite well in this comparison of his, the forces who were able to actually act on good's behalf and stand against Sauron or whatever were not Tom, but messengers like Gandalf, "a stone doomed to rolling". Tom portrays the ideal state, something like the Shire as it was isolated from the outside world - even though it could not escape it eventually, as it HAD TO be touched by the history, as it WAS a part of the history too (or "was in it", or how to put it. And now I am not referring to the Ring or anything, I am speaking on very general terms).

I think Bombadil is the extreme example of isolation "outside" the history - almost, or on the very edge (mostly as an observer - as we are shown in the places where he tells something about old Arnor, the barrows or the woman wearing the jewel from that tomb). Only if it really came to that Tom would keep the Ring, and Sauron would have had to confront him, he would came into real "touch" with the history. But not otherwise. See, there was Sauron's rule all over Eriador (except Lindon) in the dark ages, while Tom was apparently still there in his place. Nothing touched him, and he was of no concern to Sauron's rule. No threat, except that maybe he could offer a shelter to a few passers-by - just like with Frodo. But he really didn't have any special "agenda", did he? He just helped Frodo because he managed to stop by, not because he would have some real urge to contribuge to destroying Sauron.

All in all, Tom is really the closest to nature - also in this sense. But he has little to do with the history of humans, elves, hobbits or Dark Lords. In this way, he is not really a representative of any powers of the West or anything - he is just too passive, as in comparison to the Istari's mission, for example. Therefore, even his connection as some manifestation of Eru would be a bit doubtful (though it is true that theologically, Eru is not one of the most active gods himself, or at least he does not seem to be in the process of history - though still, TB is just too much even for him, and Eru has all these delegates like Valar and delegates of delegates like the Istari).