Who or What is Tom Bombadil?

[Eluchíl]

Eh...Wikipedia discussion flashback.

Anyway...Tolkien said himself that Tom was meant to be undefineable. So in that sense he's whatever you want him to be. He is nothing official in the legendarium's world, but yet plays a part in it. He's just...there.

[Gil-Galad]

well i feel that Tom Bombadil is forever a mystery, just a little piece of hope that helps the hopeless regain what they need to do, almost like a final candle

[narfforc]

The name Tom Bombadil was the name of a childs doll, and I believe to be insignificant. I believe the aspect of Bombadil was something within Tolkien himself. The love of all things growing, and the joy of the world itself. If ever a character within a book speaks for the author then Bombadil is Tolkien. The name Iarwain Ben-adar could also relate to Tolkien, for he was also The Oldest without Father, in the earthly way. Bombadil could only say in an earthly way that he had no father, for everything that is, comes from Eru, so spiritually he had a father, unless he was Eru.


I think therefore I am
He lives therefore he is.

Greetings.
What I personally see in Iarwain Ben-adar is the supremacy of Art over the rest of the (tainted) world, during the time of the War of the Ring.
Tom Bombadil's enigmatic yet merry nature is reflected upon the true Artist who is never corrupted by the materialistic progress of the malignant Science (as shown in The Fellowship of the Ring when Tom slips the One Ring on his finger).
His mystery was never solved because of what Tolkien - God bless his soul - believed: that the source of majestic Art is not found in this world.

[Elu Ancalime]

I beleive that Tom Bombadil, like Tolkien mentioned himself is the enigma. He is more of a representation than a literary character, and his meeting with Frodo is more of symbolism than an addition to the plot.
When Tom appears as untempted by the Ring, can see Frodo while he wears the Ring, and so they have no problem giving the Ring to each other, it is like this: Although you may think you know something well, (like for example that the Ring is evil), there is always something that is undiscovered in the world. Treebeard and Tom both say they are both the oldest being, there dosnt have to be contridiction.

"'When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already...'"

Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn...

And so, if my idea stands correct, when Ambar/Arda was created, Tom there already. If he is indeed the 'undisovered,' then as soon as there was wonder and thought and dreams, Tom would be there. But He was before all this.

He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.'"

When Eru made the Ainur, they were the first non-omnipotent beings. And not being omni-potent, they would wonder and guess and dream, or at least had that lack of knowledge. So Tom was first. And theoretically, when/if all things in Ea are known, and all mysteries uncovered, Tom would be gone, because there would be no more discovery in the world. So technically, Tom would be around at the time of the Music, but not being 'powerfully supernatural', to say not like Gandalf, he was not an Ainu. Theoretically also, one can not learn all there is in nature, since nature is free of human intervention, and is ever-changing. "Nature will always find a way," Ian Malcom said in Jurassic Park. And Tom being nature-oriented, he would then never die; so saying:

Last as he was first, and then there will be night

As said in the C of E, he then only be able to die when all secrets of nature were known, which cannot be, so if that happened, the world would have to end in some way, or whatever 'night' may be.'



I came up with this theor on my own, I haven't read any Tom Bombadil essays It just 'came to me' while reading through E of A's entry of Iarwin Ben-adar.

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Also, in a more specific example, you can view The Ring and Bombadil as a symbol: If Sauron had complete domination (with his Ring of course) over Middle-Earth, and stood unopposed, he could still not make the trees or the earth or the rocks evil. They would not be affected by his rule. And so while the Ring may be the greatest concentration of power, it could not hold power over Bombadil, who seems to be the personification of nature itself. And althogh at the C of E, it was said pertaining to Bombadil as the Ring-Keeper(noy an exact quote)

Even Sauron has found ways to torture the very hills

Sauron can taint hills, water, and air, but he could not make them kill elves, if you know what I mean. As it was saidnot exact quote)

Morgoth could not bend the seas to his will, and so he hated them

(Also assumed that he could nto control the earth/soil, etc) Then if the greastest Ainu could not control the inert factors of nature, surley Sauron could not.
So while Mordor is a bleack, ashen land, I would bet that if Frodo and Sam had traveled nearer to the Barad-dur, Sauron would not make dirt fly up in their eyes. Now he would (could) though, but it would be more like using his powers to release energy in a way (kinda like the Halos) that would act as wind, blowing the dirt. He would not beable to control the dirt telepathically or anything though. I think the 'Powers' (not limited to the title of the Valar) would only beable to have influence over animate/organic beings. (hroa and fea i suppose). And since Tom Bombadil is 'Master,' but not Master of the Lands, he could not use nature as a weapon. So Tom would have indeed been a bad choice to give the Ring to.
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[Glaurung]

Tom has always been a mystery to me, and I suppose Tolkien meant him to be one. I've also been wondering who really is the oldest of all beings of Middle-Earth. Celeborn refers to Treebeard as the eldest, and Tom says he was around before trees even existed ( sorry I don't have the book in English so I can't quote the sentence...). So? If Tom was there before trees existed, I think Treebeard couldn't have lived by then. But did Celeborn make a mistake or had he just forgotten about Bombadil, or did he know about Tom at all?

[Raynor]

Treebeard is only called the eldest among Ents:

Originally Posted by The road to Isengard, TTT

For Treebeard is Fangorn, and the eldest and chief of the Ents, and when you speak with him you will hear the speech of the oldest of all living things

In letter #153, Tom is called "the Eldest in Time"; also, in a draft letter which appeared in The Lord of the Rings Companion, by Hammond and Scull, it is stated that:

Eldest was the courtesy title of Treebeard as the oldest surviving Ent. The Ents claimed to be the oldest speaking people after the Elves until taught the art of speech by the Elves...They were therefore placed after the dwarves in the Old List... since Dwarves had the power of speech from their awaking

Even in Treabeard's song, in the Treabeard chapter, TTT, he doesn't claim he is the eldest being:

Learn now the lore of Living Creatures!
First name the four, the free peoples:
Eldest of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ent the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horses