Tom Bombadil

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Be that as it may, I of course disagree with Ibrin's take on Bombadil and Goldberry's Maiaric nature. They are completely set apart from the story, as Tolkien says 'an enigma'. They have no real connection with the story other than Tolkien wanted them there, having transported them to Middle-earth from poems written long before LotR was written.

Speaking from a viewpoint outside the story, I don't disagree with that. Bombadil and many other things in LotR are clearly holdovers or "translations" of things that Tolkien had imagined for other purposes and tales, and they migrated into what at the time was his most publishable work. However, from a viewpoint within the world of the story itself, Tom had to come from somewhere that is consistent with the rest of the subcreational reality. There are other oddities, to be sure (like Beorn and the giants), but none with the kind of power Tom manifests. Perhaps Eru put him there to be a puzzle to the inhabitants of ME as well, but I still like the Maia theory (which, of course, is just a theory).