Gandalf on Tom Bombadil

[Legolas]

Gandalf's comments about Tom are some of my favorite! Tom's character and purpose is fascinating, and contrary to so much else we see in the legendarium.

It might be tempting to expand the metaphor, but I don't think it was intended beyond it's simple, apparent meaning: Gandalf has been a constant wanderer while Tom a fellow quite content to stay in his own small corner of the world. More to do with mentality and purpose than it does origins and power.

Tom might be presented as greater than men, elves, etc. but I have not found anything to suggest that he is a being of such power on the order of Manwë. Much of his peculiar stature comes not from power, abilities, or active strength, but from his aloofness and resilience. For instance, he is not able to overpower the Ring; he is only immune because he is wholly unconcerned with anything it could offer him.

There are some revealing statements at the Council of Elrond that should be taken into consideration. Gandalf corrects Erestor's suggestion that Tom had a power over the Ring; Glorfindel and Galdor assert that Tom could not withstand Sauron.

'Could we not still send messages to him and obtain his help?' asked Erestor. 'It seems that he has a power even over the Ring.'

'No, I should not put it so,' said Gandalf. 'Say rather that the Ring has no power over him. He is his own master. But he cannot alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others.'

'But in any case,' said Glorfindel, 'to send the Ring to him would only postpone the day of evil. He is far away. We could not now take it back to him, unguessed, unmarked by any spy. And even if we could, soon or late the Lord of the Rings would learn of its hiding place and would bend all his power towards it. Could that power be defied by Bombadil alone? I think not. I think that in the end, if all else is conquered, Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First; and then Night will come.'

'I know little of Iarwain save the name,' said Galdor; 'but Glorfindel, I think, is right. Power to defy our Enemy is not in him, unless such power is in the earth itself. And yet we see that Sauron can torture and destroy the very hills. What power still remains lies with us, here in Imladris, or with Cirdan at the Havens, or in Lórien. But have they the strength, have we here the strength to withstand the Enemy, the coming of Sauron at the last, when all else is overthrown?'