Who do you think Tom Bombadil really was

[KayQy]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
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<img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/onering.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: Tom Bombadil

I was reading Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling, and I realized that our friend Tom and that old household spirit Robin Goodfellow have a suspiciously large number of things in common:

1. Physically similar(I forget Puck's exact description, but it's a lot like Tom's)

2. Both call themselves the eldest, and have been around practically forever.

3. Neither have grandiose wishes for rule or control, just like to take care of their own little area.

4. Both cheerful, mischievious, little or no fear of anything.

5. Both have inherent subtle powers related to the earth and nature.

Is Tolkien's Tom inspired by tales of Robin Goodfellow, is it coincidence, or are they one and the same? If the last, would that mean that the ancient land of the Shire might be found in England? (I think that's another topic.)

They cannot conquer forever!</p>