Who or What is Tom Bombadil?

[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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