Who do you think Tom Bombadil really was

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by alatar

Even Peter Jackson did cameos.

I really, really, REALLY hope Eru is on a higher plane than Peter Jackson...

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

I really, really, REALLY hope Eru is on a higher plane than Peter Jackson...

You wouldn't know that by reading through The Movies here.

Really, in the end it must be down to conjecture and personal interpretation, or the question would likely have been resolved to the satisfaction of most long ago.
Personally, I don't care much for 'enigmas', even in books. I like to be able to categorize things and make them fit in the world they inhabit. I know it can't always be done, but that doesn't stop me trying.

[Morsul the Dark]

He's an ent

Old Man Willow is his old body...

[Hakon]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

He's an ent

Old Man Willow is his old body...

Care to elaborate?

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Hakon

Care to elaborate?

He's an ent that aint, or rather, a pent-up ent that lent out its cerements then went and spent time in a tent as an unfashionable, dissident gent. That's what he meant.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

You wouldn't know that by reading through The Movies here.

You obviously haven't read through the Sequence-by-Sequence threads.

Really, in the end it must be down to conjecture and personal interpretation, or the question would likely have been resolved to the satisfaction of most long ago.

Where's the fun in the known?

Personally, I don't care much for 'enigmas', even in books. I like to be able to categorize things and make them fit in the world they inhabit. I know it can't always be done, but that doesn't stop me trying.

The world must be a scary place for you.

But that said, in order to boost my own theory, I must lay waste to the others.

Tom cannot be an Ent, as his speech is much faster than that of any Ent, even Quickbeam. Goldberry is not an Entwife, as she's more into water sports than gardening (though if Tom has the last surviving Entwife around, I can see why he's hidden himself from the others).

Tom is jolly, silly and wears a hat, and these aren't Ent traits either. So Tom is not an Ent. Next...

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by alatar

You obviously haven't read through the Sequence-by-Sequence threads.

No, I haven't. Sounds worthwhile, though.

Originally Posted by alatar

Where's the fun in the known?.

Who said it was fun?

Originally Posted by alatar

The world must be a scary place for you.

Not at all. Attempting to make sense of the nonsensical is a constant exercise in enlightenment.
To clarify, I'm not saying this topic, or any other for that matter, is an exercise in futility in trying to make a case one way or the other. Personally, I lean toward the 'Tom is Eru' view because it seems to make the most 'in-world' sense to me, though that certainly is an ever evolving opinion.

[Morsul the Dark]

here's a unique theory

http://flyingmoose.org/tolksarc/theories/bombadil.html

also on another site;

Tom Bombadil is from Wonderland.
He just plain doesn't fit in Middle-earth; he's much more "fairy-tale" than anything else that exists, with magical powers and implied incredible age despite being apparently human. His bit of the story is a cheerful diversion from the main plot, and almost seems to belong to another tale altogether.
Alternatively, he's from Oz.
Or, he is The One, aka Eru aka Ilúvatar. The Ring has no affect on him whatsoever, and in fact, he makes the Ring disappear briefly! When Frodo puts on the Ring, it is said he is putting one foot in the Wraith world and if he wears it too long, risks becoming a wraith. But the "wraith world" is not necessarily an evil place, for, because of the Ring, Frodo is able to see Glorfindel's "other side" the side that exists in the "wraith" or "spirit" world when Glorfindel goes all badass at the Ford of Bruinen. Tom does not disappear when he puts on the Ring, because the Ring has nowhere to pull him to, he already exists totally on "the other side" as the One. In a way, by making the Ring disappear, Tom is pulling the Ring all the way over to "the other side" with himself. Gandalf remarks at the Council of Elrond to the affect that it is notsomuch that Tom has power over the Ring as that the Ring has no power over him, which fits in with Tom as the One, since a creation cannot be higher than the Creator, but the One being a Creator that doesn't muck around with the free will of his creations (but doesn't mind extending a helping hand every now and again). Even Tom's habit of incessant singing fits this theory.
The whole idea was Jossed by Tolkien in 1954, as he has stated in his letters that The One has no incarnation in Middle-earth. This naturally depends on how heavily you accept the Word Of God.
Or, he is Aulë the Smith. Aulë is unique among the Valar in being fonder of life in Middle-earth than in Heaven, as the god of created objects he would naturally have power over the Ring, and he is romantically involved with an earth-mother goddess who is described in similar terms to Goldberry. Only he has the means, motive and opportunity.
A longish essay (on painful background, unfortunately) on this premise is here.
Oromë was like that too, and I could more easily imagine him as Bombadil than Aulë, whose fascination with created and non-living things just doesn't fit with Tom's close-to-nature lifestyle. Also, his nature as the "Eldest" being on Middle-earth would support this, as, if this troper remembers correctly, Oromë was the first of the Valar to set foot on Middle-earth and certainly the only one to remain there for any length of time.
Or he's one of the Maiar, since Gandalf seems to view him on equal terms, not as a servant would his master.
Tom Bombadil is Santa Claus, and Sauron is the Grinch. Tom, who of course is really the spirit of Middle-earth incarnate, switched rings on Frodo, claiming the Ring for himself. At the proper moment, he used the Ring to throw down Sauron, reducing him to powerlessness. Over the long centuries that followed, the Ring darkened his heart until he became Santa Claus, lord of greed, bringer of strife. It's all explained here.
Or maybe he was just hanging around Middle-earth during that hundred-year-or-so period when he was kept out of Narnia by the White Witch.
Tom Bombadil is the Witch-king of Angmar. Explained here.
As strange as that theory is, it does look like it has textual backup.
Tom Bombadil is Thomas Covenant. He's just enjoying a holiday after his fairly harrowing adventures in a foreign land. What, the name wasn't a hint?
Tom Bombadil is the Green Man from folklore, the manifestation of the British/Shire countryside. At least metaphorically.
That's the what Word Of God say he really but Tolkien just put him the story to mess with readers' heads.
Tom Bombadil represents the reader. You are Tom Bombadil. He can see Frodo when he's wearing the ring, which has no power over him and Elrond says a world ruled by Sauron would have no interest for him but he could not take the ring himself.
Isn't anyone going to say he's a Time Lord?
He's actually an incarnation of Suzumiya Haruhi, when she was going through an obsession with medieval fantasy.
Clearly Tom is actually a Refugee From Discworld. You know it's true

[Bêthberry]

I think Tom really practices the power of Now, don't you all think?

[Nogrod]

Someone probably has said this already (and I'm not going back to see if one of you did like five years ago ), but Tom is JRRT himself naturally...

And I mean it. It's the obvious solution.

Or then like a Finnish comparative-religion academic said in a radio-programme this summer; he's an offspring of an earlier Tolkien story he had gotten so fond of that he just wished to fit him in in the early stages and never got to write him out later as he didn't actually fit in... and most of you guys probably can give a list of letters of the Prof. to either comfirm that or to rebuke it.

I like my theory the better but the latter seems quite credible.

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Morsul

Tom Bombadil is the Witch-king of Angmar

Morthoron had me convinced of this on another thread which I'm too lazy to dig up sadly. It would be worth the effort though as it was a brilliant theory.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Someone probably has said this already (and I'm not going back to see if one of you did like five years ago ), but Tom is JRRT himself naturally...

And I mean it. It's the obvious solution.

Beat ya too it, kid, and not like five years ago, but merely on the previous page: The Author in His Works by Bethberry

Note too that Pitchwife, al and Morth subsequently admired the theory as they thought it could tidily be incorporated into their own. I must say I think I'll go and work on Pitchwife's anagram idea a bit . . . .

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

really? that's kind of an obnoxious approach

Agreed; in hindsight that wasn't very proper or friendly. Apologies; that the Tylenol and coffee hadn't taken effect will be my excuse. What I meant to say was:

"To show my theory valid, I will next show, politely, how other theories are less likely, given the evidence."

and also entirely false I say the world is a cube, to support it I'll destroy the image of a flat world. Doesn't make me right

Don't know what you mean.

Let me Destroy yours

I was hoping for some feedback, and deserve the bolded verb.

Eru wouldn't last against Sauron?

Stated by whom? How do we know if the person making such a statement actually knows what he/she/it is talking about? For example, Rohan was thought to pay tribute to Sauron. And do we 'really' know if Gollum ate human infants?

Also, my argument has an analogy in Jesus the Christ. Christians believe Him to be 100% God yet 100% man. Though at any time He could have called forth angels to defend him - nay, to keep him from merely stubbing His toe - Jesus veiled His divinity, and so lived as as one of us. This meant that He could be scourged, stabbed, bleed, suffer thirst, and eventually die via crucifixion. Tolkien knew all of this. I posit that when he kept Tom in the text, he may have wanted the same kind of God-man around, self-limiting, though much more than your average citizen (especially as Eru was Goldberry and Fatty Lumpkin as well).

Didn't Gandalf limit his power? So we have precedent.

It is said his power is limited beyond the forest.

By Tom's own choice. Think that Elrond or Gandalf states that Tom has set boundaries for his own pleasure, and awaits some *thing* to go beyond them.

...Though, as Tom seems to be only within in the Old Forest, not sure how he has talks with Farmer Maggot.

Eru's power would be limitless.

Agreed. Why then do you limit Eru's power to *not* be able to live as a triune being in Middle Earth with a veiled powers?

Obviously Tom isn't Eru NEXT

To some.

[Hakon]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

It is said his power is limited beyond the forest.

Originally Posted by alatar

By Tom's own choice. Think that Elrond or Gandalf states that Tom has set boundaries for his own pleasure, and awaits some *thing* to go beyond them.

Maybe Tom's power is limited because of the fact that he does not in a way belong. This goes back to the letter that talked about different planes of existence. It could just be because the plane of existence that Tom is from only overlaps with the forest and that makes his power limited to the forest. It could also be as Alatar stated and he set his own boundaries or it could be both.

[Morsul the Dark]

I believe Elrond says something to the effect of "If Sauron came with all his mihgt not even Tom Bombadil could outlast him.

and the cube bit what I was saying was disproving one theory doesn't make another more valid.
Hey, do the rings give their bearer power to bestow some sort of power to others?
Bombadil almost seem to the Old Forest what Galadriel is to Lorien.

and I think I'll delete my last post, mostly out of ander the tone is unbecoming of the downs

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

I believe Elrond says something to the effect of "If Sauron came with all his mihgt not even Tom Bombadil could outlast him.

That might have said in the context of Bombadil actually accepting guardianship of the Ring. What if the Free and Wise, thinking desperately, threw the Ring into the Old Forest. Tom may not have stopped the Nine from coming in and claiming it, as he wasn't really concerned about the whole issue (Eru, as Tom, knows how the song ends, and so what if Sauron gets the Ring?).

and the cube bit what I was saying was disproving one theory doesn't make another more valid.

Understood, though I was a bit intrigued about the cubic earth.

Bombadil almost seem to the Old Forest what Galadriel is to Lorien.

Another, to me, piece of evidence that somehow Tom effects things more than naturally.

and I think I'll delete my last post, mostly out of ander the tone is unbecoming of the downs

But you were perfectly right in calling my tone "obnoxious," as, though I didn't intend it as such (meaning it to be more playfully challenging), it could have and was taken as that. So I apologize, and also thank you for pointing that out to me.