Its also worth to remember that Tom Bombadil was created way before LOTR, and the Hobbit, it was a character of a poem. So in a way it was "created" before Iluvatar :D it may well be just an "Easter egg" of sorts of its own previous creation and that became a wonderful addition. And I think that the power the ring has over someone is not related to the power of the user but somehow on how much can offers to the wearer how much can tempt him/her, is not that tempting for a hobbit because hobbits usually don't seek power; I think the ring has no power over Tom because the ring has nothing to offer to him, Tom doesn't "want" stuff, has the power that he needs no more, no less; live as he please. I like the fact that he transcend all the drama and the fact that he doesn't share "who" he is is because he doesn't care, all you need to know about him is that he is who he is, nothing behing the curtain, all about him that is important is in plain sight, the rest is unimportant. I really like Tom Bombadil.
The theory I came up with a few decades ago was that Tom and Goldberry were in fact Tulkas and Nessa. They maintain a window/doorway to The West through which Tom and Goldberry can see, but no one else can. The Entwives were summoned to the Old Forest to insure that the whole species wasn't obliterated. Eventually, The Man Ents would find their hidden Entwives and have the choice of staying in Middle-Earth, or passing through Tom's portal into The West. Since no Ent would ever want to get onto a ship of sawed planks, and they were needed across The Sea, Tom and Goldberry were tasked with maintaining a doorway, until The Ents' work was done in Middle-Earth. That's not canon, but whatever.
I find it likely that Tom is something as old as the Valar and Maiar, perhaps a side-effect of the Song who didn't come about entirely by design, or perhaps even existed independently outside the machinations of gods. There's some form for this in-story of Ungoliant and the like. This seems reflected also in comments regarding Tom's ability to withstand the Ring, but only whilst in his domain, and not in the face of a fully restored Sauron knocking at his gates. It at least gives us some idea of the extent of his power in any case.
I think that Tom is actually Tolkien. He saw the first raindrops and acorns because he wrote them, and he doesn't interfere greatly with the storyline for the sake of the readers.
I thought this the entire time! Maybe Tom is Tolkien's idea of a perfect life, living in peace in his own little paradise with a beautiful wife, forever.
I personally kind of think that Tolkien is much like Bilbo Baggins. Both went away on an unexpected journey (like the Quest to Erebor for Bilbo and the First World War for Tolkien), ending up as an old, well respected writers who lived a happy life until the end of their days. This and the Bombadil-Tolkien theory are both possible ways that he has embedded himself into his own writing.
"In the beginning there was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. One day the Ainur asked Eru, ' Who is that guy in blue coat and long hat?' and Illuvatar replied "I don't know, he was already there when I arrived." And thus the mystery of Tom Bombadil continues.
If the ainur was the offspring of Erus thought, maby bombadill is the offspring of Erus unconscious? Since he is master, free to roam as the unconscious..
I love how Gandalf's reasoning behind Tom not being a good ring barer is because the ring has SOO little effect on him, He'd just forget about it and misplace it.
@@danielshafer1212 The problem is that the ring is like a tracker device of today broadcasting its position and letting a device know it is around to be found. It is the tracker tech of fantasy.
@@thefrener794except that the ring cannot be found by any specific person. It's more like a constantly ringing alarm clock. (FYI in the books neither sauron nor the nazgul can feel the presence of the ring, special magical circumstances not withholding)
I think Tom is just a wholesome character of his own self. Just a happy gift from Eru to whoever meets or encounters him. A slice of positive music that Eru just willed into existance 😊
He’s the first and the oldest… in Tolkien’s mind. He existed in there as a quirky little adventurer long before the Valar or Ëa or anything else Tolkien created. I think he mentions somewhere in his letters that he would make up stories about bombadil with his brother when they were kids. That’s why he’s unconcerned with everything in middle earth. He sat quietly in Tolkien’s mind, watching the whole legendarium come into existence, and then he plopped himself into it because it looked fun. He exists outside the narrative. He can come and go as he pleases. He’s his own master! Not even his own author can control him!
I think you have come up with the definitive description of Tom Bombadil. I would add that it has been great fun for people fond of the tales of all things Tolkien, to try and fathom of who and what Tom is.
This is exactly what I see in Tom. He's oldest because out of universe he actually is. He doesn't "belong" in lord of the rings but he's there. Tolkien wanted to find a place for him somewhere and so Tom just showed up. I think yours is the most likely/accurate "theory"
IMO it is important to remember that Tom Bombadil was a children's story that Tolkein wrote which predates the LOTR. IIRC it was written for his grand daughter when she was small. He may have included Bombadil in TLOTR as a nod to his now older grand daughter, she may have enjoyed that. Bombadil does not have to be anything in the LOTR, he is himself - Tolkein's oldest character, still kicking and doing what he does with a child like innocence. In a way he represents the innocence of childhood, complete with a child's ability to ignore what is of value to adults. Years ago I thought Bombadil was simply Tolkein putting himself into the story, as authors sometimes do, I am not confident of that now. Bombadil was, though, a character that would be able to connect very well with young children, even though he is eldest.
I completely agree. Also he being a part of the complete story which is the song of the ainur, he is a helpful harmonic piece that helps the song go in the direction that iluvatar created
I think Tom represents story telling for the sake of simply telling a story. Every other character has some deeper meaning to the story. Every other character moves the plot along. Not Tom... Tom is just there for fun. If any character represents Tolkien himself it's Gandalf, not Tom. In the end Gandalf goes to talk with Tom because Tom is what a story should be like, simple childish fun for the pure sake of having childish fun.
Tom Bombadil is also kind of the exception that proves the rule. LOTR is so rich and real because every character and event has a backstory and lineage to the creation of the world itself. Tom is unique in that he was an opportunity to throw in a likable character for yucks and giggles and not have to provide an explanation or lore.
@Nicky Bobby lol The idea they removed Tom from the movies so as to keep everyone unenlightened is hogwash nonsense. He also didn't create Middle Earth.
@Nicky Bobby I do agree with that. I believe Tom is an anomaly of sorts in the world of Middle-Earth, one who cannot be quantified by any definitions or laws of the world we are aware of. In a way, I think he is outside of even Eru’s influence and creation; that is why the One Ring, and the powers of Sauron and Melkor have no effect on him. That would also explain his state as he “is”, neither entirely good nor evil, allied with neither Eru nor Melkor, but merely existing in his own plane.
That's the theory that's always made sense to me. After all, a big metaphorical aspect of LOTR is Tolkien lamenting the rurality of his upbringing becoming gradually destroyed by industrialisation, but go to any old (even ancient) rural church in England, as Tolkien surely often did, and a bearded Green Man with a curious, slightly mirthful, slightly knowing expression will be watching you froma ceiling boss, or a hidden corner, or as a gargoyle or grotesque. The Green Men are the ancient, silent, almost hidden guardians of 'Green and Pleasant' Albion, here long before us, and doubtless long after us.
This is so obvious to me from the text! If you read it literally, it's almost too easy to figure out. People assume it's way more complicated than that.
this was akin to what I aòways though as well, Tom represents the spirit of Middle Earth/Arda/Nature itself, which matches directly with the fact that if everything falls to the dark lord, so will him. He exists on a different "axis" compared to the valar and maiar, which is why he's not affected nor cares about the ring. He's forgetful as nature reinvents itself all the time, and has no power over the Nazgul as those are powered by the non-earthly power of the rings.
Tom is Eru's hippy brother who was couch surfing when Eru made Middle Earth, and he's still there. And he'll always be there and Eru can't do a thing about it.
Tom Bombadil was the name of a Dutch doll Tolkien's children used to play with and, by extension, an imaginary persona inspired by that doll. I think he's nothing more than that in the LotR - a fictional character from another story who's made a crossover. He existed before the LotR was written (hence eldest), wasn't created or born by anyone inside the story including Eru himself (hence fatherless), is completely alien to its cosmic hierarchy and, at the end of the day, cannot understand and interact with the world the way any normal character would.
I think the existence of Tom Bombadil is Tolkien's lesson for us that no matter how deeply we try to understand the workings of the universe, there is an inherent mystery under it all that cannot be analyzed and neatly interpreted by the scientific method or comprehensive theological frameworks. We all might have an encounter or two with that which cannot be explained and rather than obsess over making rational sense of these experiences, at some point we can just throw up our hands and accept there is a kind of enchantment to the world - mysteries, that, like Tom Bombadil, owe us no explanation. If Tolkien provided us with a Middle Earth that had airtight, logical history and everything was explainable, it would actually be a less fantastical world than the one we live in.
This is gold. Imagine having that kind of family secret, the rest of the world wondering what he really is, only for him to be a reminder that his children heard about him first hahah
@@ZPtyy It's a fun idea, but when I read Tolkien in the '60's, I remember Tom talking with Bilbo and then Frodo, and then (I think) Frodo and Sam came upon him in a tree, trapped. He told them vital information, so I thought he should be featured in the films, but hey...
Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite characters in the books. He reads like a character from a children's fantasy book, which considering the overall tone of The Lord of The rings, is a breath of fresh air.
I was listening to the audiobook while I was at work, and the sudden change in tone and pase just totally felt like the hobbit, because I listened to it right before starting the Lord of the rings
Thank you for this. Things are not going well in my life so I decided to finally read these books to hide from my depression but I got hung up on Tom Bombadil! He's such a fascinating character and I can't stop wondering and it's driving me crazy, but this really helps! So thank you.
I like that Tolkien didn’t explain everything, whether intentionally or not, because trying to formulate theories and make sense of certain things is really awesome and fun
@@michami135 well, not exactly. As he points out in the video, “He is” is the classic deity claim. Which is why some insist that he is Eru Himself, incarnate. But no, that doesn’t fit either 🤷♂️
Debatable if that is a cool moment or just ruins and diminishes the struggle all other characters go through. No matter what theories we have in papper, Tom Bombadil is a reminiscent character from the hobbit, wich was written as a children's book as gift to Tolkien son. He has no place in a more mature book like the Lord of the rings and even if looked at as a call back connecting the books it is still out of place.
@@Jowjoneking iirc Tom, as a character, is one of Tolkein's oldest. Before The Hobbit. But your point is, in my estimation, a silly one. What Tolkein did was create an entire universe that's all interconnected, so his older characters "belong" in his world just as much as new characters. I would even go so far as to say there's no distinction to be made between new and old characters, because it's a living world where they all exist together.
He was Tolkien's favourite toy as a kid. He had this doll of an old bearded guy with a hat and named him Tom Bombadil. When he started writing stories, he used to include him on them, LOTR is not the only Tolkien's book in which he appears. He is the only creature/thing in middle earth that was not created by the music of the Ainur because it existed before out of that world. It is usually said that he is the personified Tolkien but I believe he is more of a privileged spectator of the worlds that his friend creates. He existed before any of them, he can go from one to another and he is not restrained by the rules of any of them. I would say Iluvatar could be closer to being a representation of Tolkien in his own world. But that's just guessing
I like this theory. Tom Bombadil standing completely apart of the whole world, having fun, singing and dancing, master of his own realm because he is not only a creation of Tolkien, but a friend. And as a true friend, he has free reign on Tolkien's creation because he can be trusted not to mishandle it and let it unfold as it is, with the privilege of being there himself to witness in person. It's even a beautiful thought if you think about it, that such a deep creative mind such as Tolkien would still hold his favorite toy with such regard as to give him the premier seat to witness his most beloved creation.
I like this theory also. And it begs the question, who and what is Goldberry? She seems to be his match and is comfortable with who and what he is which could be a sign she is his equal.
My theory is that: Tom was a spectator of the music, but that he was so blissfully unaware of the situation he simply hummed his own theme to himself during the singing of the music and didn't hear it such that no external theme carried any sway over him. Meaning Tom lives by his own theme while simultaneously existing in Eru's and Melkor's creation. His innocent naiveté literally allowed him to traverse beyond the natural order of Ea and accomplish feats that should not be possible within this corporeal plane of existence.
Me while Reading the books years ago: "Who's this guy?" Me while watching this video now: "What the hell is this guy?" Me, a moment before my death: "Let's Hope there's an afterlife, I must ask Tolkien Tom Bombadil's true identity" Me in the afterlife: "tell me, who's Tom Bombadil?" Tolkien: "He Is"
@@dr.vikyll7466 (this maybe a bit too real) Just because he puts up the charade of being happy doesn’t mean he actually is aka depression you act happy but in fact you are sad
I was playing LOTRO with a friend of mine who’s never read the books, and when Bombadil walked in and destroyed all the Barrow wights by singing my friend just goes “wait what is this guy?” and I was just like “I don’t man no one knows”
Andy Sirkis does an incredible job with the audiobooks. I just listened to the Tom Bombadil scenes. He commits fully, with nearly every line of dialogue in a playful, sing-song style, not just the actual songs. Love it
Tolkien himself wrote the most likely answer. In one of the many letters (16 December 1937 - To Stanley Unwin), back when he was still starting to think about The Hobbit's sequence, he asked "Do you think Tom Bombadil, THE SPIRIT of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside, could be made into the hero of a story?" Tom is a spirit. No doubt about that. The theory of him being a spirit of the Music is good, but more likely Tom was one of the countless spirits created by Eru himself before Time. The Ainur were not just Valar+Maiar. There were other spirits, lesser than Maiar but still powerful, roaming around. Tom is likely one of them
You need to remember that that letter was written discussing the aspects of a possible sequel to The Hobbit, before Bombadil was included in the mythos Tolkien was crafting. We also see that Tolkien used the words "the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside". You cannot take those words out of the equation. This is Tolkien talking about what Bombadil _represents,_ not is in the lore of Arda. Don't put too much weight to those particular words when discussing Bombadil's origin.
@@MasterBombadillo I know about the time period when the letter was written. That doesn't change the fact that, to Tolkien, Tom was a spirit. He was a spirit outside the Mythos of Arda, and so he would continue to be inside of it. At least there's no evidence pointing Tolkien would change his classification. What Tom represents is what he is. As he was a spirit of a vanishing area of the real world, he is a spirit of a vanishing area of the secondary world (after all, the Old Forest was a vanishing spot, one of the last parts of ancient woods in Arda, destroyed by the hands of Men and Enemy). Not Eru, for there was no embodiment of Him; Not Tolkien, for he himself said he was not part of Middle-earth; Not Vala, for ALL were named; A lesser Maia perhaps, but no evidence of that; A spirit (either a manifestation of the Music or a lesser Ainu), why not?
@@leonardofaber5823 That doesn't add up actually. You can't take an explanation talking outside the whole mythology and give that the kind of authority you give it right now. You can consider it, certainly, but it's not a certainty Tolkien ever thought about Bombadil in that term. A "lesser" Ainu that comes to Middle-Earth would still be a Maia. After all, Maiar are all of the Ainur who came to Middle-Earth that aren't Valar.
Re: comments below that Tolkien saw himself and his wife as Luthien and Beren: In Tolkien's biography, you read that while he was courting Edith, they went on a picnic in the woods where she danced. Imagine her as lovely young woman in a flowing 1900's dress, dancing in the woods like an elf-maiden. What a romantic scene! And Tolkien, the poor mortal, falling hopelessly in love. BTW, I did my own Tolkien tour in Birmingham and visited their graves. Very touching! There are the names Beren and Luthien on the headstones. People leave little notes, some written in elvish, some with drawings, rosaries and flowers on the graves. It's beautiful.
Being a romantic the first time I heard this I did have a lump in my throat. When lockdown is over if you come up to the Midlands I will take you to what I believe is the inspiration for Brandywine Bridge. And possibly the Old Forest as it’s right by Cannock Chase and Tolkien lived there for a while!
As you obviously know, the graves are not in Birmingham, they are in the Wolvercote cemetery just North of the ring road around Oxford. I just didn't want other readers to go to Birmingham to look for his grave as your comment gave the impression that the graves were in Birmingham.
As a child I immediately thought that tom was the embodiment of the earth, married to the daughter of the rivers. The elves talk about how Sauron can corrupt and break mountains, thus being able to eventually even overwhelm tom. His songs and control over the things in the natural world I attributed to him being wise and having experienced everything that has happened since the beginning of ardas history
While the idea that he’s the song kinda already covers this, this is the gist I got. Tom is Arda, hence why it would take the entire world asking him to take the ring, and the worry that if Sauron conquered the world he would have power over Tom Bombadil.
I like the idea that Tom is the embodiment of the Music of the Ainur, but I think he’s just simply himself, as Tolkien intended. If anything else, he’s the gentle yet immutable representative of the sovereignty of goodness in the world that stems from Eru. He’s the one being that doesn’t fit a category and that mystery brings us ultimate comfort. Much like the mystery of the Holy Trinity in our own world. And that is an encouraging thought. 😊
Tom Bombadil is... content. Does Tom want for anything? No. He has a house, he has Goldberry, he has a little patch of land to call his own. I don't really see Tom wanting.... anything, really. Which is why the One Ring does not work on him. Just about everyone who has wielded the One Ring (or tried to take it) is not content with their lives when they get it. Isildur, Smeagol, Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, Boromir, etc. The One Ring whispers into their ear that "Oh, I can help you achieve what you desire..." But Tom Bombadil wants nothing. Thus, there is nothing for the One Ring to try and tempt him with.
This is why I felt the argument against Tom being an Ainur was a bit weak. The ring simply doesn't effect Tom because it has no desires or needs to work upon. Gandalf and Sarumon both came to Middle Earth with definite goals, and so could be tempted towards corruption. Tom, not so.
having no desire such as described in this thread is not something a mortal, or something mortal adjacent can achieve. PS - not able to screw with the mind of is one thing, not making you invisible and you being able to see others who are is another thing.
@@xBINARYGODx The ring didn't always turn people invisible or cutting Sauron's finger might have been harder than it was. Gandalf himself says that the ring offered powers in proportion to the one who wielded it. I would guess neither he or Galadriel would turn invisible for instance.
I like how every character in LOTR has a huge amount of backstory and explanation for their existence, one of the most vast and detailed stories of all time. Then you also have tom bombadil
Hi there NOTR - I've just found your channel here and I really love this episode about Tom - I wanted to say that all the illustrations and artwork are really excellent and I'm glad you credited all the artists in the description area. Much Thanks !
“Tell me, who are you alone, yourself and nameless?” has always been my favorite line in LOTR. It clears my mind and leaves me staring into the middle distance for a weirdly long time. Works better than a Zen koan for me. Great video as always!
Tom is the most profound and mysterious section of the book, and he's right next door to the Shire. AND when Gandalf comes back to the Shire with the boys, but won't help them clean their house, he goes off to a LONG discussion with Tom. Why would an angelic being need to go off for a long visit with a singing simpleton? Maybe there is much more to Tom than meets the eye? Everything about Tom is my favorite part of the book, including Frodo's anticipatory dream of the Undying Land (Paradise).
@@SixSioux That's extra funny coming from you, RC. But if you came down here to make fun of my Dungeons and Dragons joke in the comment section of a video about the esoteric debate over the nature of an obscure fantasy character, you may be playing to the wrong crowd.
That hits home Thaddeus. While I've not done it I've sure given up retired characters for other Storytellers to use in their future stories. It's great fun when I have the chance to check in with them and catch up on my creations.
Tolkien described Tom Bombadil’s inspiration to a friend in a letter as “the spirit of the English countryside.” My personal theory: Tom Bombadil is the personification or genius loci of the lands that would become England as the ages pass in Arda. In this, Goldberry would likely be the rains and waters of England. It’s why he was there before the Valar, because the Valar entered Arda after he was made. It’s why he has boundaries: because England has territorial limits (history laughs at the irony). The areas around the Shire were to someday become the location of England, which would explain why Tom Bombadil wouldn’t leave. It’s why he can’t control weather, because he’s just the land, so the weather affects him. It’s why the ring does nothing to him, because he’s not a being. When it’s mentioned that he could fall to Sauron, it’s because he can be affected the way Hollin was affected by Elves, and Minas Morgul affected by the Nazgul. When it’s said Bombadil can’t resist Sauron “unless such power is in the earth itself”, it’s a literal statement. The land can’t defend anything if people don’t defend the land. It would also be why he regards Farmer Maggot in regard: Farmer Maggot loves and respects the earth, and Tom Bombadil respects him in turn. Being England’s genius loci would also account for Tom being “master”, and commanding to an extent what’s in his bounds, but not being all-powerful. This is also why he ignores the struggles of the world: Until the second music, he’ll just continue existing no matter what happens. He’s willing to save hobbits because they love the land, but he’ll do no more. I doubt Tolkien would endorse any single theory other than Tom Bombadil is Tom Bombadil, but Tom Bombadil as England’s genius loci is possibly the closest he would get to endorsing one.
I figured he's supposed to be some kind of earth or nature spirit, possibly an embodiment of the land of Arda itself. The fact that he's lived for as long as he did might symbolize the vitality of the land. It might not be a familiar concept within Judeo-Christian culture, but nature spirits are quite common in other cultures. Even English folklore has prominent examples, ie. the lady of the lake in Arthurian legend.
#4 is definitely my favourite. I've always loved the idea of the gods of this fantasy world creating the universe through their music, it's a beautiful idea. Bombadil being a personification of that music makes complete sense with what we know of his character. Before I heard this theory, I'd always thought of Tom Bombadil as a "glitch", some unintentional note played during the Ainur's music that ended up creating something unexpected. That would explain why he wasn't interested in the war or the rest of the world, as he wasn't originally meant to be part of Eru's design. Also explains why his powers are unlike any other being in Middle Earth. Perhaps Eru's surprise at hearing that unexpected note led his thoughts to create Bombadil, before he regained focus back to the composition. I like the "music personified" theory a lot more, though. I never liked the "Bombadil is Eru" theory, that's just so overdone in fiction, having God living on earth as a regular person.
oooh I like this. mixing #4 with your theory -- an unintended consequence of Melkor's dissonance and Eru's effort to correct it, could have momentarily created a strange harmony that didn't exactly fit anyone's purpose, but nevertheless is a part of the music. that dang circle of 5ths, it can come back around and get ya, lol. Tom lives in harmony with all things the music created, as he was created with it, yet his particular harmony was not intended by either party, so he simply exists as a part of the music but not for anyone's specific purpose, Eru or Melkar.
like if you have two people play random music on two pianos, eventually at some point harmonies will appear unintentionally. And if harmony is the medium of creation, well then when you've got two musicians battling for control over the music in real time, it's sensible to think that there could have been a few unintended harmonies in the mix before Eru smoothed it back out. Harmony without purpose, it just exists on its own.
IIRC, Tom Bombadil was in LOTR because Tolkien's daughter, Priscilla, had a favorite doll by that name, and he promised her that he would include the doll in the story he was writing.
Maybe she described him how Tom has to be like in the story, just being a happy man living his own in the forest and cannot be harmed by any means, and Tolkien added it like this without any further explaination.
I think Tom, like Gia in Greek mythology, is the embodiment of the world itself. The first raindrop, the first well, everything. In contrast, he could as well be the embodiment of the music as it created the world and the lands. Tom rembers the first raindrop, Tom is. Tom was first and might be the last when darkness comes. Plus, his song songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster. I love Tom Bombadil.😁
Tom is an ideal. He is the character that is in tune with himself and the world around him. He is a gardener and a loving husband. He is unchanged and unchangable by any and everything. He is the living embodyment of a garden at midsummers eve. He is the summer solstice at it's height and his sun never sets.
Not far off from what Tolkien said; he described Tom Bombadil as a personification of the English countryside. But Tolkien also said that strictly isn’t who Tom is, it’s just how he came up with the inspiration.
Tolkien talked about Tom being purposefully enigmatic because some things should be mysterious. I think that was Tolkiens way of stoking the readers imagination. The beauty of books is that the readers mind helps construct the world the author created. So Tom Bombadil can be whatever the reader imagines him to be.
This is exactly what I think as well. A great writer leaves some things open for the reader to insert themselves into. Each reader is different, and trying to control every single aspect of your story means that there's nowhere for the reader to fit themselves.
..Here is where Tolkien's Catholic piety and Biblical influence cannot be dismissed...Tom B. is the anthropological manifestation of God... like unto, Daniel's "Ancient of Days" (see Daniel 7:9)...Tom, much like the original LORD God, of Genesis , is not transcendent from nature, but rather delights in its goodness. We are told, the Almighty even enjoyed the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day (see Genesis 2:8); ...and yes the true nature of God, always remains an enigmatic mystery...and Tolkien's, Tom B., captures that wonder perfectly... After all Bombadil remains the only being on Middle Earth apparently powerful enough that the "evil" Ring of power...is really only a golden ring...that is because all of creation is ultimately subject to Him...even tyrannical plotting of Evil, itself...and this Tom B. merely chuckles at (see Psalm 2:1-4)... ...Don't you know His name yet?.. (see Exodus 3:13-14 & John 14:8-10)...
@@IAmBael That would also fit with how Tolkien approaches questions in his Letters. He doesn’t present himself as _the_ authority on Arda, just someone who’s spent a lot of time thinking about it.
And that is wisdom plenty of modern fantasy writers have completely forgotten. They're in such a hurry to explain and flesh out their hard magic system, creature biology and background lore that they forget the importance of mystery in a story. Fully explaining how everything works makes the world feel small, regardless of its size. You always wanna leave something just beyond the horizon so that no matter how much your story expands the reader always has the impression that there's more because what they imagine to that space will always be more amazing and epic than what you can possible create.
What i love about him is that he appears to be inspired by Väinämöinen. A god/figure from Finnish mythology. Both were there at the beginning, before anyone else. Both have control over nature and live in connection with it, both project their power through song, both sing for the pleasure of singing. Tom also wears the feather of a swan on his hat, and waterfowl are considered holy animals in Finno-Ugric mythos.
I'm surprised you seemed to overlook the most obvious explanation: Tom Bombadil is a self-insert of Tolkien into his own story. Tom lives the life that Tolkien would love best. And I think a lot of men would also love to live like him: Master of his own domain, with a beautiful young faithful wife, being merry and strong, without having to subjugate others. Self-sufficient and free.
Yes, that would explain how Tom Bombadil can be more powerful than Iluvatar. He is the personification of the true God of the story, the author himself.
That theory isn't mutually exclusive with any of the other theories. Yes, he's almost certainly a self-insert, but that doesn't explain his origin within the books' universe. He still needs a backstory.
@@StandardGoose We know he is either Eru himself, a direct creation of Eru, or some entity created by the music. He needs a legit in universe backstory. I don't see him as Eru for a number of reasons. I don't really see him as an opposite to ungoliant. I think he was either created directly by Eru to care for the earth sort of like how God created Adam. The first being. If not then he is a creation from arda itself in some way sort of like an avatar. Your thoughts?
I know the Hobbit was a story for his kids, so maybe Tom Bombadil is simply a character from another story he told his kids, something akin to Winne the Pooh. So Tom showing up in Lord of the Rings is simply a fun throwback to his first few stories, and lends credence to him being the Oldest and coming before the Dark Lord, he literally was made and existed in stories before anything else, and landed in Middle Earth
I think Tom Bombadill is the incarnation of the Secret Fire. There is a passage during the music of the Ainur where its described that the secret fire is put in the centre of the world to burn, before the Valar enter it. If Tom Bombadil is indeed oldest and fatherless, it makes sense that he was there BEFORE the dark lord came from Outside. He was there before The Valar entered the world, because Eru had put him there as the secret fire and he had taken a form of his own. He is the *secret* fire.
@@kubaparcinski5942 "Therefore Ilúvatar gave to their vision Being, and set it amid the Void, and the Secret Fire was sent to burn at the heart of the World; and it was called Eä." It was supposed to be "at" not "in" my apologies.
I've always thought of Tom as a "father time" character who exists to mark the fullness of time, and I think it's wonderful that Tolkien doesn't follow the old father time motif but instead revels in the lightness of creation to the ageless creator. In that context, when it's said that Sauron could defeat him and "and then night will come", it feels as though the recording of time will stop when Middle Earth (the realm of Men bound by time) is over.
Yes I like that , Father time, the soul of nature itself ,the spark behind the seasons , keeping it all in motion with his songs , from the path of the creek the melting of snow to the snowdrop emerging and the creature pollinating it.
I really like that theory. I always thought of him as being more like the Ents and Eagles than the Ainur - created to keep watch over the earth, but not actively getting involved with the people who live there. It would also explain why he is fatherless, since he is father. I also see Goldberry as a mother nature character, so then mother nature and father time would be a couple 😊. Perhaps they were part of Eru's original creation of Arda, before the Valar went there and started their creations.
Hi Fellow Tolkien Fans; It takes research to figure out Tolkien’s greatest mystery, so here goes. Yes, Tom Bombadil is the most powerful thing in Arda, and here's the proof, with theory de-bunkings along the way. The council of Elrond, and their opinions of him, are not Tolkien canon. They are simple the author imparting the ignorance of elves who are a fraction of his age and power. They don't even know what happened when TB put on the Ring, as the hobbits never told them and they were never asked. Including Gandalf. If they had known the Ring did not make TB invisible, that TB had no temptation from it, that he could make it invisible instead, that he knew it was evil when he told Frodo not to wear it anymore, and that he could see Frodo when he was wearing the Ring, among other things covered below, they would have been better informed. The rest of the canon lore is from the Silmarillion where Tolkien writes clearly that Tom is "oldest and fatherless". A fact that he, Gandalf and Goldberry confirm (both Maia). But there's more. He was there before the rivers and the trees, even the acorns. Older than ents. He was there before the dark lord Melkor came from the outside. In fact, it is stated that Melkor was the first of the Valar in Arda, before Manwe and Yavanna. This means TB is the original spirit of Arda, he was first and ensouled into Arda by Eru (but as Tolkien writes "Eru himself is not embodied in Arda..."). Why do we know this? Because everything made by Eru was ensouled with a spirit. Arda was made by Eru before he revealed its creation to the Valar, yet TB was already there before the Valar arrived and fashioned the rest of Arda with "their gifts". Therefore, since he was already there, at the very creation of Arda which "pushed back the Void" to make room for its existence, TB is the very spirit of Eru's creation. This makes TB the counter arch-spirit to Ungoliant. And how do we know this? Because Tolkien writes Ungoliant is the spirit-demon of the Void who came to Arda in the carnal form of a great demon spider. She both hated and loved Arda and the light and wanted to consume them. Tom is the antithesis of Ungoliant, as he is the opposite of hunger, devouring, power mongering and nothingness. Tolkien also writes TB would have nothing left (to love and do) if Sauron was to win...but not that TB would be defeated. Just that he would be "last as he was first", as Gandalf and Tolkien both admit. This means TB is immune to destruction and evil. He cannot be vanquished. Also, if he is last, then everything else including Sauron, perishes. Even if Sauron attains a political/military victory for a time. But Tom remains- as he remained during Morgoth's dominion in previous ages. It follows then, that Tom is and was, whether even Morgoth knew of him or not. If Morgoth knew of him, he either couldn't destroy him, or he didn't know of him. But the Silmarillion says the Valar- like Morgoth, could see all things and were aware of all powers. So, if Morgoth couldn't see him, Tom is more powerful. Or, he could see him and didn't want to mess with him, and/or couldn't-wouldn't-shouldn't). The conclusion here is obvious. Morgoth is not as powerful as Ungoliant (he needed balrogs to save him from his bindings and being devoured by her). At that time she was growing in power and he was diminishing. Tom Bombadil is therefore more powerful that both of them because he is of Eru and his existence is the creation-power (as Arda incarnate) that could not be defeated or stopped by either Morgoth in Arda, or by the Void (Ungoliant). For those of you still wondering how this fits into Tolkien legendarium as a deliberately inserted enigmatic mystery, take a seat and a deep breath. Tolkien was a Catholic and a philosophical Christian in many aspects of his life and works. Tom Bombadil is a mystery to be discovered, in a way, like Jesus is to be discovered. But here it's within Tolkien's mythology. The Romans and most people of Jesus' time also viewed Jesus as silly and non-powerful. Just a hippie singing a silly song most didn't understand and didn't want to understand. Only those seeking the truth that's hidden behind the barriers of physical things/appearances- will ever find it. Brilliant. Eru ensouled a human form (who could take any form) to be the holy spirit of life in Arda. The imperishable light, discussed in the Silmarillion and the spirit of the valiant who oppose evil- like Frodo and Sam (and others). Melkor couldn't find the flame imperishable in the Void. No wonder. Melkor was searching for something he couldn't understand- in the bowels of the Void, aka the demon-spirit Ungoliant. (Moru in Tolkien's early writings). Not a place to find it. Tolkien wrote in his letters to the editors that leaving Tom in the LOTR was deliberate because "leaving him out would feel like something important to the whole story was missing." What a subtle and amazing clue. Tom Bombadil, Iarwain Ben-Adar to the elves, Orald to Rohan, Forn to the Dwarves, "oldest and fatherless" to all others, is only one of two entities ever described by Tolkien as "he is". The other is Eru. Tom Bombadil, despite Tolkien's ruse of Tom's appearance (deliberate), and his silly manner of singing his version of the Ainulindale (also deliberate), is and was the most powerful entity in Arda at any time in its history, and the answer to greatest Tolkien riddle. All hail to Tolkien the master author and creator of the fantasy genre. A star shines on the hour of our meeting, The Lore Master Lore-Master.com
I have always referred to Tom as Father Time. I have a brother-in-law who is not a reader but loved the movies. I have told him hundreds of hours of additional content and when it comes to this, in particular, this has always been my view. I always thought of Goldberry as Mother Nature, the partner to Father Time.
I've always considered Tom to be like the Spirit of the Earth itself. Or to be more precise: He and Goldberry always reminded me a lot of Oberon and Titania. There is a LOT of old mythology spread throughout Middle Earth, so I feel like the Fairy King and Queen who behave very similar to Tom and Goldberry would be a very likely inspiration.
The theory that Tom Bombadil is the incarnated music of the Ainur also holds up under the idea that Tom’s power is comparable to the power of “the earth itself.” Arda was created by the Music, so Tom’s power, which derives from the Music, would be very similar to the power invested into Arda, which also derived from the Music. In other words, being an incarnation of the spirit of the Music would make Tom essentially the spirit of Arda itself.
The music of the Ainur created Ea itself, of which Arda (and Middle Earth) is but a small part. Bombadil as the incarnation of the music should have mastery over creation second only to Eru himself - he shouldn’t be threatened by a Maia like Sauron if that was the case
I have always thought of Tom Bombabil as an embodiment of the natural world, the earth, of creation, or "the music of the Ainur". In the world but not of it. A sort of male "Mother Nature".
This was my opinion as well, after the video. Tom is "Father Arda" (derivation of mother earth), the physical incarnation of the spirit of the planet itself.
I figured it out after many, many hours of thought. Happy to elaborate. Narratively: He is simply a creature (as Elrond calls him) that was created with Arda at the beginning of time by Eru. He functions as a sort of avatar of the Earth itself, as the council says he could withstand evil insofar as the Earth could. Analogically: Bombadil and Goldberry are Adam and Eve before the Fall, as they were meant to be in the Garden. Metatextually: Bombadil is Melchizedek. I have written a brief on the 15 parallels between the obscure Biblical character Melchizedek and Bombadil. He isn't Melchizedek, but metatextually he is the same archetype.
I like to think that Bombadil is the personification of nature in Arda. This goes along with a lot of his characteristics, including his inability to finally stand against Sauron. Sauron can (and does) destroy nature when he wants to. But nature is indifferent to the battles between good and evil, it just continues doing what it does as long as it can. Bombadil can control Old Man Willow, a creature of nature. Bombadil can banish the barrow wight because it is unnatural and does not belong. Bombadil was there before anything, because nature had to be created by the Valar at the beginning of the world, and perhaps they made a personification of nature to help them with that job. Saying that Bombadil is actually Tolkien is fine for an out-of-LOTR explanation, but within the universe Tolkien created, Bombadil serves a purpose too.
@PurpleOwlAnimation that wouldn't stop him being the spirit of nature. It would depend on whether he emerges from nature when it comes to be, or whether he transcends actually existing nature.
I'd have to say he likely isnt the personification of nature, as there are others such as Carnan who very little is known about and is also immensely old and, as Celebrimbor suggested, will be around long after any other being. I believe Tom Bombadil is more of a being that was created in the dismay of the music of the Ainur, while Melkor's influence caused evil entities to spawn, it may have also caused manifestations of ones in the middle. Tom is a good being, but he isnt 'good' as in on the side of light. Tom keeps to himself besides something here and there, meaning he isnt like any other beings made to be good. Because of this I believe he is either from beyond the Music, as he is dubbed "The Fatherless" which could mean he is not from Eru's influence. Or that he is "Fatherless" in the sense that his true origin is unknown to all and that he was spawned from the disruption of the music.
I like to think Tom is the spirit of Arda. Not dissimilar from the theory of him being the manifestation of the song of the Ainur, but just that he's specifically the embodiment of Arda, and his singing is a reflection of the songs of creation that run through him. Sort of like a 'mother earth' figure.
This is exactly what I thought after watching this video. In the same way that the ring didn't possess the River Anduin when it lay there, it doesn't affect Tom. But when all elves, dwarves, and men fall, the last for Sauron to destroy is Arda itself.
That's the conclusion I reached, watching the video. From the way he protected the hobbits, like a tree or a cave offering a place for travelers to rest and hide; to the way he was described by the council as disinterested in the affairs of the people*, with his way of support being a temporary mean(like the ground that offers a place for beings to hide their belongings while at the same time offering no resistance to the enemy of such beings who knew where to look or accidentally stumbled upon). It can be explained that the discord song of the Valar ended up inadvertently creating a slit of magic that allowed the earth to be extended and personified, though without any changes to its spirit. It even works with the fact that Sauron would eventually be able to best Tom, if he ever recovered his power. Sauron's goal, after all, was having absolute control of middle earth. *The way he was described as showing no interest in intervening almost gave him an air of blue and orange eldritch morality. To him, having someone beg on their knees for him to keep the object responsible for deciding the course of history was like if one of us got approached by someone on the street and asked to hold on to a grain of sand they picked up. It's kind of like that Jennifer Lawrence movie, Mother, but less humanized or human like. Who knows? Maybe Tom's form, boundary, actions and speech were all just the hobbits' and other children of Eru's perception of a form they were comfortable with, though not exactly the whole deal.
@@FrenkieWest32 Because Morgoth's corruption was still Arda. The idea of the corruption of Morgoth only works if you look at it through a lens focused on what was meant to be and what it became instead. Tom Bombadil is beyond a plan of a definition. He just is, like the ground of middle earth itself. He'd still be Tom, no matter who ruled or how it was molded. Sure, Sauron would be capable of having dominion over him, since his plan is to have complete control of everything inside a certain boundary, but if he ever fell and became someone else's, Tom would belong to that being as he belonged to Sauron.
@@spirit.ofthe.harvestmoon morgoths corruption wasn't Arda, morgoth corrupted Arda. Not the same thing. And you're talking a bit too matter of factly about this theory for my taste.
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were good friends and influenced each other’s writing. To me the existence of Tom Bombadil in LotR is parallel to the existence of Father Christmas in Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. They’re both jolly old men who help out the hobbits/children and though perhaps they could assist the good in combatting the evil, they take a passive side and disappear from the story almost as quick as they came.
I have read The Lord of the Rings at least once a year for over 50 years. Tom Bombadil is a beloved character. Like many others I was disappointed that he was left out of the film trilogy. For all these years I have accepted that Tom Bombadil "is". Reading/engaging in a fantasy world is "a great leap of faith". I am happy that Tom Bombadil is and will continue to be a fascinating, engaging character. Like the hobbits, he is not pretentious. He is happy to lead his existence close to the earth and nature. That is enough.
"Tom's a guy who loves the forest, who is happy and sings constantly, and is just generally positive to everyone." Seems very much on brand for Tolkien as an aspiration. He doesn't need to be an incarnation of Eru, or the music itself, or anything. He is a person living how a person should. He's living the ideal Tolkien life, in tune with nature and poetry, with a decency in his soul. He's Tolkien's Righteous Man.
I think there are some things for which there will never be an explanation. Too many people think that because some things in Tolkien's mythos are so detailed in their explanation, that necessarily means _everything_ has a detailed explanation, and that's just not true. This was one man's creation, and one man can only come up with so much, especially when the majority of it came out of inspiration and not deliberate invention.
I have a theory that is essentially unrelated to the books themselves. "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" was a story Tolkein wrote for his child to make him happy in between writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As we can see just like Santa Claus and other stories, its a story about a jolly person who brings joy. Considering Tom was written before the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien probably included this already existing character because he liked him and wanted to include a story his kid liked. This means there isn't much looking into who or what Tom actually was, because in essence he was and "extra" thing included in the story. He doesn't have a true origin in the story because he didn't come from the story. It's like if Bugs Bunny met Mickey Mouse somehow, they might exist together if written that way in a story but came from two completely different source materials originally. It creates an interesting enigma for sure but I believe that is the out of book explanation.
@Chris S. I am not sure if it was on purpose that you mentioned it. Mickey Mouse did meet Bugs Bunny once, and only once! (it was in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit').
5:45. Wow! That image takes me back. Growing up in NYC, I would ask for a Tolkien calendar as one of my XMas presents. These particular calendars were done by the Brothers Hildebrandt, and that was always one of my favourite images out of all the calendars I got. That image is entitled, Goldberry. Their work was amazing! I still have them.
I just discovered these videos and I absolutely love them, thank you! Tom is 100% the music incarnate. He's not all of the music but just a piece of it among many. He does what he does and that is all.
One of my favorites is the idea that he's a creature born from the Discord in the Song between Melkor and Eru just like the Nameless things. The idea that even from such conflict something kind and good can be created is comforting. The idea that he's Tolkien himself is also a neat one. Very meta and puts his comments about seeing everything first into place because he literally wrote them.
Personally I think the second is an ugly idea. It's just very typical and egotistical to insert oneself as some ageless god-like entity into your work.
Maybe it’s just that Tom bombadil was created before the lord of the rings so was able to view it through Tolkien as he is tolkiens or one of tolkiens first characters.
Perhaps Tom Bombadil is the spiritual manifestation of the “silence” or rests before, within, and after the music. Like the reprieve between the 3 songs. He may be a result of the spaces between each song holding them together. This would explain why he doesn’t intervene and is master of a realm that is inaccessible to those who are part of the songs themselves. Him intervening with the path of the fellowship of the ring would be like the song ending short before the final movement. He is the unheard part of the full composition passive, yet essential for the entire progression of events.
..Here is where Tolkien's Catholic piety and Biblical influence cannot be dismissed...Tom B. is the anthropological manifestation of God... like unto, Daniel's "Ancient of Days" (see Daniel 7:9)...Tom, much like the original LORD God, of Genesis , is not transcendent from nature, but rather delights in its goodness. We are told, the Almighty even enjoyed the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day (see Genesis 2:8); ...and yes the true nature of God, always remains an enigmatic mystery...and Tolkien's, Tom B., captures that wonder perfectly... After all Bombadil remains the only being on Middle Earth apparently powerful enough that the "evil" Ring of power...is really only a golden ring...that is because all of creation is ultimately subject to Him...even tyrannical plotting of Evil, itself...and this Tom B. merely chuckles at (see Psalm 2:1-4)... ...Don't you know His name yet?.. (see Exodus 3:13-14 & John 14:8-10)
I noticed in the hobbit movie a watched a while ago, that a few times when pretty much any important characters had a conversation, there was a sort of face or figure visible in the rocks or trees besides them. I think this is Tom and he was present at the meetings in which they forgot to invite him.
My theory is that Tom Bombadil is time itself. In that, he's the Metronome of the Universe, the rhythm and beat. The "Music" created the universe. Time must be kept, not in the sense of a clock, but in the sense of the music. It's why he's so powerful, yet limited in the scope of that power. It's why he was first to be there, and would be last to go at the end. He's not a note in the song, or a player of the tune. But he is there, always there, from the beginning to the end. before the music plays, and long after it ends. Without him nothing would make sense, but you never actually see or feel his presence. The ring can't effect him, because he's beyond the power of the ring. But without the "music" he is nothing as well. It's very ethereal, but that's always been my theory. Time must be kept, and it's embodiment is Tom Bombadil. Even in the silence between verses, there is Tom. Weather you hear it, feel it, or know it. Tom is there. He is just Tom, he is the Time.
Considering Tolkien's Catholic background, Tom could be a type of Melchizedek from the Bible. (Genesis 14:18-20). Hebrews 7:3 says that Melchizedek was “without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” His sudden appearance and disappearance in the book of Genesis is somewhat mysterious. Just throwing it out there.
The professor was fairly adamant that his work was not allegorical. (and iirc, he actually wasn't much a fan of such) There's no doubt that his faith and experience of the great war was influential to his writing, but I highly highly doubt any actual intentional biblical allegory.
@@corrupt_reverend5123 I agree that there was certainly no deliberate allegory. That doesn't mean that part of how Tolkien conceived of Tom wasn't inspired by Melchizedek. As you say, his faith was definitely influential on his writing. Indeed, there are other things in LOTR with pretty clear biblical ties as well. For instance, when Elrond says, “This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who among the wise could have foreseen it", It's difficult to imagine that Tolkien didn't have the passage in mind that says, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong". I mean, this is pretty much the plot/theme in a nutshell.
This thought occurred to me also. I would say Tom may have been an expression like Melchizedek, without a known progenitor. In Christian thought there are many theories of Melchizedek. Some go as far as articulating Melchizedek a theophany a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ. I can understand the reasoning but it is not explicit in the Biblical text. The most reasonable explanation is Melchizedek is a type of Christ. The writers of Hebrews analogizes the priesthood of Melchizedek in contrast with the Aaronic rendering Jesus' priesthood superior to the Aaronic. This leaves the question what does Tom Bombadil typify in the LOTR narrative? I have yet to find out.
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I personally believe Tom is a manifestation of Middle earth itself, the soul of the world as it were. The world can resist Sauron but he ultimately conquers it like a plague, though the land is always the final thing he conquers and twists. At the same time the world has seen multiple wars and dark lords and weathered it all, so it's manifestation would be no more concerned with Sauron or the ring as any other event in a worlds lifetime
His wife, Goldberry, is clearly a nature spirit ("daughter of the River"). Middle-Earth has many such, even the mountains and trees have spirit. I think Tom Bombadil is the master of nature spirits. Or the spirit of the Earth itself.
I like to think he is a nomad like how Human souls are described in middle earth. Enjoying Eru’s creations to its most minute detail jumping from one world to another. He’s just a guy chilling and that’s what I love about him.
I think Tom was Tolkien's way of injecting himself into his own story. (edit: Or atleast used Tom as a medium to speak directly to the other characters.)
@Matthew Dorry Perhaps Tom wasn't _literally_ Tolkien's chosen avatar, but rather somewhat of an archetype of a playful "author" who is older than time (before the books were written) and knows all.
@Matthew Dorry It does make sense, and I figured you would raise those contentions (although I didn't expect such force). But all-in-all, well said. Thanks for the insight.
I really like the theory claiming Tom is the first character created by Tolkien based on his childhood toy. He can appear in many worlds but doesn't belong to any of them. It also nicely fits the recurring theme of the world trying to capture him and Tom easily avoiding the traps. Being with him for so long Tolkien also gave him many of his personal traits and gave him power to occasionally act as his Deus Ex Machina. Then again, knowing how creative process works, it's also very likely that he was just semi-accidentally written into LOTR without any specified theory developed by Tolkien beforehand. He would do that with other aspects of the Middle Earth and then had to revisit and rewrite them to make things more consistent. Tom was just left there as he was.
Theory 5 gets my vote, Tom simply is…. I think he does serve a roll as caretaker of Middle Earth, and as time has gone by, has set himself smaller boundaries. He is an observer, and a watcher, and a historian of all.
Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite Character simple because we know so little about him. One of the things i love most about Tolkiens World are all the mysterys and stuff we dont know about. Be it the Softmagic System or Characters like Tom Bombadil - its open to interpretation and awakens ones imagination. I will never get tired of hearing/reading about Tolkiens World because it is truly fascinating.
I always thought he was simply a manifestation of Arda, a spirit made self-manifest. The same way when some trees that are so old may become entish, Tom too learned to think on his own. Thus why he's fatherless and his own master. Also why he's no omnipotent or otherwise overly powerful. It also makes sense why his mate is also a [river] spirit.
Although not allegorical, Tolkein's faith clearly shaped the characters and story lines of Middle Earth. Tom Bombadil seems to be a character much like the mysterious priest/King Melchizedek (found in Genesis 14) who blesses Abraham at a time when the other kings are at war with each other. Even though he doesn't directly involve himself in the conflict, his presence is an encouragement and strengthens Abraham. His identity remains a mystery - and a reminder that there is always More beyond the seeming inescapability of present circumstances.
Melchizedek is certainly an enigma, he pops up at a crucial time and we do not know much more about him. Your comment reminded me of when I was Priested years ago, I was expecting a nice quiet bit of ceremony but when the bishop said, "You are a Priest of the Order of Melchizedek forever" it felt like a bolt of electricity went up my spine, I have no idea of the reason for this except to say that there will always be mysteries.
The big difference being that the bible is a ridiculous book of inconsistent fairy tales in which people like Abraham worship the most evil being in the universe. I suppose you could look at the bible like a book Sauron handed out to his followers, and Abraham was an Orc who obeyed Sauron unquestioningly. Say, for example, when the psychopathic megalomaniac told Abraham to kill his son for no good reason whatever. Just because narcissists like to see how high they can make people jump. TLOTR is a much better work though; internally consistent, the good guys win, there are no contradictions, and you don't have Gandalf threatening to send the Hobbits to burn in pain for all eternity - if they say his name wrong - because he loves them so much...
I've always seen him as a spirit of nature, kind of like like Goldberry but immensely powerful and a big part of the reason Middle Earth needed to be saved from Sauron in the first place. Maybe he IS the spirit of nature as resulting from the Music. He's always been one of my favourite characters and without him, the movies lose the balance the books bring. I guess that makes him a plot device, but to me, he was the gateway to the many nature-based paths my spirituality had taken me throughout my life.
After first minutes of description, I immediately thought that Tom Bombadil is Tolkien, like he's written himself in the story, and upon looking into comment section I'm glad that I'm not alone in this assumption.
Tom is 'the land itself', as is said in Rivendell. He's akin to the green man, the summer king, an ancient, vibrant embodiment of the land itself. I dont think Tolkien's concieved his world as complete, with a rigid creation process and a set pantheon, to the exclusion of all other interpretations or beliefs. If Illuvatar and the Ainur may are the corollary of Tolkien's Cathoic faith then Tom is a Pagan figure, a spirit of place, existing alongside and separate from the other 'gods'. An embodiment of the land, spontaneously created when the land itself was sung into being?
I agree. & Well put. Specifically I think Tom is the embodiment of Eä, "the World that Is", and the "word" spoken by Iluvatar to manifest physical creation. Translated Eä means "It is" or "Let it be". Goldberry describes him with the words "He is." This seems to reference that he is either "creation" itself (Eä), or, like creation, he simply exists. And yes, he's likely also Tolkien's addition of a pagan-style nature-spirit/deity like the Greenman, Summer King, Pan, etc. I also think he is symbolic of the decline of all ancient, mysterious. and magical things in Middle Earth towards the end of the Third Age.
Yes, and no. Tolkein cherished nature in way few of us today would relate to. He personally renounced technologies and "conveniences." Didn't want to own a washing machine, for instance. At the same time: some differences. Paganism deifies nature, something Tolkein wouldn't do. Tolkein cherished nature as a gift of God, from God. And be clear: Tolkein's universe has One God. All other creatures emanate from Him, and are loosely akin to angels and demons in the Christian canon. I do like your idea of Tom's relationship to the land, and something of an embodiment of the natural elements. It's beautiful how much ambiguity and mystery he put in the character. :-)
E xactly! Tom is the embodiment of the soul of Middle Earth, of the Anima Mundi of the alchemists, of the Holy spirit of christianity. Tom is not bound by time. He is always in the NOW. He does not think. The past and the future do not exist within him. He just IS, always. He represents the connection with the ALL that one acheives through enlightenment. A state of pure bliss. He incarnates a state of being that was before the Fall, when Adam and Eve just took care of the Garden, before they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and became aware that they were naked. Before suffering existed. He is life itself, seperated from death. He is Master of ''tree, hill and water''... ie He is master of the elements of Water and Earth, not of Air and fire. This paragraph should be of particular interest also, when at the end of ROTK Gandalf says: "I am going to have a long talk with Bombadil: such a talk as I have not had in all my time. He is a moss-gatherer, and I have been a stone doomed to rolling. But my rolling days are ending, and now we shall have much to say to one another."
I think Tom was just a literary device of Tolkien just for his personal amusement, and to sort of 'embody' the natural world. I think if Tolkien had been pressed to 'justify' Tom, or if I was really, I'd suggest that he's just a kind of spirit that sprung out naturally as a by-product of the creation of Arda.
I think mostly that too. It was a whim and it solves a little issue with the story too. In the absence of Tom Bombadil the hobbits have to either deal with old man willow and the barrow wights on their own which seems unlikely. And if this is skipped then how do we kill the leader of the nine? I think Tolkien wrote him in and was happy to leave it as an enigma, maybe wondering if some sort of creative moment would allow him to fill in the back story later but not worrying if he didn't.
@@cerberus6654 No!!! That is no reason to drop him in the movies! A book is inevitably a collection of literary devices. The ring is literary device to create the story for example. Bombadil was dropped in the movies because of the movie length and the complexity he adds. While those interested in the story and background love enigmas like this movie makers seem to hate no closure. The exception to this is the brilliant ending of Inception. The movie is left with a couple of holes but is simplified overall. I suppose the swords from Galadriel, as used in the movies, ought to work on entities in either of the realms but even so, Tom Bombadil is an essential part of the story because it is an insight to the author and an embodiment or personification of Middle Earth.
@@damianpeterkelly1234 I think Tom was omitted (like so much... far too much) to make a more straightforward film experience focused far more on swordplay than on lore and the world Tolkien actually created, much to the loss of fans who may not have realised what was in the books (having only seen the films) or, to the fans who hoped to see everything from the books give the same amazing treatment as the other elements were. You are def correct that anything an author chooses to present to readers is by definition a literary device, though I think with Tom he can only be understood as such, where other elements can be more deeply contextualised against other elements in the universe through lore/events. I did see the point you were making about not dropping Tom on those grounds alone.
@@damianpeterkelly1234 I don't disagree! Movies are, of course, way more constrained by time than a novel but - between you and me, I found that Peter Jackson eliminated some pretty important elements. I could not believe that he substituted Arwen for Glorfindel - especially as in the books there's nothing to suggest that Arwen was hard-riding and hard-fighting He also inserted a lot of kind of not-really-funny little comedic moments that came out of nowhere and, to me, served no purpose. Like Eowyn's revolting stew. And yet, in the books, the presence of Tom Bombadil does add dimension. I also missed the barrow wight, but that's neither here nor there.
i first watched the first movie I think before reading the books, that's why I was super surprised by Tom Bombadil showing up. and all while reading I had such a bad feeling about it that I ran through the pages as quickly as possible as if I expected something sinister to happen to them. he gave me such an uneasy feeling. and it makes sense to me today because he wasn't supposed to fit into the rest of the story as he was completely detached from its fate.
I believe Tom is "father" time, often represented as boath a old man and an infant on new-years day in the "earth realms", and Goldberry would be "Mother nature"! Time has no care, and nothing can tempt it. Time exists before all, and will exist till the last, because when there is no time, there is no space or "place" to exist! Time is un controllable, so is Tom!
This is seems plausible with consideration for Tom's character and jovial spirit. However, with the intricacies of Tolkien's creation it could be rendered an oversimplification. I have not read enough to have a formidable opinion.
But the other characters believe Tom (perhaps Father Time) CAN be defeated by Sauron. He seems to be more like Father Earth, perhaps paired with Mother Nature, which like you say has no interest in power, but CAN be wounded and even destroyed by Sauron (such as our own destruction of the Earth).
@@truth7921 Not necessarily, only that he can't keep the ring from Sauron indefinitely. Also Sauron knows the ring is out there and Tom Bombadill doesn't seem like the kind of creature that can stop Sauron and all of his armies by himself, his powers lies elsewhere. And between hiding the ring and destroying it there is only one route they can take.
I used to lean towards the "Tom is a Maia" theory, perhaps one who fell in love with the world as the world, and thus ignored good vs evil (though he himself is good), and battle, nations, etc. After this video, I now believe that the most likely theories are either that he was created directly by the Music or IS the music. Both are pretty good theories.
I always thought Tom was a version the Green Man from Pagan and old English folklore. Tolkien was always inspired by Norse and tales of old. Wouldn’t be shocked if that was incorporated as well.
This is pretty cool because I recently started the Fellowship of the Ring's audiobook and when Tom Bombadil was introduced I began she get curious as to who he was
I went through this sort of analysis a number of years ago. There is a category of beings in Middle Earth that are best described as nature spirits. I think Tom was a high ranking nature spirit as was Goldberry. They are a separate race, apart from the Ainur, and the peoples of Arda. Tom seems like a "father nature" sort of character. Tolkien explained that Tom Bombadil was the name of a doll that his kids had. He also described him as simply being an enigma. Because of the mystery surrounding his origin, I find Tom to be the most interesting character in the legendarium. I also like the fact that he has no apparent attraction to power. He's uncorruptible.
I always thought he was Eru IIuvatar. I know that that is one of the weaker arguments, but, it's an intriguing theory. The One, made flesh, unlimited power within boundaries he has set for himself. Willing to help, aid and protect the forces of good, immune to the Ring's power, but never dictating actions and outcomes. Free will.
I think he is a "guardian" of the song and probably iluvatar himself, or a part of him set there to watch over things to be on the right course, he doesnt want good destroy evil, he just want to let the song flow the way it should.
He's a personification of Nature. Nature doesn't interfere or care, it just "is". I would say he (being Nature) sets the constraints of what is possible in the world, including what Iluvatar can do. But the Elves and Maiar aren't aware of this. If Middle Earth was taken over, Tom would still be unaffected physically. He might be sad though.
I believe Tolkien dedicated a large amount of his life into weaving a world of wonder with a cohesive archetype of "the hero's journey" that would necessitate a resolution to his epic and I think, just maybe, that Tom Bombadil was a literary technique akin to "faith" where the reader has no choice but to use their own imagination to consider the limitless possibilities of Tom Bombadil. I think it's purposeful that he is happy, welcoming, and aloof without any sense of maleficence. Almost as if he knew his story must end but the wonder that his world created for the reader would live on in their imagination. In other words, Tom Bombadil is what our imagination allows him to be, as premeditated by Tolkien.
Under liked comment I think it’s quite remarkable that Tom exists as he does in this story for as long as he does( literally the entire time Arda exists ) without making too big a fuss in it. Without anyone in the story interacting with him much “on screen”. He’s immensely powerful, wise and clearly on the side of good and yet we know preciously little about him. He just seems to go around doing as he pleases and setting things back to how they are supposed to be effortlessly. It seems like if he wanted he could just walk up to Sauron, whack him on the nose and tell him he should be crafting something and the whole story would end and yet _he just is_ is all we got to go by lol. What a truly unique character.
Who or what do you think Tom Bombadil is? Let’s hear those theories!
And don’t forget to hit subscribe! 😁
it would have been funny if he was in the movie
Its also worth to remember that Tom Bombadil was created way before LOTR, and the Hobbit, it was a character of a poem. So in a way it was "created" before Iluvatar :D it may well be just an "Easter egg" of sorts of its own previous creation and that became a wonderful addition. And I think that the power the ring has over someone is not related to the power of the user but somehow on how much can offers to the wearer how much can tempt him/her, is not that tempting for a hobbit because hobbits usually don't seek power; I think the ring has no power over Tom because the ring has nothing to offer to him, Tom doesn't "want" stuff, has the power that he needs no more, no less; live as he please. I like the fact that he transcend all the drama and the fact that he doesn't share "who" he is is because he doesn't care, all you need to know about him is that he is who he is, nothing behing the curtain, all about him that is important is in plain sight, the rest is unimportant. I really like Tom Bombadil.
The theory I came up with a few decades ago was that Tom and Goldberry were in fact Tulkas and Nessa. They maintain a window/doorway to The West through which Tom and Goldberry can see, but no one else can. The Entwives were summoned to the Old Forest to insure that the whole species wasn't obliterated. Eventually, The Man Ents would find their hidden Entwives and have the choice of staying in Middle-Earth, or passing through Tom's portal into The West. Since no Ent would ever want to get onto a ship of sawed planks, and they were needed across The Sea, Tom and Goldberry were tasked with maintaining a doorway, until The Ents' work was done in Middle-Earth. That's not canon, but whatever.
I find it likely that Tom is something as old as the Valar and Maiar, perhaps a side-effect of the Song who didn't come about entirely by design, or perhaps even existed independently outside the machinations of gods.
There's some form for this in-story of Ungoliant and the like.
This seems reflected also in comments regarding Tom's ability to withstand the Ring, but only whilst in his domain, and not in the face of a fully restored Sauron knocking at his gates.
It at least gives us some idea of the extent of his power in any case.
Tolkien put himself as Tom into his own books.
I think that Tom is actually Tolkien. He saw the first raindrops and acorns because he wrote them, and he doesn't interfere greatly with the storyline for the sake of the readers.
I thought this the entire time! Maybe Tom is Tolkien's idea of a perfect life, living in peace in his own little paradise with a beautiful wife, forever.
Sort of like Stan Lee is "The One Above All." I can see that.
I often thought this as well. Makes a lot of sense the author putting himself in his own story.
He said himself in LOTR was Faramir and no one else
I personally kind of think that Tolkien is much like Bilbo Baggins. Both went away on an unexpected journey (like the Quest to Erebor for Bilbo and the First World War for Tolkien), ending up as an old, well respected writers who lived a happy life until the end of their days. This and the Bombadil-Tolkien theory are both possible ways that he has embedded himself into his own writing.
"In the beginning there was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. One day the Ainur asked Eru, ' Who is that guy in blue coat and long hat?' and Illuvatar replied "I don't know, he was already there when I arrived." And thus the mystery of Tom Bombadil continues.
Too few has read this comment.
If the ainur was the offspring of Erus thought, maby bombadill is the offspring of Erus unconscious? Since he is master, free to roam as the unconscious..
LOL! Well said!
He's Tolkien himself then if he was there before Eru and the story ever began.
Tom Bombadil preceded the universe... meaning he may have been the sole survivor of the previous one!
Tom Bombadil = Galactus, CONFIRMED!! XD
I love how Gandalf's reasoning behind Tom not being a good ring barer is because the ring has SOO little effect on him, He'd just forget about it and misplace it.
I could imagen that
And the ring lay forever lost, in the back of Tom's nightstand drawer.
@@danielshafer1212 The problem is that the ring is like a tracker device of today broadcasting its position and letting a device know it is around to be found. It is the tracker tech of fantasy.
@@thefrener794except that the ring cannot be found by any specific person. It's more like a constantly ringing alarm clock. (FYI in the books neither sauron nor the nazgul can feel the presence of the ring, special magical circumstances not withholding)
@@thefrener794that's not really how it works in the books.
I think Tom is just a wholesome character of his own self. Just a happy gift from Eru to whoever meets or encounters him. A slice of positive music that Eru just willed into existance 😊
He is the first person ever created in lotr universe
He’s the first and the oldest… in Tolkien’s mind. He existed in there as a quirky little adventurer long before the Valar or Ëa or anything else Tolkien created. I think he mentions somewhere in his letters that he would make up stories about bombadil with his brother when they were kids. That’s why he’s unconcerned with everything in middle earth. He sat quietly in Tolkien’s mind, watching the whole legendarium come into existence, and then he plopped himself into it because it looked fun. He exists outside the narrative. He can come and go as he pleases. He’s his own master! Not even his own author can control him!
Thats actually a very valid theory
You just blew my mind!
Many thanks for this! Perfect :)
I think you have come up with the definitive description of Tom Bombadil. I would add that it has been great fun for people fond of the tales of all things Tolkien, to try and fathom of who and what Tom is.
This is exactly what I see in Tom. He's oldest because out of universe he actually is. He doesn't "belong" in lord of the rings but he's there. Tolkien wanted to find a place for him somewhere and so Tom just showed up. I think yours is the most likely/accurate "theory"
IMO it is important to remember that Tom Bombadil was a children's story that Tolkein wrote which predates the LOTR. IIRC it was written for his grand daughter when she was small. He may have included Bombadil in TLOTR as a nod to his now older grand daughter, she may have enjoyed that. Bombadil does not have to be anything in the LOTR, he is himself - Tolkein's oldest character, still kicking and doing what he does with a child like innocence. In a way he represents the innocence of childhood, complete with a child's ability to ignore what is of value to adults. Years ago I thought Bombadil was simply Tolkein putting himself into the story, as authors sometimes do, I am not confident of that now. Bombadil was, though, a character that would be able to connect very well with young children, even though he is eldest.
I completely agree. Also he being a part of the complete story which is the song of the ainur, he is a helpful harmonic piece that helps the song go in the direction that iluvatar created
This!
I think Tom represents story telling for the sake of simply telling a story. Every other character has some deeper meaning to the story. Every other character moves the plot along. Not Tom... Tom is just there for fun. If any character represents Tolkien himself it's Gandalf, not Tom. In the end Gandalf goes to talk with Tom because Tom is what a story should be like, simple childish fun for the pure sake of having childish fun.
Yes, well put.
Tom Bombadil is also kind of the exception that proves the rule. LOTR is so rich and real because every character and event has a backstory and lineage to the creation of the world itself. Tom is unique in that he was an opportunity to throw in a likable character for yucks and giggles and not have to provide an explanation or lore.
Council: Let’s ask Bombadil!
Gandalf: Nah he doesn’t give a shit.
Theory: What if Tom Bombadil took the ring to Mordor but instead of destroying it he just bitch slapped Sauron out of existence.
hahahaha exactly. He cares less than Thranduil :P
@Nicky Bobby
lol The idea they removed Tom from the movies so as to keep everyone unenlightened is hogwash nonsense. He also didn't create Middle Earth.
@Nicky Bobby he can’t be the “God” and “Creator” of Middle Earth though, because that’s Eru already
@Nicky Bobby I do agree with that. I believe Tom is an anomaly of sorts in the world of Middle-Earth, one who cannot be quantified by any definitions or laws of the world we are aware of. In a way, I think he is outside of even Eru’s influence and creation; that is why the One Ring, and the powers of Sauron and Melkor have no effect on him. That would also explain his state as he “is”, neither entirely good nor evil, allied with neither Eru nor Melkor, but merely existing in his own plane.
I think Tom Bombadil embodies 'The Green Man' of old European mythology. He and Goldberry are both elemental spirits of earth and water respectively.
I had a similar idea. Father Time and Mother Nature
@@dawnv3436Father Time and Mother Nature is exactly who I always imagined them as. Even though Tolkien may have never intended that
That's the theory that's always made sense to me. After all, a big metaphorical aspect of LOTR is Tolkien lamenting the rurality of his upbringing becoming gradually destroyed by industrialisation, but go to any old (even ancient) rural church in England, as Tolkien surely often did, and a bearded Green Man with a curious, slightly mirthful, slightly knowing expression will be watching you froma ceiling boss, or a hidden corner, or as a gargoyle or grotesque. The Green Men are the ancient, silent, almost hidden guardians of 'Green and Pleasant' Albion, here long before us, and doubtless long after us.
This is so obvious to me from the text! If you read it literally, it's almost too easy to figure out. People assume it's way more complicated than that.
this was akin to what I aòways though as well, Tom represents the spirit of Middle Earth/Arda/Nature itself, which matches directly with the fact that if everything falls to the dark lord, so will him. He exists on a different "axis" compared to the valar and maiar, which is why he's not affected nor cares about the ring. He's forgetful as nature reinvents itself all the time, and has no power over the Nazgul as those are powered by the non-earthly power of the rings.
Tom is Eru's hippy brother who was couch surfing when Eru made Middle Earth, and he's still there. And he'll always be there and Eru can't do a thing about it.
hahahaha great!
Best theory so far.
😂
"Hey man, who is that on your couch?"
"He is."
And Ungoliant?
Tom Bombadil was the name of a Dutch doll Tolkien's children used to play with and, by extension, an imaginary persona inspired by that doll. I think he's nothing more than that in the LotR - a fictional character from another story who's made a crossover. He existed before the LotR was written (hence eldest), wasn't created or born by anyone inside the story including Eru himself (hence fatherless), is completely alien to its cosmic hierarchy and, at the end of the day, cannot understand and interact with the world the way any normal character would.
this has a real-life practicality to it.
Exactly what I was thinking. Was glad to see it already written.
then why did gandalf speak to him for 2 years?
No . He is Tolkien
@@jesusoftheapes Tolkien, being the author of the story, would have the power to change anything in it. Tom doesn't.
“If only more people valued home more than gold” Tom is the one who values home. He’s a good steward to the land. A fine role model for us all.
He is a time-share fraudster! I knew it!!!
I think the existence of Tom Bombadil is Tolkien's lesson for us that no matter how deeply we try to understand the workings of the universe, there is an inherent mystery under it all that cannot be analyzed and neatly interpreted by the scientific method or comprehensive theological frameworks. We all might have an encounter or two with that which cannot be explained and rather than obsess over making rational sense of these experiences, at some point we can just throw up our hands and accept there is a kind of enchantment to the world - mysteries, that, like Tom Bombadil, owe us no explanation. If Tolkien provided us with a Middle Earth that had airtight, logical history and everything was explainable, it would actually be a less fantastical world than the one we live in.
Tom Bombadil is Middle Earth's bigfoot.
I think Tom is meant to be a Tolkien family secret, to always remind his children that these stories were always for them first
This is gold. Imagine having that kind of family secret, the rest of the world wondering what he really is, only for him to be a reminder that his children heard about him first hahah
@@ZPtyy It's a fun idea, but when I read Tolkien in the '60's, I remember Tom talking with Bilbo and then Frodo, and then (I think) Frodo and Sam came upon him in a tree, trapped. He told them vital information, so I thought he should be featured in the films, but hey...
@@joypresleyify As is, they were trapped and he released them. If you can find a source for what you said, it would be very interesting.
Such a dwarf thing... I want to believe is like that
800
It's always who's tom bombadil, never how's tom bombadil
Tom Bombadil is doing fine 100% of the time.
Drax -"Why is Tom Bombedil?"
When is Tom Bombadil?
Wasn't there a whole song about merry he is?
Well, that's pretty predictable; he's invariably happy, cheery, and singing.
Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite characters in the books. He reads like a character from a children's fantasy book, which considering the overall tone of The Lord of The rings, is a breath of fresh air.
Hi same, I kind of think he represents purity and total love and can't be touched by the darkness of the world .💚🌿💚🍁💝🌻🍀🌹🌞💜🍀🙏💖
I was listening to the audiobook while I was at work, and the sudden change in tone and pase just totally felt like the hobbit, because I listened to it right before starting the Lord of the rings
Totally, you feel safe when Tom appears
Tolkien used the same character in some of his children stories before lotr. He is also the very first human or person ever created in lotr universe
Thank you for this. Things are not going well in my life so I decided to finally read these books to hide from my depression but I got hung up on Tom Bombadil! He's such a fascinating character and I can't stop wondering and it's driving me crazy, but this really helps! So thank you.
I just read your comment. I hope you are well and doing better.
I agree. Tom is just Tom. I don’t think that Tolkien liked explaining everything in full, but leaving mysteries intentionally.
Like the Watcher of the Water.
I like that Tolkien didn’t explain everything, whether intentionally or not, because trying to formulate theories and make sense of certain things is really awesome and fun
That would fit with, "he is".
@@michami135 well, not exactly. As he points out in the video, “He is” is the classic deity claim. Which is why some insist that he is Eru Himself, incarnate. But no, that doesn’t fit either 🤷♂️
Tom is Tom but what exactly is he. He cannot be man or Elve.
You forgot to mention that Tom calls the Ring of Power a "little trinket" when he puts it on. That's one of the coolest moments of all the books.
That is why he exists.
Debatable if that is a cool moment or just ruins and diminishes the struggle all other characters go through. No matter what theories we have in papper, Tom Bombadil is a reminiscent character from the hobbit, wich was written as a children's book as gift to Tolkien son. He has no place in a more mature book like the Lord of the rings and even if looked at as a call back connecting the books it is still out of place.
@@Jowjoneking Yea, I can already see you will out-write Tolkien lol. Stfu.
@@Jowjoneking iirc Tom, as a character, is one of Tolkein's oldest. Before The Hobbit. But your point is, in my estimation, a silly one. What Tolkein did was create an entire universe that's all interconnected, so his older characters "belong" in his world just as much as new characters. I would even go so far as to say there's no distinction to be made between new and old characters, because it's a living world where they all exist together.
@@Jowjoneking There's nothing wrong with a lighthearted character early in the story that deepens the world's mystery
He was Tolkien's favourite toy as a kid.
He had this doll of an old bearded guy with a hat and named him Tom Bombadil. When he started writing stories, he used to include him on them, LOTR is not the only Tolkien's book in which he appears.
He is the only creature/thing in middle earth that was not created by the music of the Ainur because it existed before out of that world.
It is usually said that he is the personified Tolkien but I believe he is more of a privileged spectator of the worlds that his friend creates. He existed before any of them, he can go from one to another and he is not restrained by the rules of any of them.
I would say Iluvatar could be closer to being a representation of Tolkien in his own world. But that's just guessing
I like this theory.
Tom Bombadil standing completely apart of the whole world, having fun, singing and dancing, master of his own realm because he is not only a creation of Tolkien, but a friend. And as a true friend, he has free reign on Tolkien's creation because he can be trusted not to mishandle it and let it unfold as it is, with the privilege of being there himself to witness in person.
It's even a beautiful thought if you think about it, that such a deep creative mind such as Tolkien would still hold his favorite toy with such regard as to give him the premier seat to witness his most beloved creation.
interesting theory
Tom bombadill is confirmed eldritch being lol
I like this theory also. And it begs the question, who and what is Goldberry? She seems to be his match and is comfortable with who and what he is which could be a sign she is his equal.
XD this comment has so few replies. The one a couple above about Tom being Tolkien has like 340.
My theory is that: Tom was a spectator of the music, but that he was so blissfully unaware of the situation he simply hummed his own theme to himself during the singing of the music and didn't hear it such that no external theme carried any sway over him. Meaning Tom lives by his own theme while simultaneously existing in Eru's and Melkor's creation. His innocent naiveté literally allowed him to traverse beyond the natural order of Ea and accomplish feats that should not be possible within this corporeal plane of existence.
I really like this one. Very creative and an easy plausible explanation.
I always imagined Robin Williams as the actor to play Ol' Bombadil.
No, Brian Blessed!
RIP 🙏
That would be amazing
I always picture Patrick Rothfuss. I doubt he can act, but the look hit me when I read the books.
🤣👏
Me while Reading the books years ago:
"Who's this guy?"
Me while watching this video now:
"What the hell is this guy?"
Me, a moment before my death:
"Let's Hope there's an afterlife, I must ask Tolkien Tom Bombadil's true identity"
Me in the afterlife:
"tell me, who's Tom Bombadil?"
Tolkien: "He Is"
I'll do you one better, why is Tom Bombadil?
@@thedarknesscallingme Nobody ever asks how is Tom Bombadil. Sad.
@@Highonwater3X because everyone knows he is happy and care-free all the time.
@@dr.vikyll7466 (this maybe a bit too real)
Just because he puts up the charade of being happy doesn’t mean he actually is aka depression you act happy but in fact you are sad
The first rule of the afterlife:
Don’t talk about Tom Bombadil
I was playing LOTRO with a friend of mine who’s never read the books, and when Bombadil walked in and destroyed all the Barrow wights by singing my friend just goes “wait what is this guy?” and I was just like “I don’t man no one knows”
Thats just Tom. Just ignore him.
Bombadil is the Eminem of the LOTR universe, he dissed those barrow wights so hard that they seized to exist.
@@G31M1 *ceased
@@G31M1 gross
@@G31M1 lmao
Andy Sirkis does an incredible job with the audiobooks. I just listened to the Tom Bombadil scenes. He commits fully, with nearly every line of dialogue in a playful, sing-song style, not just the actual songs. Love it
Tolkien himself wrote the most likely answer.
In one of the many letters (16 December 1937 - To Stanley Unwin), back when he was still starting to think about The Hobbit's sequence, he asked "Do you think Tom Bombadil, THE SPIRIT of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside, could be made into the hero of a story?"
Tom is a spirit. No doubt about that.
The theory of him being a spirit of the Music is good, but more likely Tom was one of the countless spirits created by Eru himself before Time. The Ainur were not just Valar+Maiar. There were other spirits, lesser than Maiar but still powerful, roaming around. Tom is likely one of them
You need to remember that that letter was written discussing the aspects of a possible sequel to The Hobbit, before Bombadil was included in the mythos Tolkien was crafting. We also see that Tolkien used the words "the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside". You cannot take those words out of the equation. This is Tolkien talking about what Bombadil _represents,_ not is in the lore of Arda. Don't put too much weight to those particular words when discussing Bombadil's origin.
@@MasterBombadillo I know about the time period when the letter was written. That doesn't change the fact that, to Tolkien, Tom was a spirit. He was a spirit outside the Mythos of Arda, and so he would continue to be inside of it. At least there's no evidence pointing Tolkien would change his classification. What Tom represents is what he is.
As he was a spirit of a vanishing area of the real world, he is a spirit of a vanishing area of the secondary world (after all, the Old Forest was a vanishing spot, one of the last parts of ancient woods in Arda, destroyed by the hands of Men and Enemy).
Not Eru, for there was no embodiment of Him; Not Tolkien, for he himself said he was not part of Middle-earth; Not Vala, for ALL were named; A lesser Maia perhaps, but no evidence of that; A spirit (either a manifestation of the Music or a lesser Ainu), why not?
@@leonardofaber5823 That doesn't add up actually. You can't take an explanation talking outside the whole mythology and give that the kind of authority you give it right now. You can consider it, certainly, but it's not a certainty Tolkien ever thought about Bombadil in that term.
A "lesser" Ainu that comes to Middle-Earth would still be a Maia. After all, Maiar are all of the Ainur who came to Middle-Earth that aren't Valar.
@@MasterBombadillo no. Ainur=Valar+Maiar+Unnamed Spirits
@@leonardofaber5823 Could you provide a quote where Tolkien specifies that there are other spirits than Maiar and Valar amongst the Ainur?
Re: comments below that Tolkien saw himself and his wife as Luthien and Beren: In Tolkien's biography, you read that while he was courting Edith, they went on a picnic in the woods where she danced. Imagine her as lovely young woman in a flowing 1900's dress, dancing in the woods like an elf-maiden. What a romantic scene! And Tolkien, the poor mortal, falling hopelessly in love. BTW, I did my own Tolkien tour in Birmingham and visited their graves. Very touching! There are the names Beren and Luthien on the headstones. People leave little notes, some written in elvish, some with drawings, rosaries and flowers on the graves. It's beautiful.
that really sounds beautiful
You make me want to go on a pilgrimage.
Being a romantic the first time I heard this I did have a lump in my throat. When lockdown is over if you come up to the Midlands I will take you to what I believe is the inspiration for Brandywine Bridge. And possibly the Old Forest as it’s right by Cannock Chase and Tolkien lived there for a while!
Wow.
As you obviously know, the graves are not in Birmingham, they are in the Wolvercote cemetery just North of the ring road around Oxford. I just didn't want other readers to go to Birmingham to look for his grave as your comment gave the impression that the graves were in Birmingham.
As a child I immediately thought that tom was the embodiment of the earth, married to the daughter of the rivers. The elves talk about how Sauron can corrupt and break mountains, thus being able to eventually even overwhelm tom. His songs and control over the things in the natural world I attributed to him being wise and having experienced everything that has happened since the beginning of ardas history
While the idea that he’s the song kinda already covers this, this is the gist I got. Tom is Arda, hence why it would take the entire world asking him to take the ring, and the worry that if Sauron conquered the world he would have power over Tom Bombadil.
I iy 786 minutes 66feet 66th and 66AM 66 and
I always thought Tom Bombadil was Eru Illuvatar
I like the idea that Tom is the embodiment of the Music of the Ainur, but I think he’s just simply himself, as Tolkien intended. If anything else, he’s the gentle yet immutable representative of the sovereignty of goodness in the world that stems from Eru. He’s the one being that doesn’t fit a category and that mystery brings us ultimate comfort. Much like the mystery of the Holy Trinity in our own world. And that is an encouraging thought. 😊
Tom Bombadil is... content.
Does Tom want for anything? No. He has a house, he has Goldberry, he has a little patch of land to call his own. I don't really see Tom wanting.... anything, really.
Which is why the One Ring does not work on him. Just about everyone who has wielded the One Ring (or tried to take it) is not content with their lives when they get it. Isildur, Smeagol, Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, Boromir, etc. The One Ring whispers into their ear that "Oh, I can help you achieve what you desire..."
But Tom Bombadil wants nothing. Thus, there is nothing for the One Ring to try and tempt him with.
The ring: "I can help you achieve what you desire."
Tom: "I wanna scare these hobbits!"
@@nickcampbell5626 The Ring: "OK... But maybe we should think bigg-"
Tom: "Nope."
This is why I felt the argument against Tom being an Ainur was a bit weak. The ring simply doesn't effect Tom because it has no desires or needs to work upon. Gandalf and Sarumon both came to Middle Earth with definite goals, and so could be tempted towards corruption. Tom, not so.
having no desire such as described in this thread is not something a mortal, or something mortal adjacent can achieve. PS - not able to screw with the mind of is one thing, not making you invisible and you being able to see others who are is another thing.
@@xBINARYGODx The ring didn't always turn people invisible or cutting Sauron's finger might have been harder than it was. Gandalf himself says that the ring offered powers in proportion to the one who wielded it. I would guess neither he or Galadriel would turn invisible for instance.
I like how every character in LOTR has a huge amount of backstory and explanation for their existence, one of the most vast and detailed stories of all time. Then you also have tom bombadil
Tom shows that Tolkien's real mastery was knowing what to explain - and what to leave as mystery - for his readers.
I wanted to know more about him tho.
Yep, he was BSing in that letter
Nah I’m pretty sure his mastery was the insane detail in lore and language and the great stories that came from that.
@@SnailHatan not mutually exclusive.
Textual ruins! Anyone know what was the deal with the cats of Queen Beruthial?
Hi there NOTR - I've just found your channel here and I really love this episode about Tom - I wanted to say that all the illustrations and artwork are really excellent and I'm glad you credited all the artists in the description area. Much Thanks !
“Tell me, who are you alone, yourself and nameless?” has always been my favorite line in LOTR. It clears my mind and leaves me staring into the middle distance for a weirdly long time. Works better than a Zen koan for me. Great video as always!
It really is one of the most profound lines in the books
Tom is the most profound and mysterious section of the book, and he's right next door to the Shire.
AND when Gandalf comes back to the Shire with the boys, but won't help them clean their house, he goes off to a LONG discussion with Tom. Why would an angelic being need to go off for a long visit with a singing simpleton? Maybe there is much more to Tom than meets the eye?
Everything about Tom is my favorite part of the book, including Frodo's anticipatory dream of the Undying Land (Paradise).
Bombadil is like Tolkien’s favorite DnD character that he made into an NPC in his first big campaign as DM.
or maybe a GT existing under ZM for never forgetting when the ME was LL
Awesome!!!!
@@SixSioux That's extra funny coming from you, RC. But if you came down here to make fun of my Dungeons and Dragons joke in the comment section of a video about the esoteric debate over the nature of an obscure fantasy character, you may be playing to the wrong crowd.
That hits home Thaddeus.
While I've not done it I've sure given up retired characters for other Storytellers to use in their future stories.
It's great fun when I have the chance to check in with them and catch up on my creations.
Enjoy your 420th like, sir.
Tolkien described Tom Bombadil’s inspiration to a friend in a letter as “the spirit of the English countryside.”
My personal theory: Tom Bombadil is the personification or genius loci of the lands that would become England as the ages pass in Arda. In this, Goldberry would likely be the rains and waters of England.
It’s why he was there before the Valar, because the Valar entered Arda after he was made.
It’s why he has boundaries: because England has territorial limits (history laughs at the irony). The areas around the Shire were to someday become the location of England, which would explain why Tom Bombadil wouldn’t leave.
It’s why he can’t control weather, because he’s just the land, so the weather affects him.
It’s why the ring does nothing to him, because he’s not a being.
When it’s mentioned that he could fall to Sauron, it’s because he can be affected the way Hollin was affected by Elves, and Minas Morgul affected by the Nazgul. When it’s said Bombadil can’t resist Sauron “unless such power is in the earth itself”, it’s a literal statement. The land can’t defend anything if people don’t defend the land.
It would also be why he regards Farmer Maggot in regard: Farmer Maggot loves and respects the earth, and Tom Bombadil respects him in turn.
Being England’s genius loci would also account for Tom being “master”, and commanding to an extent what’s in his bounds, but not being all-powerful.
This is also why he ignores the struggles of the world: Until the second music, he’ll just continue existing no matter what happens. He’s willing to save hobbits because they love the land, but he’ll do no more.
I doubt Tolkien would endorse any single theory other than Tom Bombadil is Tom Bombadil, but Tom Bombadil as England’s genius loci is possibly the closest he would get to endorsing one.
Dadgum i love this theory
I figured he's supposed to be some kind of earth or nature spirit, possibly an embodiment of the land of Arda itself. The fact that he's lived for as long as he did might symbolize the vitality of the land. It might not be a familiar concept within Judeo-Christian culture, but nature spirits are quite common in other cultures. Even English folklore has prominent examples, ie. the lady of the lake in Arthurian legend.
Yes, Tom is the spirit of the Woods.
@@vrijbuiterspartei2715 Yet Tom has existed before the forests or woods.
@@johnlucas2838 because the spirit was there first.
#4 is definitely my favourite. I've always loved the idea of the gods of this fantasy world creating the universe through their music, it's a beautiful idea. Bombadil being a personification of that music makes complete sense with what we know of his character.
Before I heard this theory, I'd always thought of Tom Bombadil as a "glitch", some unintentional note played during the Ainur's music that ended up creating something unexpected. That would explain why he wasn't interested in the war or the rest of the world, as he wasn't originally meant to be part of Eru's design. Also explains why his powers are unlike any other being in Middle Earth. Perhaps Eru's surprise at hearing that unexpected note led his thoughts to create Bombadil, before he regained focus back to the composition.
I like the "music personified" theory a lot more, though. I never liked the "Bombadil is Eru" theory, that's just so overdone in fiction, having God living on earth as a regular person.
oooh I like this. mixing #4 with your theory -- an unintended consequence of Melkor's dissonance and Eru's effort to correct it, could have momentarily created a strange harmony that didn't exactly fit anyone's purpose, but nevertheless is a part of the music. that dang circle of 5ths, it can come back around and get ya, lol. Tom lives in harmony with all things the music created, as he was created with it, yet his particular harmony was not intended by either party, so he simply exists as a part of the music but not for anyone's specific purpose, Eru or Melkar.
like if you have two people play random music on two pianos, eventually at some point harmonies will appear unintentionally. And if harmony is the medium of creation, well then when you've got two musicians battling for control over the music in real time, it's sensible to think that there could have been a few unintended harmonies in the mix before Eru smoothed it back out. Harmony without purpose, it just exists on its own.
Theory: Eru started off the Music by singing "Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"
I couldn't like cause IM FROM 63rd
@@pauldelivera2847 a king von reference on a lotr lore video. Never, ever thought id see the day
Like a warm up key before "go"?!
❤
"God cannot be tempted by evil" (James 1:13)
IIRC, Tom Bombadil was in LOTR because Tolkien's daughter, Priscilla, had a favorite doll by that name, and he promised her that he would include the doll in the story he was writing.
Maybe she described him how Tom has to be like in the story, just being a happy man living his own in the forest and cannot be harmed by any means, and Tolkien added it like this without any further explaination.
Ah....the voice of truth settles it. :-) he's a toy.
@@bookmouse2719 He's Woody's ancestor ;)
That makes sense for how nonsensical the character is, even for a fantasy novel.
That's hot
The fact that he named his horse Fatty Lumpkin makes me like him even more.
I think Tom, like Gia in Greek mythology, is the embodiment of the world itself. The first raindrop, the first well, everything. In contrast, he could as well be the embodiment of the music as it created the world and the lands. Tom rembers the first raindrop, Tom is. Tom was first and might be the last when darkness comes. Plus, his song songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster. I love Tom Bombadil.😁
He is the first person ever created i n lotr universe. He has also been used by Tolkien in his other stories
Tom is an ideal. He is the character that is in tune with himself and the world around him. He is a gardener and a loving husband. He is unchanged and unchangable by any and everything. He is the living embodyment of a garden at midsummers eve. He is the summer solstice at it's height and his sun never sets.
You are a sweetheart.
How beautifully put.
Nicely put.
Not far off from what Tolkien said; he described Tom Bombadil as a personification of the English countryside. But Tolkien also said that strictly isn’t who Tom is, it’s just how he came up with the inspiration.
Ching sai buk lau ahhhh
Robin Williams would've been good for the part had Peter Jackson left him in.
Oh, what an amazing thought. He would've fit so well.
I would've called that ironic, given how RW was really feeling much of the time
Now I'm even more sad he was cut out, that's such a perfect idea! I would have loved an entire movie made like that!
@@micahphilson Let's make three movies out of that! ;)
@@micahphilson cut out of both the movie and life
Tolkien talked about Tom being purposefully enigmatic because some things should be mysterious. I think that was Tolkiens way of stoking the readers imagination. The beauty of books is that the readers mind helps construct the world the author created. So Tom Bombadil can be whatever the reader imagines him to be.
Sounds sensible to me
This is exactly what I think as well. A great writer leaves some things open for the reader to insert themselves into. Each reader is different, and trying to control every single aspect of your story means that there's nowhere for the reader to fit themselves.
..Here is where Tolkien's Catholic piety and Biblical influence cannot be dismissed...Tom B. is the anthropological manifestation of God... like unto, Daniel's "Ancient of Days" (see Daniel 7:9)...Tom, much like the original LORD God, of Genesis , is not transcendent from nature, but rather delights in its goodness. We are told, the Almighty even enjoyed the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day (see Genesis 2:8); ...and yes the true nature of God, always remains an enigmatic mystery...and Tolkien's, Tom B., captures that wonder perfectly...
After all Bombadil remains the only being on Middle Earth apparently powerful enough that the "evil" Ring of power...is really only a golden ring...that is because all of creation is ultimately subject to Him...even tyrannical plotting of Evil, itself...and this Tom B. merely chuckles at (see Psalm 2:1-4)...
...Don't you know His name yet?.. (see Exodus 3:13-14 & John 14:8-10)...
@@IAmBael That would also fit with how Tolkien approaches questions in his Letters. He doesn’t present himself as _the_ authority on Arda, just someone who’s spent a lot of time thinking about it.
And that is wisdom plenty of modern fantasy writers have completely forgotten. They're in such a hurry to explain and flesh out their hard magic system, creature biology and background lore that they forget the importance of mystery in a story. Fully explaining how everything works makes the world feel small, regardless of its size. You always wanna leave something just beyond the horizon so that no matter how much your story expands the reader always has the impression that there's more because what they imagine to that space will always be more amazing and epic than what you can possible create.
This might be the most satisfying video, and content and commentary I have heard on any Tolkien subject
What i love about him is that he appears to be inspired by Väinämöinen. A god/figure from Finnish mythology. Both were there at the beginning, before anyone else. Both have control over nature and live in connection with it, both project their power through song, both sing for the pleasure of singing. Tom also wears the feather of a swan on his hat, and waterfowl are considered holy animals in Finno-Ugric mythos.
And Quenya is based on Finnish. The man knew his languages!
I ought to study Finnish mythology more closely now.
Tolkien must have had a deep knowledge of Finnish mythology seeing as he greatly admired the Kalevala, so this theory makes alot of sense
I think I read somewhere (possibly in Shippey) that Finnish was his favourite language.
100%. It's pretty well-known Tolkien loved the Kalevala. They're incredibly alike.
I'm surprised you seemed to overlook the most obvious explanation: Tom Bombadil is a self-insert of Tolkien into his own story. Tom lives the life that Tolkien would love best. And I think a lot of men would also love to live like him: Master of his own domain, with a beautiful young faithful wife, being merry and strong, without having to subjugate others. Self-sufficient and free.
Yes, that would explain how Tom Bombadil can be more powerful than Iluvatar. He is the personification of the true God of the story, the author himself.
@@greywolf7577 Tolkien dismissed this theory. He apparently said his presence in the story can be seen in the character of Faramir.
That theory isn't mutually exclusive with any of the other theories. Yes, he's almost certainly a self-insert, but that doesn't explain his origin within the books' universe. He still needs a backstory.
@@StandardGoose
We know he is either Eru himself, a direct creation of Eru, or some entity created by the music. He needs a legit in universe backstory.
I don't see him as Eru for a number of reasons. I don't really see him as an opposite to ungoliant.
I think he was either created directly by Eru to care for the earth sort of like how God created Adam. The first being. If not then he is a creation from arda itself in some way sort of like an avatar.
Your thoughts?
@@jlock9085 We know he is definitely not Eru himself because Tolkein explicitly said that Eru has no physical presence in Ea.
I've noticed no one ever asks, who is Goldberry? She seems to me just as enigmatic as Tom.
She's Tom's Huckleberry...
She’s the Rivers daughter.
Wasn't she like a maia of the rivers?
Personification of the Withywindle.
I think she might be a Maia related to nature.
I know the Hobbit was a story for his kids, so maybe Tom Bombadil is simply a character from another story he told his kids, something akin to Winne the Pooh. So Tom showing up in Lord of the Rings is simply a fun throwback to his first few stories, and lends credence to him being the Oldest and coming before the Dark Lord, he literally was made and existed in stories before anything else, and landed in Middle Earth
True...never thought of that!
I think Tom Bombadill is the incarnation of the Secret Fire. There is a passage during the music of the Ainur where its described that the secret fire is put in the centre of the world to burn, before the Valar enter it. If Tom Bombadil is indeed oldest and fatherless, it makes sense that he was there BEFORE the dark lord came from Outside. He was there before The Valar entered the world, because Eru had put him there as the secret fire and he had taken a form of his own. He is the *secret* fire.
Makes sense that the secret fire was put in the middle of the earth to give balance go it
DOesn't it mean the core of earth? Althought i agree that Tom is most likely somehow connected to Ainur music.
@@kubaparcinski5942 "Therefore Ilúvatar gave to their vision Being, and set it amid the Void, and the Secret Fire was sent to burn at the heart of the World; and it was called Eä."
It was supposed to be "at" not "in" my apologies.
I've always thought of Tom as a "father time" character who exists to mark the fullness of time, and I think it's wonderful that Tolkien doesn't follow the old father time motif but instead revels in the lightness of creation to the ageless creator. In that context, when it's said that Sauron could defeat him and "and then night will come", it feels as though the recording of time will stop when Middle Earth (the realm of Men bound by time) is over.
Yes I like that , Father time, the soul of nature itself ,the spark behind the seasons , keeping it all in motion with his songs , from the path of the creek the melting of snow to the snowdrop emerging and the creature pollinating it.
I really like that theory. I always thought of him as being more like the Ents and Eagles than the Ainur - created to keep watch over the earth, but not actively getting involved with the people who live there. It would also explain why he is fatherless, since he is father. I also see Goldberry as a mother nature character, so then mother nature and father time would be a couple 😊. Perhaps they were part of Eru's original creation of Arda, before the Valar went there and started their creations.
Hi Fellow Tolkien Fans;
It takes research to figure out Tolkien’s greatest mystery, so here goes.
Yes, Tom Bombadil is the most powerful thing in Arda, and here's the proof, with theory de-bunkings along the way.
The council of Elrond, and their opinions of him, are not Tolkien canon. They are simple the author imparting the ignorance of elves who are a fraction of his age and power. They don't even know what happened when TB put on the Ring, as the hobbits never told them and they were never asked. Including Gandalf. If they had known the Ring did not make TB invisible, that TB had no temptation from it, that he could make it invisible instead, that he knew it was evil when he told Frodo not to wear it anymore, and that he could see Frodo when he was wearing the Ring, among other things covered below, they would have been better informed.
The rest of the canon lore is from the Silmarillion where Tolkien writes clearly that Tom is "oldest and fatherless". A fact that he, Gandalf and Goldberry confirm (both Maia). But there's more. He was there before the rivers and the trees, even the acorns. Older than ents. He was there before the dark lord Melkor came from the outside. In fact, it is stated that Melkor was the first of the Valar in Arda, before Manwe and Yavanna.
This means TB is the original spirit of Arda, he was first and ensouled into Arda by Eru (but as Tolkien writes "Eru himself is not embodied in Arda..."). Why do we know this? Because everything made by Eru was ensouled with a spirit. Arda was made by Eru before he revealed its creation to the Valar, yet TB was already there before the Valar arrived and fashioned the rest of Arda with "their gifts". Therefore, since he was already there, at the very creation of Arda which "pushed back the Void" to make room for its existence, TB is the very spirit of Eru's creation. This makes TB the counter arch-spirit to Ungoliant.
And how do we know this? Because Tolkien writes Ungoliant is the spirit-demon of the Void who came to Arda in the carnal form of a great demon spider. She both hated and loved Arda and the light and wanted to consume them. Tom is the antithesis of Ungoliant, as he is the opposite of hunger, devouring, power mongering and nothingness.
Tolkien also writes TB would have nothing left (to love and do) if Sauron was to win...but not that TB would be defeated. Just that he would be "last as he was first", as Gandalf and Tolkien both admit. This means TB is immune to destruction and evil. He cannot be vanquished. Also, if he is last, then everything else including Sauron, perishes. Even if Sauron attains a political/military victory for a time. But Tom remains- as he remained during Morgoth's dominion in previous ages.
It follows then, that Tom is and was, whether even Morgoth knew of him or not. If Morgoth knew of him, he either couldn't destroy him, or he didn't know of him. But the Silmarillion says the Valar- like Morgoth, could see all things and were aware of all powers. So, if Morgoth couldn't see him, Tom is more powerful. Or, he could see him and didn't want to mess with him, and/or couldn't-wouldn't-shouldn't).
The conclusion here is obvious. Morgoth is not as powerful as Ungoliant (he needed balrogs to save him from his bindings and being devoured by her). At that time she was growing in power and he was diminishing. Tom Bombadil is therefore more powerful that both of them because he is of Eru and his existence is the creation-power (as Arda incarnate) that could not be defeated or stopped by either Morgoth in Arda, or by the Void (Ungoliant).
For those of you still wondering how this fits into Tolkien legendarium as a deliberately inserted enigmatic mystery, take a seat and a deep breath. Tolkien was a Catholic and a philosophical Christian in many aspects of his life and works. Tom Bombadil is a mystery to be discovered, in a way, like Jesus is to be discovered. But here it's within Tolkien's mythology. The Romans and most people of Jesus' time also viewed Jesus as silly and non-powerful. Just a hippie singing a silly song most didn't understand and didn't want to understand. Only those seeking the truth that's hidden behind the barriers of physical things/appearances- will ever find it. Brilliant.
Eru ensouled a human form (who could take any form) to be the holy spirit of life in Arda. The imperishable light, discussed in the Silmarillion and the spirit of the valiant who oppose evil- like Frodo and Sam (and others). Melkor couldn't find the flame imperishable in the Void. No wonder. Melkor was searching for something he couldn't understand- in the bowels of the Void, aka the demon-spirit Ungoliant. (Moru in Tolkien's early writings). Not a place to find it.
Tolkien wrote in his letters to the editors that leaving Tom in the LOTR was deliberate because "leaving him out would feel like something important to the whole story was missing." What a subtle and amazing clue. Tom Bombadil, Iarwain Ben-Adar to the elves, Orald to Rohan, Forn to the Dwarves, "oldest and fatherless" to all others, is only one of two entities ever described by Tolkien as "he is". The other is Eru.
Tom Bombadil, despite Tolkien's ruse of Tom's appearance (deliberate), and his silly manner of singing his version of the Ainulindale (also deliberate), is and was the most powerful entity in Arda at any time in its history, and the answer to greatest Tolkien riddle.
All hail to Tolkien the master author and creator of the fantasy genre.
A star shines on the hour of our meeting,
The Lore Master
Lore-Master.com
Wow amazing break down! Gives me goosebumps!
I have always referred to Tom as Father Time. I have a brother-in-law who is not a reader but loved the movies. I have told him hundreds of hours of additional content and when it comes to this, in particular, this has always been my view. I always thought of Goldberry as Mother Nature, the partner to Father Time.
Wow Goldberry's answer was basically
Frodo: Who is Tom Bombadil?
GoldB: Yes
Goldberry is awesome
Its how God answered Moses when he asked what his name was; 'I am that I am'.
Peter Jackson: "No, he isn't."
Susumu Hirasawa
I absolutely love how lotr has so many mysteries. We don’t know who he is or what he does. And that’s great
I've always considered Tom to be like the Spirit of the Earth itself.
Or to be more precise: He and Goldberry always reminded me a lot of Oberon and Titania.
There is a LOT of old mythology spread throughout Middle Earth, so I feel like the Fairy King and Queen who behave very similar to Tom and Goldberry would be a very likely inspiration.
The theory that Tom Bombadil is the incarnated music of the Ainur also holds up under the idea that Tom’s power is comparable to the power of “the earth itself.” Arda was created by the Music, so Tom’s power, which derives from the Music, would be very similar to the power invested into Arda, which also derived from the Music. In other words, being an incarnation of the spirit of the Music would make Tom essentially the spirit of Arda itself.
The music of the Ainur created Ea itself, of which Arda (and Middle Earth) is but a small part. Bombadil as the incarnation of the music should have mastery over creation second only to Eru himself - he shouldn’t be threatened by a Maia like Sauron if that was the case
I thought this the most likely theory. But I like that somebody said it’s Tolkien himself.
I agree that's this theory holds most ground with ungoliant being the discord definitely my favourite theory
I have always thought of Tom Bombabil as an embodiment of the natural world, the earth, of creation, or "the music of the Ainur". In the world but not of it. A sort of male "Mother Nature".
This was my opinion as well, after the video. Tom is "Father Arda" (derivation of mother earth), the physical incarnation of the spirit of the planet itself.
Tom putting the ring on his pinkie is one of the most epic and confusing moments in the series
I mean rings on the pinky symbolize wealth and status of importance
@@HobbitOfChaos Nice
I figured it out after many, many hours of thought. Happy to elaborate.
Narratively: He is simply a creature (as Elrond calls him) that was created with Arda at the beginning of time by Eru. He functions as a sort of avatar of the Earth itself, as the council says he could withstand evil insofar as the Earth could.
Analogically: Bombadil and Goldberry are Adam and Eve before the Fall, as they were meant to be in the Garden.
Metatextually: Bombadil is Melchizedek. I have written a brief on the 15 parallels between the obscure Biblical character Melchizedek and Bombadil. He isn't Melchizedek, but metatextually he is the same archetype.
I like to think that Bombadil is the personification of nature in Arda. This goes along with a lot of his characteristics, including his inability to finally stand against Sauron. Sauron can (and does) destroy nature when he wants to. But nature is indifferent to the battles between good and evil, it just continues doing what it does as long as it can. Bombadil can control Old Man Willow, a creature of nature. Bombadil can banish the barrow wight because it is unnatural and does not belong. Bombadil was there before anything, because nature had to be created by the Valar at the beginning of the world, and perhaps they made a personification of nature to help them with that job. Saying that Bombadil is actually Tolkien is fine for an out-of-LOTR explanation, but within the universe Tolkien created, Bombadil serves a purpose too.
@PurpleOwlAnimation Nature is only the nature of, whatever exists at a given time is "nature"
Yea my dad always tought that
Yes, this seems the most likely the answer.
@PurpleOwlAnimation that wouldn't stop him being the spirit of nature. It would depend on whether he emerges from nature when it comes to be, or whether he transcends actually existing nature.
I'd have to say he likely isnt the personification of nature, as there are others such as Carnan who very little is known about and is also immensely old and, as Celebrimbor suggested, will be around long after any other being.
I believe Tom Bombadil is more of a being that was created in the dismay of the music of the Ainur, while Melkor's influence caused evil entities to spawn, it may have also caused manifestations of ones in the middle. Tom is a good being, but he isnt 'good' as in on the side of light. Tom keeps to himself besides something here and there, meaning he isnt like any other beings made to be good. Because of this I believe he is either from beyond the Music, as he is dubbed "The Fatherless" which could mean he is not from Eru's influence. Or that he is "Fatherless" in the sense that his true origin is unknown to all and that he was spawned from the disruption of the music.
I like to think Tom is the spirit of Arda. Not dissimilar from the theory of him being the manifestation of the song of the Ainur, but just that he's specifically the embodiment of Arda, and his singing is a reflection of the songs of creation that run through him. Sort of like a 'mother earth' figure.
This is exactly what I thought after watching this video. In the same way that the ring didn't possess the River Anduin when it lay there, it doesn't affect Tom. But when all elves, dwarves, and men fall, the last for Sauron to destroy is Arda itself.
@@JPHandel But it is said Morgoth corrupted Arda itself, while Tom Bombadil is not suggested to have been corrupted
That's the conclusion I reached, watching the video.
From the way he protected the hobbits, like a tree or a cave offering a place for travelers to rest and hide; to the way he was described by the council as disinterested in the affairs of the people*, with his way of support being a temporary mean(like the ground that offers a place for beings to hide their belongings while at the same time offering no resistance to the enemy of such beings who knew where to look or accidentally stumbled upon).
It can be explained that the discord song of the Valar ended up inadvertently creating a slit of magic that allowed the earth to be extended and personified, though without any changes to its spirit.
It even works with the fact that Sauron would eventually be able to best Tom, if he ever recovered his power. Sauron's goal, after all, was having absolute control of middle earth.
*The way he was described as showing no interest in intervening almost gave him an air of blue and orange eldritch morality. To him, having someone beg on their knees for him to keep the object responsible for deciding the course of history was like if one of us got approached by someone on the street and asked to hold on to a grain of sand they picked up.
It's kind of like that Jennifer Lawrence movie, Mother, but less humanized or human like.
Who knows? Maybe Tom's form, boundary, actions and speech were all just the hobbits' and other children of Eru's perception of a form they were comfortable with, though not exactly the whole deal.
@@FrenkieWest32 Because Morgoth's corruption was still Arda.
The idea of the corruption of Morgoth only works if you look at it through a lens focused on what was meant to be and what it became instead.
Tom Bombadil is beyond a plan of a definition. He just is, like the ground of middle earth itself. He'd still be Tom, no matter who ruled or how it was molded.
Sure, Sauron would be capable of having dominion over him, since his plan is to have complete control of everything inside a certain boundary, but if he ever fell and became someone else's, Tom would belong to that being as he belonged to Sauron.
@@spirit.ofthe.harvestmoon morgoths corruption wasn't Arda, morgoth corrupted Arda. Not the same thing.
And you're talking a bit too matter of factly about this theory for my taste.
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were good friends and influenced each other’s writing. To me the existence of Tom Bombadil in LotR is parallel to the existence of Father Christmas in Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. They’re both jolly old men who help out the hobbits/children and though perhaps they could assist the good in combatting the evil, they take a passive side and disappear from the story almost as quick as they came.
I have read The Lord of the Rings at least once a year for over 50 years. Tom Bombadil is a beloved character. Like many others I was disappointed that he was left out of the film trilogy. For all these years I have accepted that Tom Bombadil "is". Reading/engaging in a fantasy world is "a great leap of faith". I am happy that Tom Bombadil is and will continue to be a fascinating, engaging character. Like the hobbits, he is not pretentious. He is happy to lead his existence close to the earth and nature. That is enough.
"Tom's a guy who loves the forest, who is happy and sings constantly, and is just generally positive to everyone." Seems very much on brand for Tolkien as an aspiration. He doesn't need to be an incarnation of Eru, or the music itself, or anything. He is a person living how a person should. He's living the ideal Tolkien life, in tune with nature and poetry, with a decency in his soul. He's Tolkien's Righteous Man.
I think Tom Bombadil is just Tom Bombadil. Just because, is the purest thing in Middle Earth, and nothing can affect or bother him.
I think there are some things for which there will never be an explanation. Too many people think that because some things in Tolkien's mythos are so detailed in their explanation, that necessarily means _everything_ has a detailed explanation, and that's just not true. This was one man's creation, and one man can only come up with so much, especially when the majority of it came out of inspiration and not deliberate invention.
I have a theory that is essentially unrelated to the books themselves. "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" was a story Tolkein wrote for his child to make him happy in between writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As we can see just like Santa Claus and other stories, its a story about a jolly person who brings joy. Considering Tom was written before the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien probably included this already existing character because he liked him and wanted to include a story his kid liked.
This means there isn't much looking into who or what Tom actually was, because in essence he was and "extra" thing included in the story. He doesn't have a true origin in the story because he didn't come from the story. It's like if Bugs Bunny met Mickey Mouse somehow, they might exist together if written that way in a story but came from two completely different source materials originally. It creates an interesting enigma for sure but I believe that is the out of book explanation.
And probably the most simple explanation is the correct, since we can't correlate him with anything or anyone.
I would totally love a movie that is focused on Tom Bombadil
Excellent meta-sleuthery 👌
@Chris S. I am not sure if it was on purpose that you mentioned it. Mickey Mouse did meet Bugs Bunny once, and only once! (it was in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit').
He broke a wall of sorts by including Tom, also you should copy/past this as it's own thing because you put a lot of work into your comment (/bow)
5:45. Wow! That image takes me back. Growing up in NYC, I would ask for a Tolkien calendar as one of my XMas presents. These particular calendars were done by the Brothers Hildebrandt, and that was always one of my favourite images out of all the calendars I got. That image is entitled, Goldberry. Their work was amazing! I still have them.
I just discovered these videos and I absolutely love them, thank you!
Tom is 100% the music incarnate. He's not all of the music but just a piece of it among many. He does what he does and that is all.
One of my favorites is the idea that he's a creature born from the Discord in the Song between Melkor and Eru just like the Nameless things. The idea that even from such conflict something kind and good can be created is comforting.
The idea that he's Tolkien himself is also a neat one. Very meta and puts his comments about seeing everything first into place because he literally wrote them.
That's a great idea, that first one about him coming from discord. A tone so discordant that it sort of overflows and becomes harmonious again.
Personally I think the second is an ugly idea. It's just very typical and egotistical to insert oneself as some ageless god-like entity into your work.
I think I read somewhere that Tolkien made Faramir as his (sort of) self-insert, by giving Faramir similar traits he shared in real life.
Maybe it’s just that Tom bombadil was created before the lord of the rings so was able to view it through Tolkien as he is tolkiens or one of tolkiens first characters.
Perhaps Tom Bombadil is the spiritual manifestation of the “silence” or rests before, within, and after the music. Like the reprieve between the 3 songs. He may be a result of the spaces between each song holding them together. This would explain why he doesn’t intervene and is master of a realm that is inaccessible to those who are part of the songs themselves. Him intervening with the path of the fellowship of the ring would be like the song ending short before the final movement. He is the unheard part of the full composition passive, yet essential for the entire progression of events.
..Here is where Tolkien's Catholic piety and Biblical influence cannot be dismissed...Tom B. is the anthropological manifestation of God... like unto, Daniel's "Ancient of Days" (see Daniel 7:9)...Tom, much like the original LORD God, of Genesis , is not transcendent from nature, but rather delights in its goodness. We are told, the Almighty even enjoyed the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day (see Genesis 2:8); ...and yes the true nature of God, always remains an enigmatic mystery...and Tolkien's, Tom B., captures that wonder perfectly...
After all Bombadil remains the only being on Middle Earth apparently powerful enough that the "evil" Ring of power...is really only a golden ring...that is because all of creation is ultimately subject to Him...even tyrannical plotting of Evil, itself...and this Tom B. merely chuckles at (see Psalm 2:1-4)...
...Don't you know His name yet?.. (see Exodus 3:13-14 & John 14:8-10)
@@anarchorepublican5954 lol although unrelated to my comment, this is an interesting and well informed analysis.
Very elegant an interpretation indeed!
I noticed in the hobbit movie a watched a while ago, that a few times when pretty much any important characters had a conversation, there was a sort of face or figure visible in the rocks or trees besides them. I think this is Tom and he was present at the meetings in which they forgot to invite him.
My theory is that Tom Bombadil is time itself. In that, he's the Metronome of the Universe, the rhythm and beat. The "Music" created the universe. Time must be kept, not in the sense of a clock, but in the sense of the music. It's why he's so powerful, yet limited in the scope of that power. It's why he was first to be there, and would be last to go at the end. He's not a note in the song, or a player of the tune. But he is there, always there, from the beginning to the end. before the music plays, and long after it ends. Without him nothing would make sense, but you never actually see or feel his presence. The ring can't effect him, because he's beyond the power of the ring. But without the "music" he is nothing as well. It's very ethereal, but that's always been my theory. Time must be kept, and it's embodiment is Tom Bombadil. Even in the silence between verses, there is Tom. Weather you hear it, feel it, or know it. Tom is there. He is just Tom, he is the Time.
Loved this
Time Bombadil
Tom Bombadil the spirit of sheet music? Very excellent.
you win I'll show you the way out
This is it. This is the answer.
I love how much amazing lotr fan art there is. Some of these paintings and sketches are mind blowing. Well done everyone!
Considering Tolkien's Catholic background, Tom could be a type of Melchizedek from the Bible. (Genesis 14:18-20). Hebrews 7:3 says that Melchizedek was “without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” His sudden appearance and disappearance in the book of Genesis is somewhat mysterious. Just throwing it out there.
Ding ding ding! Give the man a prize
Nice
The professor was fairly adamant that his work was not allegorical. (and iirc, he actually wasn't much a fan of such) There's no doubt that his faith and experience of the great war was influential to his writing, but I highly highly doubt any actual intentional biblical allegory.
@@corrupt_reverend5123 I agree that there was certainly no deliberate allegory. That doesn't mean that part of how Tolkien conceived of Tom wasn't inspired by Melchizedek. As you say, his faith was definitely influential on his writing. Indeed, there are other things in LOTR with pretty clear biblical ties as well. For instance, when Elrond says, “This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who among the wise could have foreseen it", It's difficult to imagine that Tolkien didn't have the passage in mind that says, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong". I mean, this is pretty much the plot/theme in a nutshell.
This thought occurred to me also. I would say Tom may have been an expression like Melchizedek, without a known progenitor. In Christian thought there are many theories of Melchizedek. Some go as far as articulating Melchizedek a theophany a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ. I can understand the reasoning but it is not explicit in the Biblical text. The most reasonable explanation is Melchizedek is a type of Christ. The writers of Hebrews analogizes the priesthood of Melchizedek in contrast with the Aaronic rendering Jesus' priesthood superior to the Aaronic. This leaves the question what does Tom Bombadil typify in the LOTR narrative? I have yet to find out.
There are lot of things i learned from this channel which i previously unlnown. Brilliant doc series. Love your channel and your videos. We always appreciate your hard work and dedication towards these videos.
I personally believe Tom is a manifestation of Middle earth itself, the soul of the world as it were. The world can resist Sauron but he ultimately conquers it like a plague, though the land is always the final thing he conquers and twists.
At the same time the world has seen multiple wars and dark lords and weathered it all, so it's manifestation would be no more concerned with Sauron or the ring as any other event in a worlds lifetime
I always thought he was Father Time and Goldberry is Mother Nature.
Like in Smurfs? :)
Doesn’t fit within the cosmology of Middle Earth.
👌
His wife, Goldberry, is clearly a nature spirit ("daughter of the River"). Middle-Earth has many such, even the mountains and trees have spirit. I think Tom Bombadil is the master of nature spirits. Or the spirit of the Earth itself.
Aren't the nature spirits Maiar? That's kind of the feeling I got from the beginning of the Silmarillion.
That quote is wrong. Its "River-woman's daughter".
I like to think he is a nomad like how Human souls are described in middle earth. Enjoying Eru’s creations to its most minute detail jumping from one world to another. He’s just a guy chilling and that’s what I love about him.
I think Tom was Tolkien's way of injecting himself into his own story.
(edit: Or atleast used Tom as a medium to speak directly to the other characters.)
Yep. Tom is Tolkien
Its in the name - "I am old Tol"
but he inserted himself and his wife already with Beren and Luthien.
@Matthew Dorry Perhaps Tom wasn't _literally_ Tolkien's chosen avatar, but rather somewhat of an archetype of a playful "author" who is older than time (before the books were written) and knows all.
@Matthew Dorry It does make sense, and I figured you would raise those contentions (although I didn't expect such force). But all-in-all, well said. Thanks for the insight.
I really like the theory claiming Tom is the first character created by Tolkien based on his childhood toy. He can appear in many worlds but doesn't belong to any of them. It also nicely fits the recurring theme of the world trying to capture him and Tom easily avoiding the traps. Being with him for so long Tolkien also gave him many of his personal traits and gave him power to occasionally act as his Deus Ex Machina. Then again, knowing how creative process works, it's also very likely that he was just semi-accidentally written into LOTR without any specified theory developed by Tolkien beforehand. He would do that with other aspects of the Middle Earth and then had to revisit and rewrite them to make things more consistent. Tom was just left there as he was.
Theory 5 gets my vote, Tom simply is…. I think he does serve a roll as caretaker of Middle Earth, and as time has gone by, has set himself smaller boundaries. He is an observer, and a watcher, and a historian of all.
A gardner, in way. Tilling some herbs here, watering others there, he just hangs out really
Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite Character simple because we know so little about him. One of the things i love most about Tolkiens World are all the mysterys and stuff we dont know about. Be it the Softmagic System or Characters like Tom Bombadil - its open to interpretation and awakens ones imagination. I will never get tired of hearing/reading about Tolkiens World because it is truly fascinating.
I always thought he was simply a manifestation of Arda, a spirit made self-manifest. The same way when some trees that are so old may become entish, Tom too learned to think on his own. Thus why he's fatherless and his own master. Also why he's no omnipotent or otherwise overly powerful. It also makes sense why his mate is also a [river] spirit.
Although not allegorical, Tolkein's faith clearly shaped the characters and story lines of Middle Earth. Tom Bombadil seems to be a character much like the mysterious priest/King Melchizedek (found in Genesis 14) who blesses Abraham at a time when the other kings are at war with each other. Even though he doesn't directly involve himself in the conflict, his presence is an encouragement and strengthens Abraham. His identity remains a mystery - and a reminder that there is always More beyond the seeming inescapability of present circumstances.
Melchizedek is certainly an enigma, he pops up at a crucial time and we do not know much more about him. Your comment reminded me of when I was Priested years ago, I was expecting a nice quiet bit of ceremony but when the bishop said, "You are a Priest of the Order of Melchizedek forever" it felt like a bolt of electricity went up my spine, I have no idea of the reason for this except to say that there will always be mysteries.
Agree, Melchizedek, the priest who blessed Abraham. It was said that he was “without father or mother” and “without beginning of days or end of life.”
I agree!!
This is an awesome thought
The big difference being that the bible is a ridiculous book of inconsistent fairy tales in which people like Abraham worship the most evil being in the universe. I suppose you could look at the bible like a book Sauron handed out to his followers, and Abraham was an Orc who obeyed Sauron unquestioningly. Say, for example, when the psychopathic megalomaniac told Abraham to kill his son for no good reason whatever. Just because narcissists like to see how high they can make people jump. TLOTR is a much better work though; internally consistent, the good guys win, there are no contradictions, and you don't have Gandalf threatening to send the Hobbits to burn in pain for all eternity - if they say his name wrong - because he loves them so much...
I've always seen him as a spirit of nature, kind of like like Goldberry but immensely powerful and a big part of the reason Middle Earth needed to be saved from Sauron in the first place. Maybe he IS the spirit of nature as resulting from the Music. He's always been one of my favourite characters and without him, the movies lose the balance the books bring. I guess that makes him a plot device, but to me, he was the gateway to the many nature-based paths my spirituality had taken me throughout my life.
After first minutes of description, I immediately thought that Tom Bombadil is Tolkien, like he's written himself in the story, and upon looking into comment section I'm glad that I'm not alone in this assumption.
Great video. You are a legend. Great topic as well, Tom is a very intresting character which we know little of.
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it! He is a fun character for sure.
Tom is 'the land itself', as is said in Rivendell. He's akin to the green man, the summer king, an ancient, vibrant embodiment of the land itself. I dont think Tolkien's concieved his world as complete, with a rigid creation process and a set pantheon, to the exclusion of all other interpretations or beliefs. If Illuvatar and the Ainur may are the corollary of Tolkien's Cathoic faith then Tom is a Pagan figure, a spirit of place, existing alongside and separate from the other 'gods'. An embodiment of the land, spontaneously created when the land itself was sung into being?
Completely agree!
I agree. & Well put. Specifically I think Tom is the embodiment of Eä, "the World that Is", and the "word" spoken by Iluvatar to manifest physical creation. Translated Eä means "It is" or "Let it be". Goldberry describes him with the words "He is." This seems to reference that he is either "creation" itself (Eä), or, like creation, he simply exists. And yes, he's likely also Tolkien's addition of a pagan-style nature-spirit/deity like the Greenman, Summer King, Pan, etc.
I also think he is symbolic of the decline of all ancient, mysterious. and magical things in Middle Earth towards the end of the Third Age.
I agree, Tom is probably the spirit of the land that can take the form of a man, just like in The Sandman's (Gaiman) Fiddler's Green or Gilbert.
Yes, and no. Tolkein cherished nature in way few of us today would relate to. He personally renounced technologies and "conveniences." Didn't want to own a washing machine, for instance. At the same time: some differences. Paganism deifies nature, something Tolkein wouldn't do. Tolkein cherished nature as a gift of God, from God. And be clear: Tolkein's universe has One God. All other creatures emanate from Him, and are loosely akin to angels and demons in the Christian canon. I do like your idea of Tom's relationship to the land, and something of an embodiment of the natural elements. It's beautiful how much ambiguity and mystery he put in the character. :-)
E xactly!
Tom is the embodiment of the soul of Middle Earth, of the Anima Mundi of the alchemists, of the Holy spirit of christianity.
Tom is not bound by time. He is always in the NOW. He does not think. The past and the future do not exist within him. He just IS, always. He represents the connection with the ALL that one acheives through enlightenment. A state of pure bliss. He incarnates a state of being that was before the Fall, when Adam and Eve just took care of the Garden, before they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and became aware that they were naked. Before suffering existed. He is life itself, seperated from death. He is Master of ''tree, hill and water''... ie He is master of the elements of Water and Earth, not of Air and fire.
This paragraph should be of particular interest also, when at the end of ROTK Gandalf says: "I am going to have a long talk with Bombadil: such a talk as I have not had in all my time. He is a moss-gatherer, and I have been a stone doomed to rolling. But my rolling days are ending, and now we shall have much to say to one another."
I think Tom was just a literary device of Tolkien just for his personal amusement, and to sort of 'embody' the natural world. I think if Tolkien had been pressed to 'justify' Tom, or if I was really, I'd suggest that he's just a kind of spirit that sprung out naturally as a by-product of the creation of Arda.
I think mostly that too. It was a whim and it solves a little issue with the story too. In the absence of Tom Bombadil the hobbits have to either deal with old man willow and the barrow wights on their own which seems unlikely. And if this is skipped then how do we kill the leader of the nine? I think Tolkien wrote him in and was happy to leave it as an enigma, maybe wondering if some sort of creative moment would allow him to fill in the back story later but not worrying if he didn't.
I agree that he was just a literary device and that yes, it was just for his own amusement. No wonder he was dropped in the movies.
@@cerberus6654 No!!! That is no reason to drop him in the movies! A book is inevitably a collection of literary devices. The ring is literary device to create the story for example. Bombadil was dropped in the movies because of the movie length and the complexity he adds. While those interested in the story and background love enigmas like this movie makers seem to hate no closure. The exception to this is the brilliant ending of Inception. The movie is left with a couple of holes but is simplified overall. I suppose the swords from Galadriel, as used in the movies, ought to work on entities in either of the realms but even so, Tom Bombadil is an essential part of the story because it is an insight to the author and an embodiment or personification of Middle Earth.
@@damianpeterkelly1234 I think Tom was omitted (like so much... far too much) to make a more straightforward film experience focused far more on swordplay than on lore and the world Tolkien actually created, much to the loss of fans who may not have realised what was in the books (having only seen the films) or, to the fans who hoped to see everything from the books give the same amazing treatment as the other elements were. You are def correct that anything an author chooses to present to readers is by definition a literary device, though I think with Tom he can only be understood as such, where other elements can be more deeply contextualised against other elements in the universe through lore/events. I did see the point you were making about not dropping Tom on those grounds alone.
@@damianpeterkelly1234 I don't disagree! Movies are, of course, way more constrained by time than a novel but - between you and me, I found that Peter Jackson eliminated some pretty important elements. I could not believe that he substituted Arwen for Glorfindel - especially as in the books there's nothing to suggest that Arwen was hard-riding and hard-fighting He also inserted a lot of kind of not-really-funny little comedic moments that came out of nowhere and, to me, served no purpose. Like Eowyn's revolting stew. And yet, in the books, the presence of Tom Bombadil does add dimension. I also missed the barrow wight, but that's neither here nor there.
i first watched the first movie I think before reading the books, that's why I was super surprised by Tom Bombadil showing up.
and all while reading I had such a bad feeling about it that I ran through the pages as quickly as possible as if I expected something sinister to happen to them.
he gave me such an uneasy feeling. and it makes sense to me today because he wasn't supposed to fit into the rest of the story as he was completely detached from its fate.
Tom has always been one of my favorites. I love the theory that he is the Music of the Ainur. That just makes so much sense to me!
Having read Tolkien's "Father Christmas Letters," I have long thought that Bombadil was a kindred spirit to Father Christmas.
that's an interesting point, and you could be right? I must go to the hills and ponder this with a fine batch of shire weed...hmmm
I believe Tom is "father" time, often represented as boath a old man and an infant on new-years day in the "earth realms", and Goldberry would be "Mother nature"! Time has no care, and nothing can tempt it. Time exists before all, and will exist till the last, because when there is no time, there is no space or "place" to exist! Time is un controllable, so is Tom!
This is seems plausible with consideration for Tom's character and jovial spirit. However, with the intricacies of Tolkien's creation it could be rendered an oversimplification. I have not read enough to have a formidable opinion.
But the other characters believe Tom (perhaps Father Time) CAN be defeated by Sauron. He seems to be more like Father Earth, perhaps paired with Mother Nature, which like you say has no interest in power, but CAN be wounded and even destroyed by Sauron (such as our own destruction of the Earth).
@@truth7921 Not necessarily, only that he can't keep the ring from Sauron indefinitely. Also Sauron knows the ring is out there and Tom Bombadill doesn't seem like the kind of creature that can stop Sauron and all of his armies by himself, his powers lies elsewhere. And between hiding the ring and destroying it there is only one route they can take.
Tolkien disliked allegories and stated he never intentionally used them in his writing.
Tom is the spirit of the Woods.
I love that half way through I was like man what if Tom is supposed to be just tom and the fact you finish with that was the cherry on top
The idea that Tom Bombadil is the embodiment of the music of the Ainur makes perfect sense! It also explains why he's always singing.
I used to lean towards the "Tom is a Maia" theory, perhaps one who fell in love with the world as the world, and thus ignored good vs evil (though he himself is good), and battle, nations, etc. After this video, I now believe that the most likely theories are either that he was created directly by the Music or IS the music. Both are pretty good theories.
Original theory made no sense because if he loved the world he'll be against evil because it was destroying the world and not remain neutral to it
I always thought Tom was a version the Green Man from Pagan and old English folklore. Tolkien was always inspired by Norse and tales of old. Wouldn’t be shocked if that was incorporated as well.
the green man is in my pantheon of pagan beliefs, and i just described him to my wife the other day "think jolly green giant... but not a giant"
This is pretty cool because I recently started the Fellowship of the Ring's audiobook and when Tom Bombadil was introduced I began she get curious as to who he was
I went through this sort of analysis a number of years ago. There is a category of beings in Middle Earth that are best described as nature spirits. I think Tom was a high ranking nature spirit as was Goldberry. They are a separate race, apart from the Ainur, and the peoples of Arda. Tom seems like a "father nature" sort of character.
Tolkien explained that Tom Bombadil was the name of a doll that his kids had. He also described him as simply being an enigma. Because of the mystery surrounding his origin, I find Tom to be the most interesting character in the legendarium. I also like the fact that he has no apparent attraction to power. He's uncorruptible.
I agree. Sort of a "Jack in the Green" type of character.
I always thought he was Eru IIuvatar. I know that that is one of the weaker arguments, but, it's an intriguing theory. The One, made flesh, unlimited power within boundaries he has set for himself. Willing to help, aid and protect the forces of good, immune to the Ring's power, but never dictating actions and outcomes. Free will.
8
Exactly 💯
I think he is a "guardian" of the song and probably iluvatar himself, or a part of him set there to watch over things to be on the right course, he doesnt want good destroy evil, he just want to let the song flow the way it should.
This is the theory I'm sticking to
He's a personification of Nature. Nature doesn't interfere or care, it just "is". I would say he (being Nature) sets the constraints of what is possible in the world, including what Iluvatar can do. But the Elves and Maiar aren't aware of this. If Middle Earth was taken over, Tom would still be unaffected physically. He might be sad though.
I believe Tolkien dedicated a large amount of his life into weaving a world of wonder with a cohesive archetype of "the hero's journey" that would necessitate a resolution to his epic and I think, just maybe, that Tom Bombadil was a literary technique akin to "faith" where the reader has no choice but to use their own imagination to consider the limitless possibilities of Tom Bombadil. I think it's purposeful that he is happy, welcoming, and aloof without any sense of maleficence. Almost as if he knew his story must end but the wonder that his world created for the reader would live on in their imagination. In other words, Tom Bombadil is what our imagination allows him to be, as premeditated by Tolkien.
Under liked comment
I think it’s quite remarkable that Tom exists as he does in this story for as long as he does( literally the entire time Arda exists ) without making too big a fuss in it. Without anyone in the story interacting with him much “on screen”. He’s immensely powerful, wise and clearly on the side of good and yet we know preciously little about him. He just seems to go around doing as he pleases and setting things back to how they are supposed to be effortlessly. It seems like if he wanted he could just walk up to Sauron, whack him on the nose and tell him he should be crafting something and the whole story would end and yet _he just is_ is all we got to go by lol. What a truly unique character.