Tom Bombadil is a wonderful character, both mysterious and enigmatic, but I can completely understand why he tends to get cut out of most adaptations. His section of the story, interesting as it is, does nothing to advance the plot.
Saving them from a danger involved in that section of the book. You can remove that entire section and nothing has changed. Tom Bombadil's section of the book doesn't have any lasting impact outside of it's own pages. 'Not advancing the plot' was exactly the reason given by the production crew for the movie's cutting of the Bombadil sequence. So, yeah, I'm entirely correct.
I don't remember that, but then it has been years since I last read the books. Isn't it Eowyn who kills the Witchking though, so that the dagger is only used to wound him? Regardless, the point still stands. You clearly can still remove that entire section and nothing has changed, as that's exactly what both the animated movie and the motion pictures did.
The dagger breaks the spell. Without the dagger, Eowyn could not hurt him. The movie leaves a plothole (not good) or makes you assume the witchking can only be hurt by women. Which is absurd. Tom advanced the plot whether he is in the movie or not.
Is tom not considered a living thing? Because Gandalf states that treebeard is the oldest living thing. But he also says that tom came before the trees.
Will He is probably refering to the main races of Arda then. As Treebeard obviously isn't older than the Valar or the Maiar, Gandalf himself should be older than him.
Strictly speaking, Gandalf is not a "living thing." As a Maia, he is incorporeal, existing outside of physical space and linear time. The physical body of "Gandalf" is a cloak that he put on in order to come to Middle Earth and be able to interact with its peoples from a framework that they could understand. Even the old Gaffer Gamgee knows an old man when he sees one, but how would anyone less wise than Galadriel or Cirdan deal with an incorporeal being.
H. Paul Honsinger great point. "living" in this context means "capable of a natural life" which is a birth, age, then death. Tom is permanently who he is, and doesn't appear to get older or younger. Tree beard would most definitely started as a sapling, so he is living. Gandalf is alive, but only as alive as a god or angel that appears in human form. Lifelike, but not truly a natural living being. GANDALF-TRON!
"existing outside of physical space and linear time" How are the Maia outside of linear time exactly? They are obviously not. I would not discredit "living thing" either, it just depends on how we view it. They were created by Eru, they are "alive" and they can in theory cease to exist (or be killed).
Yes, this is a key theory that the guy did not mention in the video. I have always thought this myself, and have thought that the elves' conception of him was not entirely correct, i.e. I think that if Sauron's hordes of orcs descended on his patch of woods he could probably ash every last one of them, and if he didn't it would have been by choice. For me Tom is an avatar of Eru Iluvatar himself.
Wait did we not watch the same video? He delved into that Eru Iluvatar theory first. He said that Tolkien specifically disproved in a letter. It starts at 5:13
"Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn [...] he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside" Only one being in the Tolkien Universe could have remembered the time before Morgoth - which is before the beginning of time itself. My bet is that Tolkien wanted to develop his story further but somehow abandoned the idea.
As interesting as that is I sincerely doubt that was his intention. Tolkien stated in a letter he considered Faramir to share the most characteristics with himself, some of which was intentional.
That is how he idealized their romance and inscribed their tombstones, good of you to mention that as well. I was speaking specifically to characters from the Lord of the Rings.
I think Tolkein created this character to set everyone's imagination going, I really believe he doesn't know himself who Tom really is. some things better not explained.
Thank you for referencing the creepiest, most enigmatic thing ever written in TLotR, when Gandalf the White comes back and says "Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he." Think about that for a while.
theres also a theory that Tom is an embodiment of the read because you cant affect the ring but also can't affect you and that technically the world does not exist to you until you read it making you the first being there (this is especially so if you read sillmerillion first because you would have been there before the stated events)
Not really a valid theory, since Tolkien said in his letters that Tom represented a natural pacifist view. He used Tom to explain something about the Ring itself: it needs a mindset that longs for power, and Bombadil denounced all forms of control, and doesn't want power.
I've always thought that Tom was a personification of nature itself.Tolkien loved nature from an early age,& after his experience in WW1 he hated technology.Part of what LOTR's was about, was the technology of Sauron's ring and Saruman's grinding industry vs the Elves who are in balance with nature and the hobbits who represent an old,rose tinted view of rural Britain.When Tom plays with the ring and refers to it as a trinket , its a metaphor for the power of nature over the transient nature of technology and sentient life.When these civilisations and their machines of destruction are dust, nature (Tom)will still be there.
Great minds think alike.Although im sure there are some real hardcore LOTR's fans out there who are baying for blood for just suggesting this simplistic theory.Ha ha.
I'm a big fan of him being the embodiment of the creation song especially when I reread his part after reading the Silmarilian. It also fits with his title as "the eldest" when you consider the elves are consider the "elder". He is the oldest child of Illuvitar on Arda
Great video, Tom has always been one of my favorite characters in Middle Earth. Very well done summation of his place in the books and the prevailing theories about his nature. I've always been partial to the idea that he was an embodiment of the Song. It just feels right to me given everything we see in him. Please keep up the good work, these videos are very enjoyable.
Good call, my Noldor! It's like Tom is the avatar of the Song that is sung behind-the-scenes by Iluvatar and the Ainur that breathes life and reality into Arda. His works are essential yet unknowable. Also, given that he was created before LOTR, i feel that he could represent the source of Tolkien's inspirations that would lead to him creating his majestic legendarium. Tolkien for life, elf-hos!
Tom Bombadil is clearly based of the Finnish elder being Väinämöinen, who is both the first being, as well as the elder bard who aids other heroes of the Kalavela (the Finnish national epic that heavily inspired Tolkien) on their quest. In fact the other miar like Gandalf look similar to how Väinämöinen is depicted in the Kalavela and part of the name of Eru Iluvitar is based of the old Finnish word for the divine ones Jumaltar. most people who read Tolkien's work know little of us finns and our culture and falsely contribute Tolkein's influences as, only either English, or Norse mythology. I know that you most likely were only mentioning the origins of Tom Bombadil within universe but when you have an understanding of the outside origins of a character like Tom then his origin and place in the story will speak for itself.
To be fair one can find plenty of wise old guys in almost any mythology, including Norse, English, and apparently Finnish. I've never heard of this Väinämöinen guy before but after looking him up he does seem to fit being a god of songs. However, the I think most interesting thing about Bombadil is that he does not play a central role, unlike Väinämöinen. He helps out the heroes a couple times but for a being of immense power he doesn't do much. He's content with sitting in his forest and uninterested in what is happening anywhere else. So, while I am not an expert on Väinämöinen, I don't know if knowing Väinämöinen explains Bombadil.
oh my yes, it is so so clear.....isn't everyone familiar with finnish mythology? it is just so clear ...........please poindexter, your coming across as smug, park your tolkien nerd-lore at the door. i'm sure it is interesting but you put me off in the way you presented yourself ....professor.
wow. I'm not sure how I came across as smug for relaying little known information but since you seem to have the uncanny ability to read condescension in an TH-cam comment I will clarify here. I didn't say that the video was bad or insult the creator of the video in any way, I just assumed he was talking from an in universe perspective and for all I know hes well aware of Tolkien's lesser know but no less important influences. The word clearly in my previous comment is referring to my self as in it is clear to me. Thanks for presuming my tone, insulting me and telling me to park my "nerd lore" at the door before commenting on a LOTR lore video.
I totally agree, don't mind that kind of person. Your point of view is, as a matter of fact, really interesting and founded. As you said, I don't know a thing of Finn culture, but I knew Tolkien's legendarium was inspired by it. Anyway, thanks for your contribution friend!
Very nice summary. For myself, I didn't much care for the Bombadil story arc when I first read LOTR (I was young and hasty don't you know), but having read it several more times since, I can say that old Tom has grown on me more and more with each pass through. For me, he is not a Maya, nor even a Vala, but rather a splinter of the very spirit of Arda, a living embodiment of "nature" itself. As is Goldberry. She of a "female" aspect, he of a "male". One of my favorite memories of Tom is actually something that is small and fleeting, with little importance to the matter of the Ring: when he finds the blue brooch in the Barrow Wight's treasure, and he actually stops and remembers what must have been a very special lady on Middle-Earth (though her identity is never revealed), in honor. I find it somehow touching, given all he must have seen since the dawn of time, and how "flighty" his thoughts are, for him to still remember a long-departed single female with such emotion and honor based on a brooch she wore.
Simon Jorge thanks man. it makes the most sense to me. the thing about the song theroy. is all great magic is done by song. magic is how he interacts with the world and shapes it. so it makes sense he loves to sing.
Alan Hillard He loves to sing because he is the record of the songs. I mean, if I bust out an awesome song right now on my guitar, and no one can hear it but me, and only the once, what is the point? Music requires a record or it never existed. That record could be echoes of the original. it could be note for note written down. it could also be embodied in a repository that remembers all the songs. That's my theory. The music must still be there, or everything would crumble (like elvish sleep spells that only last as long as the song is sung) So you would need a single lynch pin outside of time that remembers the songs to keep them alive.
"In The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Tolkien describes Goldberry as the seasonal changes in nature, and Tom Bombadil as the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside, meaning that Tom is the countryside existing in Time, alive and embodied; However, this letter was in reference to works which pre-dated the writings of Lord of The Rings." You can google it, as per lore-wise what race he is or place he is from we can just sort of forget it about it given his purpose.
I think maybe Tolkien got bored one day in the middle of his story and wrote a crossover adventure between his new characters and an older one, then thought " yeah, you know, this is good!" and put it in the books. Like a crossover fanfiction made cannon. Because, let's face it, his chapters are kinda out of place and he never shows up again.
Great video dedicated to my favourite character in all of Tolkien's works! I love the theory that claims that he is a spirit of the music of creation, as it is very clear early on in his meeting with the hobbits that he is unlike other creatures of middle earth. My favourite part of Tom's character is how Gandalf says that he will forget about or misplace the ring! He's awesome, in the true meaning of the word
I heard an interesting theory that he is actually Morgoth who is confined to the Old Forest. This explains why the Old Forest is so dark and twisted, and why the Ring of Power had no control of him
That would be impossible for almost every conceivable reason. Morgoth was an evil god associated with violence, jealousy, malice, ice, rock, and iron; completely unlike the nature of Tom Bombadil. Morgoth's also accounted for in Tolkien's myths, being locked behind the door of night in the void, and won't return until the last days of time. Additionally, it's also explained that Tom Bombadil was in the Old Forest in the time of the stars, before the dark lord came from outside, and he witnessed the Elf Migration into the west (presumably the great migration of the Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri).
All of you are missing the point. Tolkien wrote the history of middle earth because he felt Englands real history was lost in time. That never sat well with him so he invented his own world with its own history. It's his insertion of a character with no traceable backstory that mirrors his own reality.
It;s true he didn't, and it's because Tom Bombadil is from another series of Tolkien's stories entirely that he added to LOTR before the LOTR story changed and darkened to an epic struggle instead of a grand adventure. You can tell the first half of the Fellowship feels and reads quite different from the rest of the story, and early on he put a character from some of his poems (that have nothing to do at all with LOTR) into it. It made sense at that time. Later on after he finished The Silmarillion and the LOTR story changed dramatically, instead of removing Tom because he no longer fit he kept him in as an unexplainable enigma.
If you ask me, it’s characters like Tom Bombadil that make good stories great. A character with so much mystery and theories behind him and nothing confirmed as truth, and yet is one of the kindest and humblest creatures in Middle Earth. The fact that we still have videos and theories talking about this character speaks volumes to lasting impact of Tolkien’s genius. Leaving stories and characters open for interpretation make them stand the test of time.
the fact that Tom Bombadil is so mysterious makes him even more enjoyable. sometimes its the unanswered questions that make a character truly enjoyable.
Treebeard was an Ent seeking Entwives. Somewhere I read that Entwives were cultivated trees, such as found in orchards. Tom Bombadil nurtured his world around him, including orchard trees. Perhaps he was a shepherd for Ents and Rntwives...
H Langer I think it is stated somewhere that the Entwives eventually moved North, and they arrived in the Old Forest, and maybe they are found deep inside, waiting for an Exodus of the last Ents to rejoin them again.
I like around the Malvern Hills in the U.K, a place Tolkien would often come to walk. The Green Man as an embodiment of Nature, the forests shepherd , is very prevalent in these parts.
What if Tom is Tulkas? The "spirit of great strength and hardihood that came to the aid of the Valar, hearing in the far heaven that there was battle in the Little Kingdom; and Arda was filled with the sound of his laughter. So came Tulkas the strong, whose anger passes like a mighty wind, scattering cloud and darkness before it; and Melkor fled before his wrath and his laughter, and forsook Arda, and there was peace for a long age. And Tulkas remained and became one of the Valar of the Kingdom of Arda." So Tulkas wasn't originally a Valar, he came during the first war before Arda was fully shaped, so he could have witnessed the first acorn and raindrop and he seems to share the same jolly but powerful demeanor as Tom. Maybe Tulkas, in the form of Tom, was the only Valar who remained in middle Earth, just a thought.
I feel like Tom is the narrator :) Having existed before creation and will seemingly live on well past the end of all things it makes sense that he is recounting the stories of Arda and therefore makes him an avatar of JRR Tolkien himself.
The really cool thing about Tolkien's work is that he went by a rule, for every answer you give you must give two more questions. This is produces things and people like Tom Bombadil who, by being ambiguous make the world feel larger than what was actually created. You feel as though there is an ancient relic or historic site behind every hill or at every path the characters don't explore.
It's what made Tolkien such a special writer. As he said, some things are better kept a mystery as it's made us all come together here to discuss it. I think that was Tolkien's intention to add depth and mystery. Tolkien loved his English countryside and it's people. I think Tom Bombadil was a representation of everything that countryside meant to Tolkien.
I have been convinced by the last theory you mentioned for a while now. What convinced me was the "He is" statement by Goldberry. Other than point to the biblical use of this sentence, it is also very similar to the meaning of Ea (which could be seen as the name for the music as well as the world), since Ea means "the world that is" or otherwise interpreted as "that what is".
I think of Tom as one of the Maia, similar to Melian, or the Balrogs, who chose to invest in Middle Earth. This tied him to the earth and gave him great power, albeit in his small realm. The istari were also maia, warned not to invest themselves (not to confront Sauron directly but rather to inspire and heal). Saruman was an example of a maia who ignores the warning, while Gandalf heeded it. Why I think Gandalf and Tom are similar in kind is how Gandalf refers to both Tom and himself at the end of LOTR. "He is a moss-gatherer and I have been a stone doomed to rolling..." I think this equates them in kind. Remember that Melian was very powerful, capable of shielding her realm from Morgoth's forces, something she chose to do for her love of Elwe. (interestingly Galadriel spent time with Melian, and later similarly shields Lorien). Perhaps he was the first of the Ainur to enter Middle Earth, and this is why he calls himself the eldest. Certainly all of the Ainur predate creation itself. Cheers!
I like the theory one abstraction further. Tom is the physical representation of Eru correcting for Melkor's themes during the Music of the Ainur. This way he would play as a counterweight/mirror to the theory that Ungoliant and the dark things in the depths of the world are the embodiments of Melkor's own themes,which seems to me very fitting. Especially, because we see how Ungoliant is driven by and constantly worrying about an incredibly powerful motivation (endless hunger) and Tom appears the direct opposite, without either worries or a strong drive to do anything but go for a merry stroll and sing.
I haven't read through every comment yet, but another theory that I heard in a course at Marshall (Tolkien in Context) was that calling Tom "first" and "eldest" was a wink and a nod at his character preceding the writing of LotR. The poem in which Tom initially appears dates back to 1934, with The Hobbit not coming along until three years later. In that sense, Tom existed before the first published iteration of Middle Earth (though of course Middle Earth existed in Tolkien's mind and notes well before this, even if in a more fluid state), and as such he is not beholden to the laws that govern Middle Earth. Calling him "Master" can be taken at face value in LotR with the way he handles Old Man Willow and the barrow-wight, but it is just as likely an homage to his dominion over the forest animals in the poem and in his capture of Goldberry in one of the later stanzas (yeah, he did sort of snare her in a creepy, kidnappy way). Odds are that Tolkien simply liked the character of Tom that he had written for his poem around the same time he was working on developing his later stories of Middle Earth, and as Tom was a character of nature and had close interactions with forest critters, it makes sense that Tolkien would use him to interact with our humble, earthy hobbits to inject some intrigue and wonder into the story at a point where the hobbits are leaving their familiar environs for the mysteries of the big world around them. How apropos for Tom to usher them into this big, outside world, as he too is an outsider and a mystery.
Yes, I love the books, enjoyed the films however really missed Tom's character in them. So much was not right nor included in the films. Still mildly entertaining to the point of quiet meditation while having it on in the background.
He was Aulë. Many of the things he did and said were indeed in complete synchronization with the great Aulë. Explaining why the 'one ring' had no power over Tom. After-all Sauron was Toms servant. Goldberry was Yavanna, read the description of Yavanna and the description of Goldberry... you will see.
from 'battlelores's' ''a touch of green and gold'' ... in the ancient woodland, live the oldest man, with a huge smile on his face, for joy and peace he stands
Pity that you left a lot of information out. Really should've included the information from letter 144, where Tolkien explained why Bombadil could resist the Ring and what he represented.
Found a link with all (or at least the most important) the parts of the Letters about Bombadil. Easier than to just write everything down. www.csun.edu/~dar04956/literature/lordoftherings/tolkien_tom_bombadil.pdf
Spot on, I was wondering why he left it out. Tolkien explicitly stated that on a symbolic level Tom represents pacifism and science for its own sake. You can also glean this from what he tells the hobbits when it is raining.
Great video!!! Really got me thinking!...I have read LOTR, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion many times and my perception of it changes and develops every time !...I think this is the magic of Tolkien, absolute genius. On the topic of Bombadil I would agree with the last theory...I think he was an extension of the first song of Eru Ílvutar that was never meant to be made and was overlooked dwelling in Beleriand but never taking shape as a human form until after the ruin of Melkor/Morgoth
I like the theory that he's middle earth's physical manifestation of Tolkein, since he's been described as most powerful in his own domain and added to the books so that tolkein could sing more to his children in reading stories
Ooh, I'd second Glorfindel! He's always been really interesting to me since I read The Silmarillion. (Unless you've already done a video on him: I just discovered this channel recently.)
Very interesting. I have read the Silmarilion 3 times in my life, and I have always held that Old Tom and Goldberry were maybe Ormè and Vána in suitably down sized form, and having taken retirement from the world at large in surroundings more suited to their element. However, it's good that we shall ever know for sure, as all the best stories contain enough mystery to keep the tale alive in oir hearts and minds
Tom always seemed to me to just be a personification of the Forest and the earth itself. Does it need to be more complicated than that? I mean who else could marry the daughter of a river? He's not even really a guardian like the Ents, he's just literally the forest personified. He's so ancient he's kind of emotionally removed from the struggles of society, and goes about his merry way despite his great power and control over his realm.
I prefer to think that Tom is not like any other class of being described in the series. He just IS, singular and without direct comparison. A being who, when a list is made of all the types of things that exist is made, Tom is listed as his own category.
I think of some of the characters as allegory for reference. If the Hobbits were young, then Tom was like a retired grandparent. He wise, old, and unfazed by the day to day matters that would be terrifying to young people.
I have always thought of Tom Bombadil as being the compliment of Melkor's discord in the creation song. In the Silmarilion Illuvatar doesn't just end Melkor's song but instead weaves it in and then when it is brought to an end by Illuvatar's final note that note doesn't just end his own song but also Melkor's song. So the power of that one note brought into creation Arda (as was orginally intended by the first creation song), then the discord (as was intended by Melkor's song), and then the patching up (which was created by Illuvator's weaving of Melkor's song). So the power of that one note created also Tom Bombadil, who is the embodiment of the discord only being weaved with the kindness of Illuvatar and Ungoliont who is the craving desire of power from the discord of Melkor. That's just my theory though. No evidence to actually back it up. (Also forgive me for bad spelling. These names are hard)
He is a part of the soul of Eru Eluvitar, not an avatar but actually a part of his soul, that is why he sings and that is why he has power over everything. Eru Eluvitar could not leave the dimension of his existence so he split a part of his soul to overlook the world here.
I think that Tom is....an Avatar of JRR Tolkien himself, that’s what i thought 25 years ago when i first read it. He guided the hobbits, and put them back on the right path. As the narrator or story teller, he puts us back on path , while at the same time reminding us that his true passion was for his wife in real life...who is (Edith/Goldberry) and the way things used to be before the war. ..simpler times. His best friend was Christopher Wiseman or Treebeard which he met before Edith/ Golderry. His first and best friend in that part of his life. Two similar souls that walked through “middle earth” young men dreaming of what’s to become. . JRR missed his friend deeply, and I recall in the books that Tom just wanted to see his oldest of friends again and just talk. To be part of the young world , when things were green again. He met Edith who was orphaned similar to JRR who lost his dad. They met at lodging. Edith was very talented musically, and JRR being tone deaf, was taught to "sing" and enjoy music, to create in order to move past evils of the world. . Note you mention Tom...was fatherless, another clue I believe, as he lost his Dad at a young age. Also JRR had met Edith at his lodging as a teenager. Or at the water hole gathering lilies , his interpretation of meeting Edith. I also think that the WIllow was the trap of letting go of hope , becoming old and evil, and forgetting how to sing. This represents are part of JRR’s inner self. OMW reps JRR's inner anger, and JRR reminding us by singing..(singing is creating) to let go of the evil of the past and move forward on the journey. The Great War put he and his friends who had the world at their feet, into a hell none of them wanted or cared about...and the land devastation was always a sadness to him. There are letters of him describing bare burnt out fields of stumps to Edith. Being timeless character that he is ..Tom (or JRR) , he agrees to share this world with you, the real world and the one he created, but remains an enigma because he was private as well. JRR Tolkien the man, not the professor or language specialist was never really publicly revealed. And rightly …he doesn’t need to reveal his essence, because it is not relevant to the narrative, it’s private as his own thoughts are private. He gives us subtle hints on the surface but prefers to remain private. Just like Tom . He is impartial, and in creating narrative, he lightly befriends the good creatures of his world, but not getting too close. I am speculating that When he lost his Oxford mates he distanced himself in the war, never becoming best friends with his army mates, because that would create vulnerability to be hurt all over again. He only wrote his wife to discuss personal thoughts. So as JRR the soldier - by going into Middle Earth to escape the realities of WWI -he was an enigma to the other soldiers. But...using his knowledge of Morse Code, and light signals etc., is role in the war was to be the communication medium that relayed information back and forth. And obviously the information was never about him. The only true communicating that he did was with his wife, and earlier on with his Oxford best friend. (GoldB and TreeB) The war could go on without him - which it did when he went ill…he could tell you the good people won, but the ring of power, or owning Europe was never his cause. My theory anyway. What do you think?
May I suggest looking into the Halo series lore. Most just write it off as a standard fps but if you look it's much deeper than that. It's fill with characters places and things that really bring it to life in away the games can't express.
Thank you for making these videos! I love all the cool pictures, and the pace suits me. As someone who was excited when I read The Hobbit as a child, and was enamored by the Trilogy films, and now playing The Lord of the Rings Online quite a lot, I can't wait to learn more about Middle Earth ! My theory is that Tom was some lesser form of a Maiar, and being so odd, Sauron's design of The One Ring's powers somehow missed him. Or Perhaps he is from the Realm where the souls of men go when they die, or a realm between worlds.
All these ideas are great and valid, but for me the most obvious answer is that Tom is simply the personification of Nature. He is clearly based on such British characters as "Jack in the Green" or the "Green Man" both of which are broad, all-encompassing nature-spirits. Not to mention that on one dimension Lord of the Rings is the battle between the mechanical, the industrial and the corrupted man-made world (Morgoth, Sauron etc) and the natural, pure, divine, spiritual world (the Elves, the Valar, Tom). The metaphor arises from Tolkien's love of nature, the forests and mountains and so on, and his contempt for that which would seek to destroy it, i.e industry, mechanisation, urbanisation. He was born and grew up at a time when the effects of the industrial revolution in Britain were in full swing, so it would make sense that in his great legendarium he would look to personify the ancient, natural aspect he wanted preserved both in reality and in his fantasy.
I remember reading once that Tom might actually be the part of Melkor which "wondered in the void." The "goodness" He lost there. kinda a cool idea. the reason Melkor rebelled and became evil was because the void had sucked that part out of him
Tom Sorry if I get names wrong … Ilivata sent the eternal flame into Arda when it was created after the song. This eternal flame was a sliver of ilivata him self and can manifest into a being with a personality. This flame (power) was before by the valar and not a miair. He is the power of Arda and Ilivata. He is the most powerful thing in/on arda so he cannot be swayed by other powers as he is as big as Arda but only a fraction of ilivata. He knows the complete song and the complete story as IIivata knows, even the Valar do not know it as it was taken away before it was finished. Nothing or no one can sway Tom, not even the Valar except Ilivata himself. He is Arda that can manifest into a form with a personality, care free as nothing can affect him. Tom vs Melkor, Valar has no power over him and he cares not of the Valar. Tom is the house and cares not who lives in it. What I find interesting when the Valar gave up rule of Arda when it was remade, did Ilivata came down or did Tom just do his thing. Tom is Ilivata manifest on earth. Another thing that is interesting the Valar were bound to Arda and their power has a relationship with Arda (Tom) Why did Gandalf see Tom before he went west, to hear what would happen going forward as Tom knows the complete song and the complete history.
I like the idea that Tom is actually a self insert of Tolkien himself. One that could change the world if he wanted to, but obviously doesn’t want to since it’s his story. He would rather sit back and watch.
One of the odder ones I recall reading is that Tom Bombadil is the physical embodiment of the reader. The ring has no power over him, as the ring is fictional. He has no power over the ring as that would require rewriting the story. He is oldest, there before the first acorn, and the first raindrop were created in the mind of the reader. He was there before the dark lord came from the outside...of the reader's imagination. Then again, I also recall some note that Tom was inspired by a toy that Tolkien's children initially hated and kept trying to get rid of...until he created a name and backstory for it, making Tom Bombadil one of Tolkien's earliest literary creations.
Based on what we Know and what Tolkien has said it sounds like he was written to be a enigma for readers to ponder and show that middle earth had mysteries that may never be revealed to anyone. It's also possible that Tom Bombadil might not know what he is or when he was born because for example if a child isn't told who their parents are or how old they are they usually have no way of answering those questions and some others that would require knowledge of events prior to and immediately after their birth. Also Tolkien didn't leave too many plot holes in his work so it's safe to assume he had reasons for not telling us every detail about Tom Bombadil. Another reason why he didn't talk too much about Tom Bombadil is because he wasn't the main focus of the story and though he was interesting going into too much detail might hurt the story.
Yep, points three and four combined work for me. Tolkein didn't necessarily need a precise backstory for every character, as his world was created from the mysterious. It is entirely possible that he imagined Bombadil to be a remainder of the creation process, incarnate in human-like form. In a way that Neo, of the Matrix, is described as being a remainder of an unbalanced equation, Bombadil could be some "stuff"; some "energy" left over, which Eru manifested in Human form to be sentient and an ever present warden of the nature of the Earth. He could indeed be the sentience of the spirit and power of song its self. Amongst all other things, Tolkein emphasised the power of song and of words, and it's not far fetched to suggest that Bombadil was born of that power and is tied to the Earth by it, in much the same way as the Elves are tied to their immortality. I don't think he is Maiar; he's more. As said, Maiar fear/crave the power of the Ring; Bombadil does not. Something like that at least. I don't think he was ever intended to be central to the World, but instead a mystery which accents all the other mysteries, lost to the world now the Eldar have gone. The picture at 2.21 sums it up perfectly; a being, lost to time and the ages, in the deep forest, whom you yourself may someday encounter.
hey dood i love the hell out a your narrations second best voice to morgan freeman. ive watched your vids like 1000 times mainly because they are calm and help me sleep so they run on repeat lol kinda like a bed time story but more informative and awesome. maybe you should do a narration channel on top of this and you should start with the a thousand years of dreams from lost odyssey.
I love this story so much! Theres so much forethought put into this damn story!!! Also Tom bombader May not be effected by the ring because he doesn’t desire power.
Council of Elrond only examined two options: Give the ring to Tom or cast it into mount doom.
Enough said
It also considered sending it west to valinor and sinking it into the ocean and even briefly finding a dragon.
@@chazk7530 hahaha true. I've forgotten about these:D
Tom Bombadil is the GM of the server.
haha yep!
@x33mmm Game Master. It a role-playing term.
Tom Bombadil is a wonderful character, both mysterious and enigmatic, but I can completely understand why he tends to get cut out of most adaptations. His section of the story, interesting as it is, does nothing to advance the plot.
Besides saving all of the questing Hobbits lives, you mean? lol He wasn't very instrumental at all in moving the plot along, he said sarcastically.
Saving them from a danger involved in that section of the book. You can remove that entire section and nothing has changed. Tom Bombadil's section of the book doesn't have any lasting impact outside of it's own pages. 'Not advancing the plot' was exactly the reason given by the production crew for the movie's cutting of the Bombadil sequence. So, yeah, I'm entirely correct.
The dagger found in the tomb is used to kill the witchking
You can remove that entire section and nothing has changed, he said carcastically
:P
I don't remember that, but then it has been years since I last read the books. Isn't it Eowyn who kills the Witchking though, so that the dagger is only used to wound him?
Regardless, the point still stands. You clearly can still remove that entire section and nothing has changed, as that's exactly what both the animated movie and the motion pictures did.
The dagger breaks the spell. Without the dagger, Eowyn could not hurt him.
The movie leaves a plothole (not good) or makes you assume the witchking can only be hurt by women. Which is absurd.
Tom advanced the plot whether he is in the movie or not.
Is tom not considered a living thing? Because Gandalf states that treebeard is the oldest living thing. But he also says that tom came before the trees.
Will He is probably refering to the main races of Arda then. As Treebeard obviously isn't older than the Valar or the Maiar, Gandalf himself should be older than him.
Strictly speaking, Gandalf is not a "living thing."
As a Maia, he is incorporeal, existing outside of physical space and linear time. The physical body of "Gandalf" is a cloak that he put on in order to come to Middle Earth and be able to interact with its peoples from a framework that they could understand. Even the old Gaffer Gamgee knows an old man when he sees one, but how would anyone less wise than Galadriel or Cirdan deal with an incorporeal being.
H. Paul Honsinger great point. "living" in this context means "capable of a natural life" which is a birth, age, then death. Tom is permanently who he is, and doesn't appear to get older or younger. Tree beard would most definitely started as a sapling, so he is living. Gandalf is alive, but only as alive as a god or angel that appears in human form. Lifelike, but not truly a natural living being.
GANDALF-TRON!
+WeDaWest Q The Istari are Maiar that was sent to Middle Earth to counter Sauron's influence by the Valar. There are five Istari, but many Maiar.
"existing outside of physical space and linear time" How are the Maia outside of linear time exactly? They are obviously not.
I would not discredit "living thing" either, it just depends on how we view it. They were created by Eru, they are "alive" and they can in theory cease to exist (or be killed).
you deserve a like just for explaining Tom Bombadil in less than 9 minutes.Some fan theories even say that he is the Eru Iluvatar himself on arda
Sinan Alp Akyol i agree
sadly,since the author is dead we can't....
Yes, this is a key theory that the guy did not mention in the video. I have always thought this myself, and have thought that the elves' conception of him was not entirely correct, i.e. I think that if Sauron's hordes of orcs descended on his patch of woods he could probably ash every last one of them, and if he didn't it would have been by choice. For me Tom is an avatar of Eru Iluvatar himself.
Wait did we not watch the same video? He delved into that Eru Iluvatar theory first. He said that Tolkien specifically disproved in a letter. It starts at 5:13
I liked the video before i watch,i also made this comment halfway through the video
ayyyyy lmao
Tom Bombadil LIAR ur not tom
arsh bhullar No shit, Sherlock! I'm actually Batman!
Tom Bombadil tom bombadil nor batman would ever say that
So Tom Bombadil is Batman in disguise?!?
I knew it!!
+Jackal head Ridiculous! Tom Bombadil exists in the Tolkien universe - not that of DC comics.
"Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn [...] he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside" Only one being in the Tolkien Universe could have remembered the time before Morgoth - which is before the beginning of time itself. My bet is that Tolkien wanted to develop his story further but somehow abandoned the idea.
Or he could be Tolkien himself :)
As interesting as that is I sincerely doubt that was his intention. Tolkien stated in a letter he considered Faramir to share the most characteristics with himself, some of which was intentional.
hellblazersharif I've always thought that, too.
hellblazersharif didn't tolkein say he and his wife were beren and luthien?
That is how he idealized their romance and inscribed their tombstones, good of you to mention that as well. I was speaking specifically to characters from the Lord of the Rings.
maybe
I think Tolkein created this character to set everyone's imagination going, I really believe he doesn't know himself who Tom really is. some things better not explained.
Chris Wilson - exactly!
this guy has always been one of the most interesting characters to me
Thank you for referencing the creepiest, most enigmatic thing ever written in TLotR, when Gandalf the White comes back and says "Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he." Think about that for a while.
theres also a theory that Tom is an embodiment of the read because you cant affect the ring but also can't affect you and that technically the world does not exist to you until you read it making you the first being there (this is especially so if you read sillmerillion first because you would have been there before the stated events)
Not really a valid theory, since Tolkien said in his letters that Tom represented a natural pacifist view. He used Tom to explain something about the Ring itself: it needs a mindset that longs for power, and Bombadil denounced all forms of control, and doesn't want power.
MasterBombadillo I was just mentioning not saying it has any validity
Ah, my bad then.
MasterBombadillo no I understand the confusion
To much tin foil hats my friend. But I cant disagree with so long as the truth isnt there.
I've always thought that Tom was a personification of nature itself.Tolkien loved nature from an early age,& after his experience in WW1 he hated technology.Part of what LOTR's was about, was the technology of Sauron's ring and Saruman's grinding industry vs the Elves who are in balance with nature and the hobbits who represent an old,rose tinted view of rural Britain.When Tom plays with the ring and refers to it as a trinket , its a metaphor for the power of nature over the transient nature of technology and sentient life.When these civilisations and their machines of destruction are dust, nature (Tom)will still be there.
Haha! You said it first and said it better.Just wrote the same general thought then saw your comment....
Great minds think alike.Although im sure there are some real hardcore LOTR's fans out there who are baying for blood for just suggesting this simplistic theory.Ha ha.
Brian Wilson very true
Tom is one of my favorite characters in Tolkien's universe just the general powerful whimsiness and mystery about him makes him really cool.
I'm a big fan of him being the embodiment of the creation song especially when I reread his part after reading the Silmarilian. It also fits with his title as "the eldest" when you consider the elves are consider the "elder". He is the oldest child of Illuvitar on Arda
Bro tom is illuvitar
Great video, Tom has always been one of my favorite characters in Middle Earth. Very well done summation of his place in the books and the prevailing theories about his nature. I've always been partial to the idea that he was an embodiment of the Song. It just feels right to me given everything we see in him. Please keep up the good work, these videos are very enjoyable.
Good call, my Noldor! It's like Tom is the avatar of the Song that is sung behind-the-scenes by Iluvatar and the Ainur that breathes life and reality into Arda. His works are essential yet unknowable. Also, given that he was created before LOTR, i feel that he could represent the source of Tolkien's inspirations that would lead to him creating his majestic legendarium. Tolkien for life, elf-hos!
I love Tom in the battle for middle earth 2 game, just runs around singing and wrecking everything he comes into contact with
Tom Bombadil is clearly based of the Finnish elder being Väinämöinen, who is both the first being, as well as the elder bard who aids other heroes of the Kalavela (the Finnish national epic that heavily inspired Tolkien) on their quest. In fact the other miar like Gandalf look similar to how Väinämöinen is depicted in the Kalavela and part of the name of Eru Iluvitar is based of the old Finnish word for the divine ones Jumaltar. most people who read Tolkien's work know little of us finns and our culture and falsely contribute Tolkein's influences as, only either English, or Norse mythology. I know that you most likely were only mentioning the origins of Tom Bombadil within universe but when you have an understanding of the outside origins of a character like Tom then his origin and place in the story will speak for itself.
To be fair one can find plenty of wise old guys in almost any mythology, including Norse, English, and apparently Finnish. I've never heard of this Väinämöinen guy before but after looking him up he does seem to fit being a god of songs. However, the I think most interesting thing about Bombadil is that he does not play a central role, unlike Väinämöinen. He helps out the heroes a couple times but for a being of immense power he doesn't do much. He's content with sitting in his forest and uninterested in what is happening anywhere else. So, while I am not an expert on Väinämöinen, I don't know if knowing Väinämöinen explains Bombadil.
I've heard that Tolkien based the Elvish languages on Welsh and Finnish.
oh my yes, it is so so clear.....isn't everyone familiar with finnish mythology? it is just so clear ...........please poindexter, your coming across as smug, park your tolkien nerd-lore at the door. i'm sure it is interesting but you put me off in the way you presented yourself ....professor.
wow. I'm not sure how I came across as smug for relaying little known information but since you seem to have the uncanny ability to read condescension in an TH-cam comment I will clarify here. I didn't say that the video was bad or insult the creator of the video in any way, I just assumed he was talking from an in universe perspective and for all I know hes well aware of Tolkien's lesser know but no less important influences. The word clearly in my previous comment is referring to my self as in it is clear to me. Thanks for presuming my tone, insulting me and telling me to park my "nerd lore" at the door before commenting on a LOTR lore video.
I totally agree, don't mind that kind of person. Your point of view is, as a matter of fact, really interesting and founded. As you said, I don't know a thing of Finn culture, but I knew Tolkien's legendarium was inspired by it. Anyway, thanks for your contribution friend!
Very nice summary. For myself, I didn't much care for the Bombadil story arc when I first read LOTR (I was young and hasty don't you know), but having read it several more times since, I can say that old Tom has grown on me more and more with each pass through. For me, he is not a Maya, nor even a Vala, but rather a splinter of the very spirit of Arda, a living embodiment of "nature" itself. As is Goldberry. She of a "female" aspect, he of a "male".
One of my favorite memories of Tom is actually something that is small and fleeting, with little importance to the matter of the Ring: when he finds the blue brooch in the Barrow Wight's treasure, and he actually stops and remembers what must have been a very special lady on Middle-Earth (though her identity is never revealed), in honor. I find it somehow touching, given all he must have seen since the dawn of time, and how "flighty" his thoughts are, for him to still remember a long-departed single female with such emotion and honor based on a brooch she wore.
This is the best thing that JRR left us with; the interest and ability to delve into his world, and re-appear with more questions than answers....
Tom is like the ungoalit spider. both are as old as the world. light and dark. primordial gods.
I like your way of interpretation
Simon Jorge thanks man. it makes the most sense to me. the thing about the song theroy. is all great magic is done by song. magic is how he interacts with the world and shapes it. so it makes sense he loves to sing.
Maybe Lurbuk the Orc who "LoOoOVES TO SIIIIING!!! WHAT ABOUT YOU FRIEND?" is Bom Tombadil.
Alan Hillard He loves to sing because he is the record of the songs. I mean, if I bust out an awesome song right now on my guitar, and no one can hear it but me, and only the once, what is the point?
Music requires a record or it never existed. That record could be echoes of the original. it could be note for note written down. it could also be embodied in a repository that remembers all the songs.
That's my theory. The music must still be there, or everything would crumble (like elvish sleep spells that only last as long as the song is sung) So you would need a single lynch pin outside of time that remembers the songs to keep them alive.
Well, your answer amazes me. I understand why Tom is such ambiguous topic
"In The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Tolkien describes Goldberry as the seasonal changes in nature, and Tom Bombadil as the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside, meaning that Tom is the countryside existing in Time, alive and embodied; However, this letter was in reference to works which pre-dated the writings of Lord of The Rings." You can google it, as per lore-wise what race he is or place he is from we can just sort of forget it about it given his purpose.
I think maybe Tolkien got bored one day in the middle of his story and wrote a crossover adventure between his new characters and an older one, then thought " yeah, you know, this is good!" and put it in the books. Like a crossover fanfiction made cannon.
Because, let's face it, his chapters are kinda out of place and he never shows up again.
Tom always was my favourite character from the book. I really liked him, sad that there isn't more lore
Tom's just a hippie man
In Bored of the Ring's he actually is ;)
He is the Yoda of the Tolkien universe
Maybe its Maybelline.
ClandestineOstrich What else is Goldberry supposed to use? Mud? :D
TheHackingBurger In my opinion, Goldberry is too pretty to need any kind of makeup
Great video dedicated to my favourite character in all of Tolkien's works!
I love the theory that claims that he is a spirit of the music of creation, as it is very clear early on in his meeting with the hobbits that he is unlike other creatures of middle earth.
My favourite part of Tom's character is how Gandalf says that he will forget about or misplace the ring! He's awesome, in the true meaning of the word
I heard an interesting theory that he is actually Morgoth who is confined to the Old Forest. This explains why the Old Forest is so dark and twisted, and why the Ring of Power had no control of him
That would be impossible for almost every conceivable reason. Morgoth was an evil god associated with violence, jealousy, malice, ice, rock, and iron; completely unlike the nature of Tom Bombadil. Morgoth's also accounted for in Tolkien's myths, being locked behind the door of night in the void, and won't return until the last days of time. Additionally, it's also explained that Tom Bombadil was in the Old Forest in the time of the stars, before the dark lord came from outside, and he witnessed the Elf Migration into the west (presumably the great migration of the Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri).
i think Tolkien is just trolling us,and never rely had an explanation
I think your answer is the closest to the truth my friend
All of you are missing the point. Tolkien wrote the history of middle earth because he felt Englands real history was lost in time. That never sat well with him so he invented his own world with its own history. It's his insertion of a character with no traceable backstory that mirrors his own reality.
I think Bombadil is the last remaining Entwife.
lol
It;s true he didn't, and it's because Tom Bombadil is from another series of Tolkien's stories entirely that he added to LOTR before the LOTR story changed and darkened to an epic struggle instead of a grand adventure. You can tell the first half of the Fellowship feels and reads quite different from the rest of the story, and early on he put a character from some of his poems (that have nothing to do at all with LOTR) into it. It made sense at that time.
Later on after he finished The Silmarillion and the LOTR story changed dramatically, instead of removing Tom because he no longer fit he kept him in as an unexplainable enigma.
If you ask me, it’s characters like Tom Bombadil that make good stories great. A character with so much mystery and theories behind him and nothing confirmed as truth, and yet is one of the kindest and humblest creatures in Middle Earth. The fact that we still have videos and theories talking about this character speaks volumes to lasting impact of Tolkien’s genius. Leaving stories and characters open for interpretation make them stand the test of time.
the fact that Tom Bombadil is so mysterious makes him even more enjoyable. sometimes its the unanswered questions that make a character truly enjoyable.
I love this guy's character. He's well written & Avery cool person.
TONIGHT AT MADISON SQUARE - Tom “Tombady Bombady” Bombadil and the Bombadil Boys
Treebeard was an Ent seeking Entwives. Somewhere I read that Entwives were cultivated trees, such as found in orchards. Tom Bombadil nurtured his world around him, including orchard trees. Perhaps he was a shepherd for Ents and Rntwives...
H Langer I think it is stated somewhere that the Entwives eventually moved North, and they arrived in the Old Forest, and maybe they are found deep inside, waiting for an Exodus of the last Ents to rejoin them again.
I always thought of Tom as a Middle Earth version of the Green Man. sort of a protector of nature and guide for keeping nature on its proper course.
Todd Jackson What is nature but a song? All the mountains, rivers, trees, etc... were all SUNG into being.
EsJay W. Pair'A'Deez That is so true. The older I get the more connections I see and layers of understanding I learn.
I like around the Malvern Hills in the U.K, a place Tolkien would often come to walk. The Green Man as an embodiment of Nature, the forests shepherd , is very prevalent in these parts.
What if Tom is Tulkas? The "spirit of great strength and hardihood that came to the aid of the Valar, hearing in the far heaven that there was battle in the Little Kingdom; and Arda was filled with the sound of his laughter. So came Tulkas the strong, whose anger passes like a mighty wind, scattering cloud and darkness before it; and Melkor fled before his wrath and his laughter, and forsook Arda, and there was peace for a long age. And Tulkas remained and became one of the Valar of the Kingdom of Arda." So Tulkas wasn't originally a Valar, he came during the first war before Arda was fully shaped, so he could have witnessed the first acorn and raindrop and he seems to share the same jolly but powerful demeanor as Tom. Maybe Tulkas, in the form of Tom, was the only Valar who remained in middle Earth, just a thought.
I feel like Tom is the narrator :) Having existed before creation and will seemingly live on well past the end of all things it makes sense that he is recounting the stories of Arda and therefore makes him an avatar of JRR Tolkien himself.
The really cool thing about Tolkien's work is that he went by a rule, for every answer you give you must give two more questions. This is produces things and people like Tom Bombadil who, by being ambiguous make the world feel larger than what was actually created. You feel as though there is an ancient relic or historic site behind every hill or at every path the characters don't explore.
Finally a series on these stories based on the facts (as much as we know of them) and realistic surmise. Good work!
It's what made Tolkien such a special writer. As he said, some things are better kept a mystery as it's made us all come together here to discuss it. I think that was Tolkien's intention to add depth and mystery. Tolkien loved his English countryside and it's people. I think Tom Bombadil was a representation of everything that countryside meant to Tolkien.
I have been convinced by the last theory you mentioned for a while now. What convinced me was the "He is" statement by Goldberry. Other than point to the biblical use of this sentence, it is also very similar to the meaning of Ea (which could be seen as the name for the music as well as the world), since Ea means "the world that is" or otherwise interpreted as "that what is".
...And Goldberry is Waiting!!
I always liked the way Goldberry held out a candle to scare away the RingWraiths
To me Tom represents that aspect that needs no explanation but can only be experienced.
Sam has the best saving throws.
I think of Tom as one of the Maia, similar to Melian, or the Balrogs, who chose to invest in Middle Earth. This tied him to the earth and gave him great power, albeit in his small realm. The istari were also maia, warned not to invest themselves (not to confront Sauron directly but rather to inspire and heal). Saruman was an example of a maia who ignores the warning, while Gandalf heeded it. Why I think Gandalf and Tom are similar in kind is how Gandalf refers to both Tom and himself at the end of LOTR. "He is a moss-gatherer and I have been a stone doomed to rolling..." I think this equates them in kind. Remember that Melian was very powerful, capable of shielding her realm from Morgoth's forces, something she chose to do for her love of Elwe. (interestingly Galadriel spent time with Melian, and later similarly shields Lorien). Perhaps he was the first of the Ainur to enter Middle Earth, and this is why he calls himself the eldest. Certainly all of the Ainur predate creation itself. Cheers!
You deserve more subs my friend.
I like the theory one abstraction further. Tom is the physical representation of Eru correcting for Melkor's themes during the Music of the Ainur. This way he would play as a counterweight/mirror to the theory that Ungoliant and the dark things in the depths of the world are the embodiments of Melkor's own themes,which seems to me very fitting. Especially, because we see how Ungoliant is driven by and constantly worrying about an incredibly powerful motivation (endless hunger) and Tom appears the direct opposite, without either worries or a strong drive to do anything but go for a merry stroll and sing.
I haven't read through every comment yet, but another theory that I heard in a course at Marshall (Tolkien in Context) was that calling Tom "first" and "eldest" was a wink and a nod at his character preceding the writing of LotR. The poem in which Tom initially appears dates back to 1934, with The Hobbit not coming along until three years later. In that sense, Tom existed before the first published iteration of Middle Earth (though of course Middle Earth existed in Tolkien's mind and notes well before this, even if in a more fluid state), and as such he is not beholden to the laws that govern Middle Earth. Calling him "Master" can be taken at face value in LotR with the way he handles Old Man Willow and the barrow-wight, but it is just as likely an homage to his dominion over the forest animals in the poem and in his capture of Goldberry in one of the later stanzas (yeah, he did sort of snare her in a creepy, kidnappy way).
Odds are that Tolkien simply liked the character of Tom that he had written for his poem around the same time he was working on developing his later stories of Middle Earth, and as Tom was a character of nature and had close interactions with forest critters, it makes sense that Tolkien would use him to interact with our humble, earthy hobbits to inject some intrigue and wonder into the story at a point where the hobbits are leaving their familiar environs for the mysteries of the big world around them. How apropos for Tom to usher them into this big, outside world, as he too is an outsider and a mystery.
Yes, I love the books, enjoyed the films however really missed Tom's character in them. So much was not right nor included in the films. Still mildly entertaining to the point of quiet meditation while having it on in the background.
He was Aulë. Many of the things he did and said were indeed in complete synchronization with the great Aulë. Explaining why the 'one ring' had no power over Tom. After-all Sauron was Toms servant. Goldberry was Yavanna, read the description of Yavanna and the description of Goldberry... you will see.
from 'battlelores's' ''a touch of green and gold'' ... in the ancient woodland, live the oldest man, with a huge smile on his face, for joy and peace he stands
Pity that you left a lot of information out. Really should've included the information from letter 144, where Tolkien explained why Bombadil could resist the Ring and what he represented.
can you write it or give it a link to this? I would REALLY appreciate it!!
Found a link with all (or at least the most important) the parts of the Letters about Bombadil. Easier than to just write everything down.
www.csun.edu/~dar04956/literature/lordoftherings/tolkien_tom_bombadil.pdf
Oh, Thank you a lot ! Lets get into it! Good day to you!
Spot on, I was wondering why he left it out. Tolkien explicitly stated that on a symbolic level Tom represents pacifism and science for its own sake. You can also glean this from what he tells the hobbits when it is raining.
Can someone give me the TL;DR version?
Great video!!! Really got me thinking!...I have read LOTR, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion many times and my perception of it changes and develops every time !...I think this is the magic of Tolkien, absolute genius. On the topic of Bombadil I would agree with the last theory...I think he was an extension of the first song of Eru Ílvutar that was never meant to be made and was overlooked dwelling in Beleriand but never taking shape as a human form until after the ruin of Melkor/Morgoth
I've waited so long for this :) Thanks for the upload!
I like the theory that he's middle earth's physical manifestation of Tolkein, since he's been described as most powerful in his own domain and added to the books so that tolkein could sing more to his children in reading stories
I like the more abstract ideas. I always saw him as a representation of the earth, myself.
Excellent Video! Would love a video on Glorfindel, and Legolas!
Ooh, I'd second Glorfindel! He's always been really interesting to me since I read The Silmarillion. (Unless you've already done a video on him: I just discovered this channel recently.)
One of the most random things in the books, right there with the whole coming back home chapters.
Indeed, Bombadil is an enigma; by the way, grats on 40k subs!
He is pretty much life before life a immortal joy that just wishes to watch the world grow and change
I recently found out about your channel and subbed. I watched all your Middle-Earth videos, they are great!
Very interesting.
I have read the Silmarilion 3 times in my life, and I have always held that Old Tom and Goldberry were maybe Ormè and Vána in suitably down sized form, and having taken retirement from the world at large in surroundings more suited to their element. However, it's good that we shall ever know for sure, as all the best stories contain enough mystery to keep the tale alive in oir hearts and minds
Tom always seemed to me to just be a personification of the Forest and the earth itself. Does it need to be more complicated than that? I mean who else could marry the daughter of a river? He's not even really a guardian like the Ents, he's just literally the forest personified. He's so ancient he's kind of emotionally removed from the struggles of society, and goes about his merry way despite his great power and control over his realm.
really enjoy the series on these. This one... I one i really wanted to hear about. Thanks.
I've always thought of Tom as being an avatar of Tolkien himself.
I prefer to think that Tom is not like any other class of being described in the series. He just IS, singular and without direct comparison. A being who, when a list is made of all the types of things that exist is made, Tom is listed as his own category.
I think of some of the characters as allegory for reference. If the Hobbits were young, then Tom was like a retired grandparent. He wise, old, and unfazed by the day to day matters that would be terrifying to young people.
From the Dawn of time itself Tom Bobadil was forever cursed to be the one left on the cutting room floor for any movie version X3
I have always thought of Tom Bombadil as being the compliment of Melkor's discord in the creation song. In the Silmarilion Illuvatar doesn't just end Melkor's song but instead weaves it in and then when it is brought to an end by Illuvatar's final note that note doesn't just end his own song but also Melkor's song. So the power of that one note brought into creation Arda (as was orginally intended by the first creation song), then the discord (as was intended by Melkor's song), and then the patching up (which was created by Illuvator's weaving of Melkor's song). So the power of that one note created also Tom Bombadil, who is the embodiment of the discord only being weaved with the kindness of Illuvatar and Ungoliont who is the craving desire of power from the discord of Melkor. That's just my theory though. No evidence to actually back it up. (Also forgive me for bad spelling. These names are hard)
I always find it amusing that none of the theories about Tom assume that he was lying.
He is a part of the soul of Eru Eluvitar, not an avatar but actually a part of his soul, that is why he sings and that is why he has power over everything. Eru Eluvitar could not leave the dimension of his existence so he split a part of his soul to overlook the world here.
I think that Tom is....an Avatar of JRR Tolkien himself, that’s what i thought 25
years ago when i first read it.
He guided the hobbits,
and put them back on the right path. As the narrator or story teller, he puts
us back on path , while at the same time reminding us that his true passion was
for his wife in real life...who is (Edith/Goldberry) and the way things used to
be before the war. ..simpler times.
His best friend was Christopher Wiseman or Treebeard which he met before Edith/ Golderry. His first
and best friend in that part of his life. Two similar souls that walked through “middle
earth” young men dreaming of what’s to become. .
JRR missed his friend deeply, and I recall in the books that Tom
just wanted to see his oldest of friends again and just talk. To be part
of the young world , when things were green again.
He met Edith who was orphaned similar to JRR who lost his dad. They met at lodging. Edith was very talented musically, and JRR being tone deaf, was taught to "sing" and enjoy music, to create
in order to move past evils of the world. . Note you mention Tom...was fatherless,
another clue I believe, as he lost his Dad at a young age. Also JRR had met Edith
at his lodging as a teenager. Or at the water hole gathering lilies , his interpretation
of meeting Edith.
I also think that the WIllow was the trap of letting go of hope , becoming old and evil, and
forgetting how to sing. This represents are part of JRR’s inner self. OMW reps
JRR's inner anger, and JRR reminding us by singing..(singing is creating) to
let go of the evil of the past and move forward on the journey.
The Great War put he and his friends who had the world at their feet, into a hell none of them wanted or cared about...and the land devastation was always a sadness to him.
There are letters of him describing bare burnt out fields of stumps to Edith.
Being timeless character that he is ..Tom (or JRR) , he agrees to share this world with you,
the real world and the one he created, but remains an enigma because he was
private as well.
JRR Tolkien the man, not the professor or language specialist was never really publicly revealed. And rightly …he doesn’t need to reveal his
essence, because it is not relevant to the narrative, it’s private as his own
thoughts are private. He gives us subtle hints on the surface but prefers to
remain private. Just like Tom .
He is impartial, and in creating narrative, he lightly befriends the good creatures of his world,
but not getting too close.
I am speculating that When he lost his Oxford mates he distanced himself in the war, never becoming best friends with his army mates, because that would create vulnerability to be hurt all over again.
He only wrote his wife to discuss personal thoughts. So as JRR the soldier - by going into Middle
Earth to escape the realities of WWI -he was an enigma to the other soldiers.
But...using his knowledge of Morse Code, and light signals etc., is role in the
war was to be the communication medium that relayed information back and forth.
And obviously the information was never about him. The only true communicating
that he did was with his wife, and earlier on with his Oxford best friend.
(GoldB and TreeB) The war could go on without him - which it did when he went
ill…he could tell you the good people won, but the ring of power, or owning
Europe was never his cause.
My theory anyway. What
do you think?
Would be cool to see videos about the other enigmas of middle earth. Great vid btw!
May I suggest looking into the Halo series lore. Most just write it off as a standard fps but if you look it's much deeper than that. It's fill with characters places and things that really bring it to life in away the games can't express.
This narration was especially good!
Dude...I love this channel.
when I first read that part of the book when i was like 15 it felt like I was in a fever dream
Great video as always, I'm thoroughly enjoying your Middle Earth series!
Also, great choice of background music!
Thank you for making these videos! I love all the cool pictures, and the pace suits me.
As someone who was excited when I read The Hobbit as a child, and was enamored by the Trilogy films, and now playing The Lord of the Rings Online quite a lot, I can't wait to learn more about Middle Earth !
My theory is that Tom was some lesser form of a Maiar, and being so odd, Sauron's design of The One Ring's powers somehow missed him.
Or Perhaps he is from the Realm where the souls of men go when they die, or a realm between worlds.
dude keep these videos up. always good stuff
All these ideas are great and valid, but for me the most obvious answer is that Tom is simply the personification of Nature. He is clearly based on such British characters as "Jack in the Green" or the "Green Man" both of which are broad, all-encompassing nature-spirits. Not to mention that on one dimension Lord of the Rings is the battle between the mechanical, the industrial and the corrupted man-made world (Morgoth, Sauron etc) and the natural, pure, divine, spiritual world (the Elves, the Valar, Tom). The metaphor arises from Tolkien's love of nature, the forests and mountains and so on, and his contempt for that which would seek to destroy it, i.e industry, mechanisation, urbanisation. He was born and grew up at a time when the effects of the industrial revolution in Britain were in full swing, so it would make sense that in his great legendarium he would look to personify the ancient, natural aspect he wanted preserved both in reality and in his fantasy.
Tom could be the Emboidiement of Arda and the music.
Whatever he may be -- and I love the music of the spheres theory!--Tom clearly reflects Tolkien's knowledge of Druids and Celtic mythology.
This is my favorite of your explorations. A little mystery is a good thing.
I remember reading once that Tom might actually be the part of Melkor which "wondered in the void." The "goodness" He lost there. kinda a cool idea. the reason Melkor rebelled and became evil was because the void had sucked that part out of him
Awesome video as always! :) Maybe you could do Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin as well? One of the best heroic middle earth stories!
Hopefully Beorn is next.
Best character of any story ever.
Tom
Sorry if I get names wrong …
Ilivata sent the eternal flame into Arda when it was created after the song. This eternal flame was a sliver of ilivata him self and can manifest into a being with a personality.
This flame (power) was before by the valar and not a miair. He is the power of Arda and Ilivata. He is the most powerful thing in/on arda so he cannot be swayed by other powers as he is as big as Arda but only a fraction of ilivata. He knows the complete song and the complete story as IIivata knows, even the Valar do not know it as it was taken away before it was finished. Nothing or no one can sway Tom, not even the Valar except Ilivata himself. He is Arda that can manifest into a form with a personality, care free as nothing can affect him. Tom vs Melkor, Valar has no power over him and he cares not of the Valar. Tom is the house and cares not who lives in it.
What I find interesting when the Valar gave up rule of Arda when it was remade, did Ilivata came down or did Tom just do his thing. Tom is Ilivata manifest on earth.
Another thing that is interesting the Valar were bound to Arda and their power has a relationship with Arda (Tom)
Why did Gandalf see Tom before he went west, to hear what would happen going forward as Tom knows the complete song and the complete history.
I’m in the camp of ‘Tom is an embodiment of the song’ I see him as almost a byproduct of the song of creation.
I like the idea that Tom is actually a self insert of Tolkien himself. One that could change the world if he wanted to, but obviously doesn’t want to since it’s his story. He would rather sit back and watch.
I think Tom Bombadil is another one of the primordial entities of Arda like the nameless things under the Misty Mountains and Ungoliant.
One of the odder ones I recall reading is that Tom Bombadil is the physical embodiment of the reader. The ring has no power over him, as the ring is fictional. He has no power over the ring as that would require rewriting the story. He is oldest, there before the first acorn, and the first raindrop were created in the mind of the reader. He was there before the dark lord came from the outside...of the reader's imagination.
Then again, I also recall some note that Tom was inspired by a toy that Tolkien's children initially hated and kept trying to get rid of...until he created a name and backstory for it, making Tom Bombadil one of Tolkien's earliest literary creations.
Based on what we Know and what Tolkien has said it sounds like he was written to be a enigma for readers to ponder and show that middle earth had mysteries that may never be revealed to anyone. It's also possible that Tom Bombadil might not know what he is or when he was born because for example if a child isn't told who their parents are or how old they are they usually have no way of answering those questions and some others that would require knowledge of events prior to and immediately after their birth.
Also Tolkien didn't leave too many plot holes in his work so it's safe to assume he had reasons for not telling us every detail about Tom Bombadil.
Another reason why he didn't talk too much about Tom Bombadil is because he wasn't the main focus of the story and though he was interesting going into too much detail might hurt the story.
Great Videos man!
Yep, points three and four combined work for me. Tolkein didn't necessarily need a precise backstory for every character, as his world was created from the mysterious. It is entirely possible that he imagined Bombadil to be a remainder of the creation process, incarnate in human-like form. In a way that Neo, of the Matrix, is described as being a remainder of an unbalanced equation, Bombadil could be some "stuff"; some "energy" left over, which Eru manifested in Human form to be sentient and an ever present warden of the nature of the Earth. He could indeed be the sentience of the spirit and power of song its self. Amongst all other things, Tolkein emphasised the power of song and of words, and it's not far fetched to suggest that Bombadil was born of that power and is tied to the Earth by it, in much the same way as the Elves are tied to their immortality. I don't think he is Maiar; he's more. As said, Maiar fear/crave the power of the Ring; Bombadil does not. Something like that at least. I don't think he was ever intended to be central to the World, but instead a mystery which accents all the other mysteries, lost to the world now the Eldar have gone. The picture at 2.21 sums it up perfectly; a being, lost to time and the ages, in the deep forest, whom you yourself may someday encounter.
Tom Bombadil is my favorite special unit in BFME 2
hey dood i love the hell out a your narrations second best voice to morgan freeman. ive watched your vids like 1000 times mainly because they are calm and help me sleep so they run on repeat lol kinda like a bed time story but more informative and awesome. maybe you should do a narration channel on top of this and you should start with the a thousand years of dreams from lost odyssey.
I got reminded by the last screen that Tolkien's poetry is really underrated.
Knowing Tolkins fascination with the Finnish Kalevala, it is easy to see that Tom is loosely based on the character of Väinämöinen.
I love this story so much! Theres so much forethought put into this damn story!!! Also Tom bombader May not be effected by the ring because he doesn’t desire power.