Tom bombadil who is he

Without hesitation, Tom handed the Ring back to Frodo, making him one of three characters to give up the Ring willingly. In the book, Frodo even puts on the Ring after Tom Bombadil hands it back to him to make sure it was the real Ring.

But lo and behold, it was still the same Ring, and Frodo became invisible again. Tom tells Frodo to take off the Ring because his hand looks better without it. Perhaps this gave Frodo the encouragement needed to resist wearing the Ring. Tom Bombadil parted ways with the Hobbits after saving them from several creatures on their way out of the Old Forest, but not before giving to each of them a Barrow-blade—sometimes called the Daggers of Westernesse.

This is the dagger Merry would later stab the Witch-king with to aid in Sauron's defeat. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin take a shortcut through the Old Forest on the border of the Shire, only to be mesmerized and nearly drowned by an intelligent and malicious tree known as Old Man Willow.

He constantly spouts almost nonsensical rhyming couplets. There was a sudden deep silence, in which Frodo could hear his heart beating. After a long slow moment he heard plain, but far away, as if it was coming down through the ground or through thick walls, an answering voice singing:. Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow, None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master: His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster.

A chapter later, he rescues the hobbits from a terrifying undead creature, the Barrow-wight, simply by commanding it. Weirdest of all, he can put on the Ring of Power without turning invisible or being tempted by it. One humorous essay theorizes that he is the Witch-King of Angmar on vacation.

Even readers who like Tom Bombadil must admit that the he raises the question: Where the hell did this guy come from? For most of his life, Tolkien picked away at what he saw as his ultimate creative work, The Silmarillion.

When finished, he wanted the book to be an intricate collection of serious heroic myth intended to evoke wonder and emotion in adults. But in the meantime, he was in the habit of making up stories for his children, the most famous of which became The Hobbit itself.

But there were more than just The Hobbit. Also, it states that Melkor sought out the Secret Fire, but could not find it because it was with Eru only. This also suggests that Tom Bombadil is directly tied to Eru if he is indeed "Ea". The ring has no effect on him because the ring has nothing to offer him; time is already immortal, and neither good nor evil. He has no real concern because his existence will still be around whether or not Sauron gets the ring back.

Another hint to this idea of him being or governing time is his wife is said to govern the nature in Middle Earth. This could be a reference to Mother Nature and Father Time, with Goldberry and Bombadil occupying their roles, respectively. His wife describes him as being "Master of wood, water and hill. Another possibility is that Tom Bombadil represents a friend, or many friends of Tolkien; the absolute infallibility of the character presents the idea that Tolkien himself did not believe that his own creations could affect Bombadil, a trait that would be true of Tolkien's friends and family, though he would not entrust the "ring" to Tom, suggesting that although he respects the ideas and opinions of his friends, he would not allow them to significantly change the path of the story.

This again puts him at an abstract level. Another theory is that Tom is the first living, sentient being produced by the music of Eru, prior to Melkor's dis-harmonies being added in. This would make him a sub-creation "echo" of biblical Adam, prior to the consumption of the forbidden fruit and expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Such a theory neatly explains nearly all the enigmas of Tom's nature: as a being that does not and perhaps cannot know death, he is rightly unconcerned with events like the the War of the Ring. As a being that does not know hunger for power or any other form of personal corruption, the One Ring can hold no power over him and would be no more than a meaningless bauble. Tolkien himself repeatedly referred to his own work as "sub-creation" reflecting the greater Creation embodied in his Roman Catholic faith, and combined with Tolkien's love for the unspoiled Oxford and Berkshire countryside which he stated that Tom embodied the spirit of, the allegory to the Garden of Eden and Adam, the "eldest and fatherless" human, seems a rather solid conception of the character.

Another theory is that Tom Bombadil is in fact a representation of Tolkien. He is eldest, because he existed before the books, he saw the first raindrops, because he wrote it, thus seeing it, he is immune to the powers of the Ring yet seems to have enough power to save the world all by himself, yet he does not, because he wrote it all down, knows what's going to happen and chooses not to interfere, for the sake of the readers. Tolkien, however, has stated that there is no embodiment of him in his works.

Supporting evidence for this includes his ability to make the ring "appear and disappear at will" the readers' opening and closing of the book and his ability to see Frodo even when wearing the ring Frodo is still described in the book while wearing the ring, and therefore to the readers, he is still 'visible'. Just like Tom, the ring has no power over the reader despite its evil nature. It has been suggested that Tom Bombadil's house provides a place of safety for the reader, especially as the Lord of the Rings is a sequel to The Hobbit, a children's book, where readers are constantly reassured e.

Therefore, the House of Tom Bombadil provides a safe place for the reader, close enough to the familiar safe 'haven' of the Shire as seen in The Hobbit, yet a gateway from this safety to the danger and adventure to come.

This theory of easing the reader into the danger to come is supported by similar techniques employed by Tolkien in The Hobbit, where the dwarves arrive gradually to Bag End, thus easing Bilbo into the whole idea.

The passage about Tom Bombadil speaking of things such as the dark one coming a long time ago may seem to contradict this theory at first, but it may also support it.

Just as Goldberry is very similar to Yavanna, Aule the Smith, shares many common characteristics with Tom and this identification helps explain some of the events that occur in Tom's house - especially his control over the ring without any fear or temptation. Aule was the maker of all the substances of the earth: minerals, gems, and metals. During the creation of Middle-earth he was involved in nearly every aspect of its making. He prepared the sea beds to receive the waters of the ocean and prepared the land for plants and animals.

As the Maker he developed and taught all arts, crafts, and skills. Of all the Valar, he had the greatest interest in the Children of Iluvatar. So impatient was he to see them that he made the Dwarves. According to the "Valaquenta" in the Silmarillion p. While Melkor carefully guarded his works for himself and destroyed the works of others out of jealousy, Aule delighted in making, not possessing, and "he did not envy the works of others, but sought and gave counsel.

When one carefully considers the special moral characteristics of Aule, the similarities to Tom are most striking and revealing. Like Aule, Tom is not possessive. Although his power to dominate and control is always stressed - he is the master - he does not interfere with other beings except when they directly interfere with him. Although he has the power to possess whatever he may desire, he does not chose to possess or own the forest.

As Goldberry explains, the animals, plants, and natural objects of the forest are all allowed to belong to themselves. This distain for ownership or possession is the reason why Tom is able to handle the ring without fear. Ultimately, all other powerful beings encountered in the trilogy, unless they are already fallen, are afraid to touch the ring lest the desire to possess it should turn them to evil. Since Tom does not want to own or possess anything, it has no power over him.

We simply see his interest, curiosity, and delight as he studies the craftmanship involved in its making. Indeed, Tom approaches the ring critically, almost with scorn. While all others refer to the ring as precious in a reverent sense, Tom's use of the word, "Show me the precious ring" Rings , , suggests irony or doubt about its value.

Since the lack of desire to possess or own was extremely rare among the Valar and the beings of Middle-earth, no over Vala is said to exhibit this moral trait, it seems reasonable to assume that Tom and Aule are the same person. It is also important to note the tremendous power and control that Tom has over the ring. He is, first of all, able to overcome its normal effects.

When he puts it on his finger, he does not become invisible. When Frodo puts it on his finger, Tom is still able to see Frodo: he is "not as blind as that yet" Ibid. Second, Tom is able with ease to use the ring in ways that were not intended by its maker, for he is able to make the ring itself disappear. It is possible that Sauron himself might be unable to do this, for the ring embodied a great part of Sauron's own power, drained from him during its making.

Such power over the ring, displayed almost as a parlor trick, I submit, cannot be accounted for by classifying Tom Bombadil as an anomalous nature spirit. The ability to dominate the ring suggests a Vala; the ease with which it is dominated suggests the ultimate maker of all things in Middle-earth, Aule the Smith, of whom both Sauron and Saruman were mere servants in the beginning before time.

If Tom is Aule, however, two other questions need to be answered. First of all, what are he and Yavanna doing in the Old Forest to begin with? As far as Yavanna is concerned, she is probably just visiting with growing things and vacationing with her husband. Aule, on the other hand, is probably there for the purpose of studying Hobbits. We should not forget that of all the Valar Aule was the one most eager to see the Children of Iluvatar.

He is also the only one to make sentient, rational beings of his own. Given his interest in such creatures, it is not unreasonable to assume that, like Gandalf, he found Hobbits fascinating. As Hobbit songs about Tom Bombadil suggest, moreover, he had plenty of contact with Hobbits in Buckland and the Marish, no doubt allowing ample opportunity for Hobbit study.

Second, if he is Aule, and he is such a fine and wonderful god, why doesn't he choose to be more helpful? Put another way, why isn't there power in him to fight the enemy?

The answer to this question is simpler than one might at first imagine. When Ulmo rises from the sea in "Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin" to give instructions to Tuor, who is supposed to deliver a message to the Elves of Gondolin, he hurries with his directions fearing that his own servant Osse will hurl a wave upon the shore and drown his emissary. As he puts it in Unfinished Tales p. For Osse obeys the will of Mandos, and he is wroth, being a servant of the Doom.

This account of Tom as Aule is not really inconsistent with Tolkien's claim that Tom has renounced power in a kind of "vow of poverty" and that he exemplifies "a natural pacifist view. However, they did not stop because Melkor's thunderous and discordant singing defeated them, but rather because they did not wish to compete with him and considered the song spoiled by his behavior.

It was not defeat, since obviously by singing together the others could have overcome him. Rather it was a rejection of the conflict itself - hence, a pacifist position. It was indeed the Third Theme sung by Iluvatar, representing the part of the Children of Iluvatar, that was to overcome Melkor's disruption.

Concerning the "vow of poverty," Aule has indeed taken such a vow - as exemplified by his attitude toward his work and the work of others - his lack of excessive pride, jealousy, and possessiveness.