[tom bombariffic]

I know that whenever anyone writes about tom bombadil and what he is or represents, 99% of people will disagree, and also that there have been thousands of discussions similar to this one. Im not sure if anyone has voiced my opinion on the downs before, but here goes anyway. Basically, when some people say bombadil is tolkien himself, I reckon they aren't far off. My own personal opinion, however, is that he was what tolkien sometimes yearned to be. Tolkien was a very pensive man, he thought about things a lot and was very analytical of the world, and perhaps sometimes he wished, as many people like him who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders do, that he could be like bombadil: carefree and happy, yet still powerful and wise. Tolkien did say that bombadil was an enigma, was supposed to be unexplained, but he was hardly likely to tell the truth if what I have suggested is true. just a thought - I have no evidence for this, but it just seems to make sense to me.