[mark12_30]

Although I know little of the old legends, I am mighty fond of Goldberry. Things that intrigue me about her:

"Let us shut out the night. Fear nothing! For tonight you are in the house of Tom Bombadil."

Who shuts out the night? Tom? Goldberry? The two together? Either way, it's very impressive and very deep.

Tolkien makes a careful point that her dress rustles, I think in a silky sort of way. Leaves rustle, river reeds rustle... The water doesn't rustle, but things around it do. So the river-daughter is appropriately surrounded by rustling; but she herself sings. THere's something deep about that... somewhere.

Surrounded by lilies... Mithadan started a thread linking this to Song of Songs and I think he was right. So-- marital bliss, and fulfillment, and lots of other stuff.

All Tolkien's super-women were light of foot. But that doesn't make it unimportant. Goldberry leaped over the lily-pots and ran to the guests. We don't see elf-ladies running, except for Tinuviel (in song.) But rivers run. And they leap (over rapids and rocks, maybe not over lilies).

Goldberry (and Tom) dance as they clear the table (or were they setting the table?) I've always loved this. In Scotland, they danced in the kitchen because they only had two rooms, kitchen and bedroom. Ceili was held in the kitchen. But Goldberry and Tom aren't having a ceili. Or are they? Their whole ministry to the guests is like a ceili; songs, dances, stories. Perhaps it IS a ceili, arrival to departure.

Rain-- Goldberry makes rain lovely. The idea of a washed forest is just ... well... ...lovely. Lovely.

She sings in greeting and she sings in farewell.

I'm sure there are more but that will do for the moment. Do these qualities have roots in something findable? Is this archetypal stuff? Or what?

I shall ponder possible biblical connections....