Ms. Seth's latest essay attempts to solidify the fairy tale and religious aspects to Tom and Goldberry. The 'Gold Spinners' tale in Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy-book is interesting because of its Finnish connection – which may have caught Tolkien's eye.
Interestingly a bovine connection links the pair of enigmatic characters according to her research. The yellow water-lily is also known as the 'Cow Lily' and Ms. Seth speculates that Tolkien – a keen botanist – might well have known this.
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