Beleg and Bombadil

[Gwaihir the Windlord]

While browsing through the Lays of Belerian (HoME 3) last night, the thought occured to me when I read this about Beleg.

(CT's commentry)

Some very curious things are said of Beleg in the peom [Lay of the Children of Hurin]. He is twice called 'the son of the wilderness who wist no sire', and at line 416 he is 'Beleg the ageless'. There seems to be a mystery about him that sets him apart... from the Elves of Thingol's lordship...

(Just as a note, the book also says that Beleg started out as a Man in Tolkien's earliest writings. He underwent a lot of modification over several years.)

When a read this, I thought of Bombadil. At this stage of the development of the mythology, as far as I know, Tom had not yet been conceived of; it is possible that Tolkien, at this time, had thoughts of a Bombadil-like enigma that was originally designed as the character of Beleg.

Beleg, even at this early stage, is obviously not quite the same person as Bombadil. His personal traits are different for one thing, but the similar anomalous principle may be there. Obviously later revised to apply (in a more advanced form) to the much more aptly-implied Bombadil.

Interesting, isn't it? Just a small observation of mine.