Hey dol! Merry dol! Get lost Tom!!!

[Bêthberry]

gorthar_cruel,

Many, many thanks for posting those images from the WETA cards for Bombdadil and Goldberry.

They are fascinating because they are, to me at least, the first images which catch the indefinable allure between the two characters. I have never really been impressed with past artwork of these characters; they always somehow managed, enigmatically to elude the skill of the artist or photographer. Such earlier depictions of Tom and Goldberry seemed to me to focus on each character independently. Frankly, I could never really see what each saw in the other, despite the attractions of the artwork.

Here, I feel a strong sense of masculine self-possession in this Tom, with a hint of his tom-foolery and fearlessness. What man need fear the Old Forest or the Ring who knows himself and is happy with himself? And Goldberry here hints at the layers of allure and beauty which legends of mythical water nymphs hold for mere mortals. Here, too, is a woman who knows herself and her partner.

The darkness which surrounds Tom but does not envelope him is intriguing, especially as it is balanced by the shimmering light of the waters and sky in the Goldberry picture. There is, as well, no hint of the passivity which for me mars Tolkien's Goldberry, so I guess, all in all, what I am saying is that these pictures reflect a creative or artistic interpretation of the characters rather than a desire simply to reproduce in visual form Tolkien's creation. If that makes any sense!