The Trickster in LotR

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bethberry

Given a philosophical universe which is not haphazard, how could Tolkien have employed the Trickster god in his full nature as mischievous, malevolent, primordial? It seems to me that something had to change. Thus, we have a Bombadil who is this unusual, wily, unpredictable in some ways, but who is not part of the panoply of characters who clearly belong to the wrong side. Tom is, after all, master, as has been argued elsewhere, of himself. Thus, he is an expurgated Trickster of sorts.

Is this fair to say?

This is interesting, but thinking about the true nature of the Trickster, then it does not fit. I agree that Tolkien's universe is an ordered one, and therefore any Trickster figure would have to 'fit' into this, and in effect be 'expurgated'. Looking at it this way then Bombadil could be a kind of Trickster. But if so, then he is not a Trickster.

This figure is uncontainable and unpredictable and only 'fits' into a disordered universe. The Trickster was used to explain those events which were simply inexplicable, which is why I said that the closest thing to him in Tolkien's world is fate itself. Even with this I am not sure, as fate seems to be directed by Eru, whose existence, ordering things which happen within that world, would render the need for a Trickster obsolete. Tricksters seem to occur more in worlds with multiple gods, with shamanic forms of worship and more reverence for the chaos of nature; in worlds with a God, then they do not need to exist as the presence and direction of God explains away what the Trickster is there to explain.

I don't think there is a real Trickster in Tolkien's world. There are characters who show aspects of the Trickster, but to show just aspects is not to show the true nature of this figure.