Eldest?

[A_Brandybuck]

The quote, that Treebeard is the Eldest being came from Gandalf not from Tolkien himself. And Gandalf could err or could simplify things in his words. Maybe he just didn't want to explain the Bombadil-Thing or he didn't think about him at this special moment.

[tom bombariffic]

I think we can discount tom being a valar - is he were one, surely he would be able to resist the power of sauron and the ring, and yet we are told by Gandalf (or elrond, I can't remember which) that it would not be safe in his keeping.

Concerning the question of the thread, I'd say tom is definitely eldest. His name means 'oldest and fatherless'. We are given very little detail about him, the bulk of it relating to how old he is. His age is his most prominent trait. Treebeard is old, but he is more characterised, wheras tom is a very sprightly reincarnation of age. Treebeard may be called the oldest living thing that walks the earth, but Tom is such an enigma that he can't really be classified for certain as a living thing: we don't know what he is.

Tom is the eldest. Full stop. That is made very very clear. I think the comment about treebeard being the eldest leaves tom out as a given; of course he is oldest because he existed before anything.

bombariffic

[Farael]

Originally Posted by tom bombariffic

I think we can discount tom being a valar - is he were one, surely he would be able to resist the power of sauron and the ring, and yet we are told by Gandalf (or elrond, I can't remember which) that it would not be safe in his keeping.

He can still be a Valar and the ring may not be safe in his keeping... as I said he'd be an incarnated Ainur (Whether Maiar or Valar or what ever) and so he'd be, just like Gandalf, a slave of the needs of his body.

Yet this thread is not about who Tom Bombadill is, but rather who is the eldest. I think that It's clear that of all the "normal" living things Treebeard is the eldest... while Tom is the eldest of a special kind of beings.

[Raynor]

According to the Silmarillion, the ents awoke about the same time with the elves:

Originally Posted by Of Aule and Yavanna

When the Children awake, then the thought of Yavanna will awake also, and it will summon spirits from afar, and they will go among the kelvar and the olvar, and some will dwell therein, and be held in reverence, and their just anger shall be feared

while Tom "was here before the river and the trees", as Texadan quoted from The Old Forest.

[A_Brandybuck]

The Eldest Being could be also Círdan, if he has awoken at Cúvienen. But in this case, we could only speculate, how old he is.
In my meaning, there is no quote, which deals with the awakening/birth of Círdan.

[narfforc]

In HoME Vol12 The Peoples of Middle-Earth under Last Writings is a section about Cirdan. It states thus;

Cirdan was a Telerin Elf, one of the highest of those who were not transported to Valinor but became known as the Sindar, the Grey-elves, he was akin to Olwe, one of the two kings of the Teleri, and lord of those who departed over the Great Sea. He was thus also akin to Elwe, Olwe's elder brother, acknowledged as high-king of all Teleri in Beleriand.

It also states that Cirdan was the leader of those who sought longest for the lost Elwe.

Although Cirdan is very old, I do not think he is as old as Tom, for he came First and Alone to Middle-earth. The Istari are older, yet Gandalf cannot say so, for that would spoil the illusion of them being just old men (this may have already been sussed, as they had been drawing their pensions for some time). My vote goes with Tom as Eldest, purely because it is he who calls himself so, and who else can say they saw the first raindrop or the first acorn; and who can say he was there before The Dark Lord came.

[Raynor]

Originally Posted by A_Brandybuck

The Eldest Being could be also Círdan, if he has awoken at Cúvienen. But in this case, we could only speculate, how old he is.
In my meaning, there is no quote, which deals with the awakening/birth of Círdan.

I would say it is pretty doubtful that Cirdan was a first generation elf; all first elves had wives, nothing is mentioned about his. He is also stated to be akin to Olwe and Elwe (who, being brothers, cannot be first generation elves either). Him being their ancestor would be rather diffictul to accept, seeing his allegiance to Elwe.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by LotR, emphasis mine

the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth.

Can we call a maia, a vala or an other spirit a living thing? Maybe Bombadil was the oldest thing and Treebeard was the oldest living thing.