Tom Bombadil

[camomile]

Tom Bombalil is an enigma. you are not supose to know what or who he is.

The Letters of J.R.R.Tolkien: pg 174, (not shure you guyse reed books any more, or if you are just reading everthing of the internet these days. but if you do read that is were to find the Quote, that goes as follows

And even in a mythical age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionaly)

I belive Tolkien speculated himself on who Bombladil was, I fond it unlikely that he had eny clear idea of his identity when he dreamed him up. however he does refur to him as

the spirit of the (vanishing) oxford and Berkshire countryside

. this is of corse the area he modled the shire after, so I find it likely that was where he got a good portion of his insperation for the much debated Tom Bombadil