Bombadil as Aule?

[Mister Underhill]

Saucepan:

And if we are to follow this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, what is there in any of the Books that we can rely on?

I agree with your sentiment in spirit, Sauce, though I think there are a few cases -- this is one of them -- where Tolkien himself is quick to distinguish between what he knows as author and what the characters know or say as characters within the story. I refer once more to Letter 153: "(Again the words used are by Goldberry and Tom not me as a commentator)."