Who or What is Tom Bombadil?

[Bêthberry]

Squatter toys with us, HI.

Seriously though, our Man of Old English Letters reminds us of an important fact about this character. He was conceived in a different story culture. Like many an 'immigrant', Tom is not well integrated into the community or cosmology of this story. Having Gandalf refer to Tom at the end of the story represents a heroic attempt to integrate him, but one which remains I think somewhat mechanical. It is all well and good to call Tom an enigma, but by and large I think this kind of defense remains more a justification than a true explanation.

On the other hand, does the problem or enigma lie only with Tom? I find it very interesting how often people have difficulty understanding or accepting Tom, yet very few seem to ask who or what Goldberry is.

Do readers have an easier time accepting a female mythic earth character than a male one? Or is it that Frodo's infatuation with Goldberry provides an adequate and understandable explanation of her function? (Why is it that she can control rain, but not snow, for instance?)

[Morsul the Dark]

Interesting that is true Goldberry is only slightly more explained i think it has also to do with the role of women in the story(please dont hurt me) overall they are subordinate therefore almost out of wight out of mind the thing that facinates me about bombadil is the mere fact that he is unaffected by the ring. now had goldberry put on the ring and not disappeared surely we would have a dynamic duo of enigmas on our hands

[Gurthang]

I'd also turn to the fact that Tom is an enigma, but for some reason, that does not satisfy my curiosity in the slightest. Therefore, I cannot leave that to be my answer.

Goldberry. Well, I guess the reason we don't think of her much is that Tom seems more pertinent to the hobbits. Tom saves them, takes them in, tells them tales, wears the Ring in their view, gives them horses, and finally saves them again. Key among those is Tom putting on the Ring and being unaffected. I think these occurences make Tom overshadow Goldberry in a way. But it is true that her nature is about as equally unknown as Tom's.

Originally Posted by The 1,000 Reader

The H was capitalized because of grammar, not because Tom is God.

My point was not really that the 'H' was capital. I was commenting more on how strikingly similar the 'he is' sounded to 'I am'. In each case, it merely states existance, rather than being followed by a descriptor. There are very few other examples (actually none that I can think of) that make use of such a statement. Simply saying that Tom exists really reminded me of God's name, I am, that simply says that He exists. But, regardless of the fact that I think this is a debatable subject, I was saying so largely as a joke. Sort of poking at Fordim for his 'Is Eru God?' thread. Hence the .

On a completely different tangent, has anyone ever wondered if Tom was perhaps the embodiment of Tolkien himself into Middle-Earth?

[Morsul the Dark]

it is possible however its a rather boring answer isnt it? I mean hes god or hes and ent spirit or any other theory can be kind of fun. to me and im just saying my opinion not to bash yours i respect it just disagree...its like telling a kid to do something just because....also secondly real quick anyone know what tolkiens favorite colors were i mean if i wrote myself into a story i wouldnt dress myself in a silly yellow hat...would you?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Gurthang

But it is true that her nature is about as equally unknown as Tom's.

Save that she is specifically identified as the River Woman's Daughter. Ambiguous in itself, perhaps, but at least it suggests to us more about her nature (hinting perhaps that she is a water spirit of some kind) than we are ever told about Tom's nature.

... has anyone ever wondered if Tom was perhaps the embodiment of Tolkien himself into Middle-Earth?

Yes, I have seen the theory articulated somewhere, although I can't now recall where. I also recall seeing an article setting out the theory of Tom as the embodiment of the reader. I believe that it is linked to on one of the threads for which Fordim has privided the links.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

now had goldberry put on the ring and not disappeared surely we would have a dynamic duo of enigmas on our hands

Interesting that of all the female characters only Galadriel has her moment with the Ring. I wonder if, had Goldberry been allowed to stay after dinner with the fellows, she might have provided a surprising demonstration of her powers.

Originally Posted by Gurthang

Tom saves them, takes them in, tells them tales, wears the Ring in their view, gives them horses, and finally saves them again. Key among those is Tom putting on the Ring and being unaffected. I think these occurences make Tom overshadow Goldberry in a way.

True, yet adventure and action is not all that the story is about. Goldberry's affect on Frodo is important in terms of his learning elven ways while the nature of respite and sanctuary is an important element in the story and something she specifically provides. Without her, banner-weaving Arwen is harder to understand.

[Legolas]

Even if Goldberry's nature was as unexplained as Tom, I don't think she would have attracted the amount of speculation Tom has. The point with Tom is not that he is male, but that his physical acts (and subsequent conclusions drawn about his mentality) show that he is quite an oddity - he skips about through the woods carelessly, and is completely unmoved by the Ring? He's not just an unexplained character. He's an unexplained character that leaps out and thumps the reader in the eyeball.