New words about Bombadil

[Boromir88]

Great find Bethberry! Thanks for sharing.

For Bombadil to truly be 'outside' the story, my thought would be that he would also be unconquerable by Sauron, or any others, who are part of it as active players. Yet he is not, or at least is said by Gandalf, who I've considered to be the nearest voice of Tolkien himself in the text, not to be. Why is he not affected by the Ring, but subject to defeat by Sauron all the same?~Inzil

Well, Tolkien does say Gandalf is only a character in his story, prone to errors like any other. Even though I'm inclined to agree with you about Gandalf. I'm not sure anyone who is "inside" the story, could tell what would happen to Bombadil if he was truly the "last" in the world against Sauron.

In many ways Bombadil could be called an alien. He's in the world, as a curious observer, but not "of" it. Where Sauron and the Ring are "of" it and perhaps possess a greater power over it, and a greater power over an enigmatic observer....I suppose this opens up a host of other questions. How does Bombadil, the alien observer completely disinterested in "power," still possess formidable power in a world he's not part of? Even if it's within a limited and defined boundary?