Lord Of The Rings: 10 Questions Fans Have About Tom Bombadil, Answered

In the vast world of fantasy created by J.R.R Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings, few characters are shrouded with as much mystery as Tom Bombadil. While the movies fail to even showcase him, as they have with many other details including the Nazgul, for even readers of the books, Tom Bombadil is definitely one character that remains an enigma.

As Tolkien states in his 153^rd letter, Tom Bombadil was a character he had kept in his writings because Tom represented certain characteristics that were otherwise amiss from the books. Regardless, the author rarely gave any details regarding Bombadil’s history and true-identity, deliberately maintaining an aura of enigma around the character. However, going through the cumulative work of Tolkien, readers, and fans can, therefore, create a sensible silhouette regarding the character of Tom Bombadil.

10 How Was Tom Bombadil Conceptualized?

Tom Bombadil was originally conceptualized from a Dutch Doll that belonged to one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. He had originally created the character in order to amuse his children through oral tales but later introduced the same in print with his 1934 poem published in the Oxford Magazine, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

In response to questions from readers regarding the functionality of Tom Bombadil, Tolkien had written in his 153^rd letter that the character was included since it had already been created and because he wished for the Hobbits to have an adventure.

9 Is Tom Bombadil Older Than Treebeard?

Apart from the mystery regarding what happened to the Ent-Wives, readers and fans also wonder who is older; Tom Bombadil or Treebeard. While Gandalf and Celeborn had both described Treebeard to be the eldest, Treebeard himself contradicts this by saying that there are older trees in Fangorn than him.

While Treebeard might be one of the three Ents who had existed in Middle-Earth before the Darkness of Morgoth descended upon it during the First Age, Tom Bombadil was existing in Middle-Earth before the appearance of the first acorn. This clearly states that he must be older than the first woods, thereby making him older than even Treebeard.

8 How Did Tom Bombadil Look?

Tom Bombadil had an eccentric look, adorned in yellow boots and a blue jacket. He also wore an old and scrappy hat on his head, which had a blue kingfisher feather fastened to it. In the eyes of the Hobbits, he appeared to be an old man, with a ruddy and wrinkled face.

He had a flowing beard of brown color and his eyes were bright blue. His stature was taller than that of a Hobbit but too short to be called a proper man, approximating to four feet in height and three feet in breadth.

7 How Did The Hobbits Meet Tom Bombadil?

The Hobbits happened to meet Tom Bombadil on a fortunate and chance occasion. Trapped inside the trunk of Old Man Willow, the Hobbits were crying out for help, which was luckily heard by Tom. He saved the Hobbits from Old Man Willow by singing to him. He also told the Hobbits that they were lucky that he happened to be passing through because the next time he would have been on that same route would have been six-months from then.

The Hobbits spent the night at Tom’s residence enjoying the hospitality of Bombadil and Goldberry, his wife. After leaving Tom’s house, the Hobbits were caught again by a Barrow-wight, and Bombadil came to their rescue once again.

6 Is Tom Bombadil The Secret Fire?

Tolkien is known for using phrasing to his advantage and creates immaculate puzzles as demonstrated during the Fellowship’s attempts to enter the Mines of Moria. Similarly, when Frodo enquires Goldberry as to who Tom Bombadil is, she initially replies by saying, “He is.” However, if these exact words are translated to Elvish, it spells out as “Ea.”

Ironically Ea is also the name of the Secret Fire that Eru Iluvitar created, burning forever at the heart of the World. This implies to Tom Bombadil being the essence that resulted in the creation of Arda. This also justifies why the One Ring created by Sauron, one of the most powerful villains of LOTR, does not have any impact on Tom Bombadil. Being the cause of creation himself, Tom is unaffected and ignorant of such trivial instruments.

5 Is Tom Bombadil Eru Iluvitar?

Although many fans have drawn links between Tom Bombadil and the primeval God in Tolkien’s mythopoeic writings, Eru Iluvitar, owing to similarities between the characteristics of both; it can be safely concluded that Tom Bombadil is not Eru Iluvitar. This is so because, in multiple letters of his, Tolkien has clarified that Eru has not been physically embodied on Middle-Earth.

However, it is easy to understand why fans might have connected the two, given the fact that Bombadil calls himself as “oldest,” and Elrond calls him as “fatherless,” implying that he was the first being in creation. Also, the nonchalant attitude of Bombadil regarding the events of the War of The Ring is similar to that of Eru, a God who seldom interferes in the matters of the mortal world; thereby making fans wonder.

4 Is Tom Bombadil Father Time?

While there are many unpopular opinions about The Lord of the Rings, a popular one states that Tom Bombadil is in fact, Father Time. Both Gandalf and Bombadil himself have stated that he is the “eldest.” If this is to be taken as true, no entity can be older than Time. Moreover, Goldberry, Bombadil’s wife is said to be the Governess of Nature in Middle-Earth, thereby solidifying the allusions of Father Time and Mother Nature even further.

Goldberry also describes Bombadil to be the “Master of wood, water, and hill,” three things that have been clarified to come under the dominion and effect of time when Gollum asks Bilbo Baggins one of his riddles during their first meeting.

3 Is Tom Bombadil A Valar or Maiar?

The Valar are overseers of the world residing in The Undying Lands, meddling in mortal affairs when Middle-Earth needs their assistance. They have close connections with elemental powers, a trait Tom Bombadil shares. However, the theory that Tom Bombadil might be a Vala seems far-fetched owing to him speaking incoherently at times, an aspect not likely to be present in the omniscient Valar.

Alternatively, many fans suppose that Tom Bombadil might be a Maia, an entity less powerful than the Vala and also abundant in numbers. Gandalf, one of the most powerful wizards of Middle-Earth, is a Maia, but Tom Bombadil being one can be debated upon rigorously. Unlike Saruman or Gandalf, Bombadil was unaffected by the powers of the One Ring. Moreover, his powers seem to surpass that of Gandalf, which casts further doubt on this theory.

2 Is Tom Bombadil The Music Of The Ainur?

The reason why The Lord of the Rings books are better than the movies is owing to the vast amount of information the former provides regarding the mystical world of Middle-Earth.

This multitudinous knowledge has, however, also led to many suppositions regarding Tom Bombadil, one of which states that he is The Music of the Ainur, the foundation upon whose vision, the Ainur fashioned Middle-Earth. This theory is backed by Tom’s strong affinity towards music and the use of his own power through the medium of music.

1 Is Tom Bombadil The Readers?

A meta-theory that seems quite plausible is that Tom Bombadil has been created to signify the readers of the book. While a similar theory has been made regarding Bombadil being the embodiment of the author, Tolkien has completely disregarded it.

The “reader” theory, however, makes sense since Tom Bombadil although participates in the adventures that the Hobbits embark on can help them to only a certain extent, as do the readers through reading. Tom is in Frodo’s support but cannot do much other than see the tale unfold from a safe distance, as do the readers who read the story, rooting for the heroes, from the comforts of their homes.

About The Author

Arnab Rakshit
(79 Articles Published)

Arnab Rakshit is an avid reader, writer, movie-buff, and comics fanatic residing in Kolkata, India. He is a graduate of Asutosh College, Calcutta University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Having worked in the field of content development for myriad clients since 2016, he is confident about creating meticulous and informative content for ScreenRant readers. He also enjoys a competitive game of Table Tennis once in a while.

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