Who and What Is TOM BOMBADIL? | Middle Earth Lore

Today we look at the enigma of a being that is Tom Bombadil and we discuss just who and what he may be, having a look at a few fun and interesting theories about this question!
I hope you enjoy!
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Thumbnail Art:
"Tom Bombadil" - BorjaPindado
"Tom Bombadil" - Cynthia Blair
Art in order of first appearance:
Tom Bombadil - BorjaPindado
Tom Bombadil - Hildebrandt
Tom Bombadil - Cynthia Blair
Tom Bombadil - joaoMachay
Tom Bombadil - Pavel Filippov
Tom Bombadil - WilliWeissfuss
Middle Earth - Klaradox
Old Man Willow - Mboulad
Old Tom - ralphdamiani
Tom Bombadil - Turner Mohan
Wraith World - Paul Lasaine
Servant of Death - Grimdar
The Willow-man is Tamed - Ted Nasmith
Rivendell - Ivan Cavini
Tom Bombadil - phoenixcatunicorn
Gandalf the Grey - MattDeMino
Tom Bombadil - Kawenzmann
Tom Bombadil and Goldberry - Ivan Cavini
Tom Bombadil and Goldberry - AbePapakhian
Tom Bombadil - joaoMachay
Tom Bombadil - VincentPompetti
Tom Bombadil - Sprat9069
Tom Bombadil - TolmanCotton
Tom Bombadil - DieNCry
Tom Bombadil - kimberly80
The Silmarillion The Maiar - wolfanita
Tom Bombadil - leewlundin
The Istari - Angel Falto
Tom and Goldberry - MatejCadil
Valar (Valian Years) - (Artist Unknown)
Valar - 000Fesbra000
Orome Discovers the Lords of the Elves - KipRasmussen
Vana the Ever-Young - Ekukanova
Tom Bombadil and Goldberry - Mareishon
Genealogy of the Ainur - enanoakd
Eru and the Gods Singing the First Song of Creation - KipRasmussen
Bombadil - AmaniWarrington
Ungoliant Concept (SDA) - Elytis-R
Balrogs Defending Morgoth from Ungoliant - JovanDarkArt
Tom Bombadil - Son-of-Incogneato
the Old Forest - faQy
J.R.R.Tolkien - Vadim Anikeev
J.R.R.Tolkien Tribute - Ivan Cavini
Old Farm - somatonic
Ho! Tom Bombadil - Alisaryn
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#LordoftheRingsLore #WhoIsTomBombadil #WhatIsTomBombadil

[@SuperPAC130]

Ainur: Welcome to Arda, Children of Eru! Elf: Yeah, thanks, quite a wonderful place you made here. "Hey dol merry dol..." Elf: Who's that guy? Ainur: I don't know. He's was already here when I got here.

[@shady83]

If in doubt assume they Maiar like Gandalf, Sauron, Saruman, Radagast Balrogs etc

[@Dr_Robodaz]

No-one. Not a thing. Not even a single Valar Being Eru: *"Don't ask me... I've got no clue either!"* (looks concerned)

[@ramsayburch6738]

@@Dr_Robodaz hahahaha

[@Alex9971000]

@@shady83 Watch the nerd of the rings video on “5 theories on who Tom Bombadil is.” That will debunk that idea.

[@The_Nowhereman]

🤣🤣🤣

[@chazk7530]

Iirc Tom was based on a doll that Tolkien's sons had and who was a regular character in their bedtime stories. I like the idea that when Tom calls himself the oldest and the first, its a kind of meta-reference to his being one of if not the first character Tolkien created to entertain his boys, something that persisted through writing the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

[@roddo1955]

I think I read that somewhere...not sure but it does make sense

[@liaminwales]

Best comment, thanks for sharing.

[@andersnerdrum8526]

And does it also connect to Tom singing 'Merry dol' - as in a merry doll? This could make sense, and regarding the excerpt from JRRs letter in the video, I think he's written into the story to represent an existence of pure good will. An existence (and way of life) which knows/fathoms no evil. Therefore the ring does not work on him, and therefore he doesn't understand the importance of the ring and can't be trusted with it. And also therefore, he could not exist in a world powered by Sauron, as there would be no world left for him to exist in. All would be evil.

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Yep. Just a dumb doll. Not everything is world changing.

[@chazk7530]

@@princeofcupspoc9073 precisely. He's not God, he's not some strange and mysterious power otherwise unknown and unknowable. He's a doll Tolkiens kids liked.

[@grantpenfold6869]

The description of Tom of being in middle earth before anything and the assumption he will be there after everything, and his wife being the representation of the changing of seasons, has nobody thought that these 2 characters are Tolkien's way of hinting at father time and mother nature being in middle earth and that even all good and evil cannot harm father time as the ring could not effect him....

[@nova997]

Very interesting interpretation

[@andrewpaige1194]

That is a FANTASTIC theory!!!! I might totally subscribe to that, if I hadn’t just learned from this video here, possibly the only problem with it-that it’s said Tom wouldn’t survive if sauron had won.

[@friscokid21]

His singing also lends to this theory. As Jean-Michel Basquiat once said: "Art is how we decorate Space, Music is how we decorate Time."

[@chrais78]

I like it

[@Alfreduss]

@@andrewpaige1194 thats what other thought at the time, who knows if they knew who he actualy was.

[@samswirsky3654]

Tom is such an intriguing character. He stayed around while everything changed. In fact I imagine that he still exists in England somewhere deep in the forest, helping travelers when they might need him.

[@stelios9241]

🤯

[@eliseiguess7673]

I get why they took him out of the movies but Tom's chapter in the books will always be my one of my favorites

[@DoctorJeo115]

Tom Bombadil is the best representation of man to live a peaceful life in this world and to be Master of your dominion.

[@radagast7200]

He was a rough draft that Eru couldn't bring himself to discard, but wasn't suited for scalability. Why did he and Goldberry never have children?

[@FiveSigma72]

That just makes me think of that Seinfeld episode lol.

[@HARMFULPARKRECORDS]

I am king of my castle!

[@devonmarcus101]

Imagine leaving a legacy in the world on such a scale that causes generations long after you are gone to sift through your text messages (letters in this case) to better understand what you left behind. This is wonderful.

[@nathaniel_pardue]

I wonder what your thoughts on the Holy Bible are. Probably nowhere near as much awe.

[@devonmarcus101]

@@nathaniel_pardue I don't know why you would make that assumption.

[@Dap1ssmonk]

@@nathaniel_pardue have you read apocrypha?

[@jameshoffa7085]

@@nathaniel_pardue Pretty boring work of ficton. Could use some editing

[@nathaniel_pardue]

@@jameshoffa7085 Spoken like somebody who has never actually given it a chance.

[@Ethrael81]

I have always thought Tom was Tolkien's avatar. A way to immortalize himself in his own story, much the same way my dad painted himself secretly into many of his paintings, leaving many appreciating eyes to wonder who the little boy and his dog were...

[@GrandisArcanum]

i own one of those paintings (to be accurate my workplace does)

[@swarmk5809]

Nah.

[@ChescoYT]

@@GrandisArcanum lawyer?

[@ShellShock11C]

Who was your dad?

[@stevowilliams8279]

tolkien has said in mutiple letters that this isnt the case, and that the character that represents himself the most in faramir

[@praisedio4763]

Tom's existence shows there is still Good in the world that cant be corrupted by Evil.

[@angelus823]

That's a very good point that I hadn't considered! Perhaps that's at least one of the reasons that tolkein said he thought Tom's presense was necessary to keep in the story, even though he seems out of place. To remind us of that very important point

[@1788ksteveo]

Here here

[@automatic12ga4]

Is he truly good if he has such power and doesnt use it for good?

[@laserbuddha]

Being good doesn't mean you just don't do evil things, it means you have to actively do good things.

[@Fiveash-Art]

There's enough of that shown to us through the hobbits and the shire ... Jackson was correct in trimming that bit ... Does nothing to advance the story and slows things down with it's excess. The Barrow-Wights section was interesting .. The only reason I see for Bombadil was simply for the rescue ... could've done without so much of him though.

[@Xenoprophet]

You know how when your talking with someone, and you can hear in their voice that they are smiling? Even though you can't see their face... That's Tom, he's the smile in the creator's voice when the world was sung, and that smile made the harmony all the more sweeter.

[@ngozinnunukwe5680]

I like that.

[@milthyswinbuckle5158]

I've always felt that Tom Bombadil might be a character created by Tolkien before he started TLOTR or even the Hobbit. A character he dreamt up in his youth that stuck with him, and was of such a fondness that he placed him in his epic, more for himself than for the story or anyone else who reads it.

[@hiltonian_1260]

Exactamundo. Tom is what editors might call a “darling,” as in the advice “kill your darlings.” Every writer has a paragraph, a turn of phrase, or a minor character that is *just so cool* but doesn’t do anything for the storyline. Editors get rid of these over the protests of authors. Tolkien’s work was so idiosyncratic that a darling like Tom could slip through.

[@seanbriggs3461]

You are more right than you know! BRAVO, for holding onto your imagination and explaining it with such elegance and courage! 👍❤

[@Isibar]

I read somewhere that he (Tolkien) developed Bombadil for or with the help of his children.

[@barbatosmcmurderton4209]

I heard somewhere that Tolkien first made up Tom Bombadil as the protaganist of bed time stories he would tell his kids.

[@Isibar]

@@barbatosmcmurderton4209 that's what I mean. Thanks. Couldn't remember clearly.

[@LordAlisdare]

Tom remembers creation and that which came before. He is literally the first being and taught the songs to the Valar then chose to delight in their creation. It's possible it was them who sent Goldberry to him or she came of her own accord. "last as he was first" is maybe the most important line about him, from Gandalf no less. It doesn't mean he has power over everything, except within his chosen borders, chosen also being a key word, just that nothing has power over him. I believe he embodies Tolkien's dream of a carefree nature that has never been tainted by war. Not Tolkien, but rather men in general. That nature of man was always Tom but Sauron the nature of war forces us to keep Tom in a special place.

[@LegalSC]

I always figured Tom Bombadil to be the embodiment of the original music. The opposite of Ungoliant, the embodiment of Melkor's discord in the music.

[@DrussRua]

Very interesting take! I've never considered that take

[@naiaddore1797]

I like your idea and I was thinking along those lines except that he was created at the same time Arda was by the discord.

[@Alamyst2011]

Tom mentions he was before Arda. So does that mean he was also before the first note?

[@Mk101T]

Yes that is the way I see it. Toms character is just an embodiment of the music that existed before anybody tapped into it. It is the only way he is fatherless , meaning he was not created . As a musician who does a lot of add lib jambing . When things really get cooking ... it feels like you are just tapping into music that is already there floating in an ether realm .

[@ffxiarcadius]

@@Alamyst2011 he wasn't before arda, he is arda, and was there to watch the first acorn grow. On the council of elrond, they say the power to destroy the ring would not be found in bombadil, unless it was also in the Earth When tom whistles, the sun rises, but music plays an important role in LotR anyway, like elves singing and mortals fall asleep and dream what they're hearing

[@RonLauzon]

Tom had to stay in the story because that's how Merry got the knife that helped kill the Witch King. So removing Tom would have caused a complete re-write of the Fog on Borrow Downs to probably be not as interesting since the Hobbits would have had no chance against a Wight.

[@roccoborghetti4693]

I’m pretty sure they just reworked it to where Aragorn gives the hobbits those daggers on weathertop. Because none of them, except Frodo and sting, really change weapons throughout the movie

[@danmonges1539]

I really missed Tom being in the movies but I understand why he was left out for reasons of pacing. And Rocco, yes, they were given blades by Aragorn but I really missed the importance of the barrow blade being central to the plot. From the Return of the King, "So passed the sword of the Barrow-downs, work of the Westernesse. But glad would he have been to know its fate who wrought it slowly long ago in the North-kingdom when the Dúnedain were young, and chief among their foes was the dread realm of Angmar and its sorcerer king. No other blade, though mightier hands had wielded it, would have dealt that foe a wound so bitter, cleaving the undead flesh, breaking the spell that knit his undead sinews to his will."

[@nicolasdemers8074]

I always tought that Tom was the goal of the music. He was what the music, without the change by melkor, would have created. Remember, Tolkien was a fan of a simple life style so it would make sense if Tom was the "goal" of the music. In this spirit, we could say that the nameless things and ungoliant were created by the changes created by melkor. They want destruction, they hate things and want power. Both of those kind of being ( Tom and ungoliant) were there at the begining of everything.

[@teeheeteeheeish]

I like the theory that he is the representation of Tolkien himself. His character is there observing his own creation.

[@battlechris8463]

I think Tom brings more questions than answers. More so than anyone or anything else. That's why ppl like him so much. He's an open book with mostly blank pages. Tolkien left him for us

[@Saber23]

He predicted the fan fiction writers what a legend 😂

[@philvanderlaan5942]

The ring would not be safe with Tom because although the ring has no power for him or against him , it doesn’t interest him be so he would lose it and sauron would quickly recover it.

[@curtisfranzen986]

God, I haven't read Tolkien in a couple of decades. I'm going to have to reread. As to Tom being a representation of Tolkien in the stories, I believe it's possible. We must remember that Tolkien was a master wordsmith. Perhaps the "correct" ?'s weren't being asked.

[@Sequentonal]

"He's an open book with mostly blank pages." best description i seen yet

[@Individual_Lives_Matter]

I don’t know why but your description hit me like a ton of bricks. It happened again when I looked at it while writing this comment. There’s something very important in that comment.

[@jonnygranville281]

8:57 No wonder Tom was picking flowers for Goldberry! She was hotter than the flames of Mordor.👍🤣

[@ElDuderinoh]

Oh yea gold berry was a bad bitch

[@GregoryWonderwheel]

Tom is my favorite character and has too small a part. We gave our daughter the middle name Goldberry, his wife the River's daughter.

[@calebmahoney2448]

Awesome!

[@StevenCavanaugh]

Please tell me your last name is actually Wonderwheel. If there is a little lady out there with the name (First name) Goldberry Wonderwheel, that is delightful.

[@Biomirth]

I think Tolkien's letters that you cited are pretty clear about who and what Tom might be ('Is', but only if your mind is open to it). Tolkien struggled with the terrible nature of man and the great wars that surrounded him. He romanticized, as you say, the old men of the disappearing countryside. One of the striking features of 'locals' during great conflicts is often how unaware or unconcerned they are with these larger and more looming dangers. Their concerns are often the ones of their fathers and mothers: Where have the sheep gone? Is the girl going to marry the dangerous and brash boy, or is she going to stay at home? The provincial concerns of the local person stand out as the very thing one must cherish and protect during 'greater' conflict (EG: vs the fascists). It is no wonder then that having romanticized his encounters with these rural and self-involved 'innocent' folk that he would put them beyond the reach of evil itself. They are blameless, but also uncorruptable, and there is a power in that position. Just ask a wild animal.

[@JudgeMagikarp]

Maybe Tom is just the embodiment of the harmonic resonance of the Music, so he was there before even the Valars entered Arda.

[@JohnSmith-bt3xh]

Yes! Melkor created the nameless things before Sauron even existed, so Tom is embodiment of the music of the other Valar. Or then he is some sort of spirit or fay, like Tinfang Warble.

[@ransombaggins9301]

This is my favorite take, as well. A sort of counter to Ungoliant and the discord.

[@LordVader1094]

@@JohnSmith-bt3xh Nothing indicates that Melkor created the nameless things.

[@Vandervecken]

@@JohnSmith-bt3xh Sauron, like all the Maiar and Valar (collectively, the Ainur) were active in the Timeless Halls before Arda even existed, and he, Melkor, and all the others had existed for approximately the same "time," although obviously time wouldn't have much meaning in the Timeless Halls. But Melkor does not in any way significantly pre-date Mairon (Sauron).....So in fact Tom's claim is not possible and doesn't hold up--he CAN'T be older than any of the Ainur (which include Sauron, Gandalf, etc), who pre-date the existence of the entire world.

[@TheMarcHicks]

@@Vandervecken he never said he was *older* than the Ainur, just that he was in Middle Earth before Melkor got there.

[@jacobstewart9139]

I think I like the idea of Tom Bombadil being a manifestation of Illuvatars joy and will for his created children. I feel like Tom would be an amazing reflection of illuvatars never fading purpose for his children, which is to be cheerful and care free and enjoying the goods of the world and not concerning himself with wickedness.

[@thrithgolden2748]

That's very pretty..🌹

[@jacobstewart9139]

@@thrithgolden2748 thank you 😊

[@mcoupe69]

Very purrrrrrty indeed.. 😸.. 😒…😔 sorry

[@jacobstewart9139]

@@mcoupe69 don't be sorry! I'm thankful for the compliment

[@mcoupe69]

@@jacobstewart9139 I was apologizing for the cringe of my compliment 🫠

[@balltoball1]

i feel that tom may be the light version of the nameless ones. beings that existed in arda before the song was sung. he just chose a nice place to exist instead of the dark places..

[@chrislongshaw]

I always liked Tom Bombadil as a jolly distraction from the main narrative, and assumed that he was Tolkein’s representation of the ‘Green man’, an ancient anthropomorphism of nature that is found across the world, but especially in English folklore. He is included to show that the desires, worries, politics and wars of mortals are minuscule and fleeting compared to the geological timescale and power of nature itself.

[@meleardil]

Tom is the Avatar of Arda. The consciousness of the music. More powerful than the Valar, but helpless against the change. When Arda is conquered, he would fall. As HE himself said: he would fall last, as he was the FIRST. And Goldberry is nature. The living part of Arda. Mother Nature, not in the form "power" as the Valar, but in spirit as the essence of LIFE.

[@maxholder1395]

Gandalf said he would fall last just as he was the first.. also if he was an avatar of the landmass of Arda itself wouldn't he be a little more willing to completely wipe out melkor, who had been corrupting the very earth he would represent with the end goal of melkor to have complete and total control over every aspect of Arda I think Tom would be a lot less passive with the fate of Arda and ultimately his existence as a whole.

[@justinah7400]

Or Tolkeins personal avatar

[@kawekalee9737]

Great theory & pretty spot on

[@nicoblac9368]

He is definitely not the avatar of Arda.

[@meleardil]

@@nicoblac9368 Your reasoning skills are overwhelming...

[@HPLOTRGOTfan]

I love a good old “Who and What is” Tom Bombadil conspiracy theory video.. He could be created through the Music of the Ainur, hence his singing and power of his voice - he is a physical embodiment of the song like the world of Arda.

[@hiddendesire3076]

9:18 Actually if memory serves me right she was originally a water nymph who had tried to pull him under in the hopes of claiming his power, but as a form of punishment he instead plucked her from the water and made her his wife. He even calls her “River lady’s daughter” in his song as an ode to her origin. He does truly love her despite her original desires and she had equally come to love the man who she had once tried to end in pursuit of his power.

[@majicogarcia8417]

She tried to kill him and he forced her to marry him. Good lord, what a trainwreck of a union.....

[@hiddendesire3076]

@@majicogarcia8417 And in turn she ended up getting what she sought, his power or rather access to it. Plus, she did end up in love with him. He dotes on her as well, trying to always make her happy.

[@thescottishviking1504]

He is the personification of nature. Oblivious to all things around him. His wife is the changing seasons, nature's constant companion.

[@mithrandirthegreypilgrim5493]

There has been a consensus that Tom Bombadil is the direct antithesis of ungoliant, if so, that would make Tom Bombadil the opposite of darkness and death; light and nature. Great video as always guys.

[@marleyjr00]

I think Tom is chaotic good while Ungoliant is chaotic evil. So yeah that makes sense.

[@killian_hook_jones]

@@marleyjr00 I would argue neutral rather than chaotic but that could just be coming from different interpretations of the alignment chart

[@KinseiSensei]

Tom seems to me to be the creator god, enjoying his creations with a child-like innocence. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@TheBestMOC]

He creator gods little brother The annoying little one😂

[@Alex9971000]

Watch the nerd of the rings video on “5 theories on who Tom Bombadil is.” That will debunk that idea.

[@ariessmith4910]

Agreed

[@meruluss]

Not the creator, I think, but perhaps a personification of the creation song

[@TheGlobuleReturns]

@@Alex9971000 It doesnt really debunk it, per say.. still a viable theory

[@colinchildress1251]

I always liked the idea of Tom Bombadil being Eru Iluvatar, because they are both obsessed with music. Whether it be the music of the Ainur, or just skipping and singing in the forest.

[@Roihclem871]

I was thinking this only other character who says they're the best singer is eru

[@raducoman6423]

According to Tolkien himself, the only incarnation of Eru/God is Jesus Christ. Remember that the events of Tolkien’s work take place in our world, in a DISTANT PAST. So Eru will incarnate in the distant future as Christ. Tolkien hated analogies hence why he would never write an analogy of the Christ figure he so rigorously believed in. Doing so would be a blasphemy in his eyes.

[@starlitelemming6929]

I think Tom might be thought of as an unexpected manifestation of the song of the Ainur. I envisage it like a tangle of related melodies reinforcing each other in one spot so intensely that something manifests. Ungoliant might well fit into the same category, but I would never consider them to be opposites. Light is not truly a feature of Tom Bombadil: I think he is just as happy at night-time as he is during the day. Tom appears to be a manifestation of the positive aspects of nature, which, when rising to the level of sentience, are expressed as kindness and generosity. Interestingly, he is not a protector of nature, like the ents are. I think he is probably able to manifest anywhere that nature is most unsullied, and that the Old Forest is the purest of such places remaining in Middle Earth. His power does not seem to depend on the amount of virgin forest in the world, but were it all to disappear, then he would disappear along with it, simply because there would be nothing left for him to be a manifestation of. In short, and more specifically, perhaps he can be thought of as a divine manifestation of the positive aspects of terrestrial life in Middle-Earth.

[@jim.rnilsen9]

I have always thought of Tom as the remnants of the song ainur, the part that remained after the world was created. This would make him "the oldest" older than the first raindrops. it would also explain his power and fits his them of music and song

[@mark12345678901000]

I've always thought of him as father time and Goldberry as mother nature.

[@tannermcateer1463]

Tom Bombadil always confused me as a kid when I read the Fellowship, he seemed so out of place. But now I think that is precisely his role; he's the element of lightness that you can't quite put your finger on that weirdly seems to ground the story. Learning that he existed as that type of out of place yet integral element in the entire context of the development of the story from a children's story to something with more gravity really blows my mind.

[@jrasealexander5480]

I think the idea that Tom is similar to the Ungoliant in regards to the ultimate light and dark spawning their own unpredictable entities is quite the astute conjecture. But within that framework we can also infer that Tom may just be an avatar of Iluvatar, and in that regard, perhaps the Ungoliant was the avatar of the emptiness outside of Iluvatar. Just conjecture.

[@jeffguscott]

I find it quite coincidental that iluvatar created everything with music and tom himself is so musically inclined.

[@PursuitofWickedness]

It's my secretly held belief that Tom Bombadil was created in the dark void by Eru Iluvatar as an experiment in creation. From Tom he learned the limits of the flame of creation and how to empower it through song, leading to creation of the Ainur and eventually Ea.

[@grantdyble3472]

Although it's not really a secret if you post it on the internet ;).

[@technocore1591]

I think regardless of Tolkien's actual intent, Tom serves a literary purpose. By introducing this character when and how he did, by showing his utter disinterest in the ring, Tolkien makes his incredibly huge and detailed world, just a little bigger and little more mysterious. Because of Tom, for the rest of the book there world is larger than we think, and regardless of how well we come to know it, just a little bit more mysterious.

[@Quaze75]

I really had come to the thought of him being the embodiment of Eru himself inside the world he created. But after watching this video I much more like the thought of him being the opposite of Ungoliant being born by the world into the light. I enjoyed all the theories, thank you for posting.

[@raducoman6423]

According to Tolkien himself, the only incarnation of Eru/God is Jesus Christ. Remember that the events of Tolkien’s work take place in our world, in a DISTANT PAST. So Eru will incarnate in the distant future as Christ. Tolkien hated analogies hence why he would never write an analogy of the Christ figure he so rigorously believed in. Doing so would be a blasphemy in his eyes.

[@Myrddnn]

Tom is as you say, the embodiment of an aspect of the "creator"; that is the personalities of the Ainar and Valar are all pieces of Aru's personality, separated so Anu could experience Middle Earth from many perspectives. He was the observer, the part of Anu that LOVED his creation and wanted to watch it develop. Goldberry could be either a part of that or something else we don't see yet.

[@sacredfire536]

Goldberry I would imagine is simply put the aspect of the feminine. Soft rain. Seasonal change. Kind of the glue that holds things together.

[@margathapai4010]

In mythologies there are characters that exist from mythologies that came before them; Quetzalcoatl, The Fisher King, and Uranus to name a few. Tom Bombadil comes from a myth that prexists the current telling, one whom the people of the fourth age, those that the story was written for, would have common knowledge of, while us, in our current age, are so far removed that he is an enigma.

[@TheRedBook]

13:14 - Might seem pedantic but this error seems to pop up a lot. Maia/Vala - singular, Maiar/Valar - plural. Saying "A Maiar" or "A Valar" is like saying "A Dwarves". As for those theories, the Eru one should be immediately disregarded since J.R.R. Tolkien said there is no embodiment of the Creator anywhere in the story - "There is no 'embodiment' of the Creator anywhere in this story or mythology." - Letter 181. The Creator is God, not Tolkien. BUT a good comprehensive video here :D

[@TheBrokenSword]

Ha! Very true! and thank you :D

[@Enerdhil]

And Ainu and Ainur...

[@andrew12bravo21]

I've always considered Tom an aspect of Eru manifested as a result of the Songs of the Ainur and he came into existence with the Creation of Arda, along with Ungolient, who could be considered Tom's evil cousin.

[@pattyfree2970]

After watching the new movie "The Green Knight" I tent to think he is nature personified. A representation of the eternal. Your breakdown of the possibilities is first class. Tokein drew from ancient mythology, Arthurian poems and history. Which is great because we each get to have our opinions. Never specifically stated.

[@spacemoose200]

Tolkien wrote a famous essay on Gawain and the Green Knight while he was an academic so he knew the story incredibly well. That said, there really is nothing in common between GK and Tom though other than being close with nature. Gk was more interested in testing people and their honour as demonstrated through the three trials and decapitation challenge. Tom doesn’t seem to directly interfere with anything as his ambivalence is the defining character trait.

[@pattyfree2970]

@@spacemoose200 Agreed, the trials of honor play a major role. These tribulations are what carry the story. But there is also an underlying idea creeping around throughout the whole movie. The notion that nature wins, there is no winning against it, noble or nefarious, we all die. I think your observation of his ambivalence being a defining characteristic is spot on. I would argue that this trait comes from his atheistic perspective of death, which the Green Knight represents.

[@kimberblue13]

I still feel that Tom is something of a physical representation of Nature, the representation of the heart and spirit of Arda - pure, wild, and free. Tolkien loved and revered nature and he detested the industry that was/is destroying our own natural world. Tom and his wild woods seem to me a prime example of what Tolkien would have liked to see in his own idea of a perfect world. No industry, no war, just the bounty of nature and all creatures living together peacefully. Sounds like paradise to me. ;)

[@oscardinogetti3824]

I always look forward to the Bombadil chapter's in fellowship, yet have always found them odd, especially The House of Tom Bombadil chapter. It's written more, I want to say lighthearted, then the previous or following chapters. Frodo and the hobbits singing instead of talking, speaking more eloquently and the sheer coincidence that Tom had a four bed spare room fpr hobbits is just too convenient for me. However I suppose my thoughts on his true identity could explain these irregularities. I believe him to be Eru in physical form or a fragment of him. There for Frodo on his quest to aid him or show him that there is good power in the world. Tom's been there awhile, by all accounts from the council, but maybe Eru only knew Frodo's need or middle earth's need, but not the time? But in all honesty the character is so random and perfectly placed by the Shire that it could just be something Tolkien liked and wouldn't change even if it didn't fit all that well with the story. He wrote it for himself possibly and kept it.

[@ohno8569]

I like to imagine him as an echo of the first song... no real reason behind it... I just enjoy the idea. To me... Tom represents Tolkien's love of folklore. And his truly amazing skill as a writer. Tom is an allegory, that's meaning is supposed to be left up too the reader. Much like Nietzsche's, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". I also believe that Tolkien intentionally made both Tom's character, and the writing style he used to write those chapters feel out of place... Tom is used as a tool to help the reader get into a fantastical mindset... he helps you ignore plot holes, (counterintuitively) by creating a massive plot hole. Tolkien was a master of his craft.

[@oscardinogetti3824]

@@ohno8569 well said! You found the words I never could and that makes perfect sense. Beautifully done.

[@gamer749]

I'm leaning towards the idea that he is the personified spirit of the pure part of the Music of The Ainur. The fact that he always sings, his voice has power, he is older than the world itself and has seen the Valar descend, and he is immune to craft created by the Maiar gives credence to this idea.

[@TheSumo294]

Hmnnn n . . . Methinks u are right!

[@johnmarcgreen]

Thank you so very much for making this short film, it did my heart good, and lifted my spirit to spend little while thinking about these things, like when Frodo in the forest of Mirkwood poked his head up above the canopy and darkness to see the view from above.

[@geschaftsmanngeschaftsmann6891]

Add frodo could not have faced those ghosts without Tom Tom is essential to the story

[@Wowmusicable]

Too bad they didnt film scenes with Tom Bombadil for the first Lotr-movie. I understand Peter Jacksons decision, that the visit at Tom Bombadils house wasn't important for the overall story and the movie would have been too long. But I think they should have filmed the scenes and included it on an Extended version of the movie for the DVD-release.

[@Enerdhil]

Yeah. It would have been nice to see the Barrow Wights too....

[@samtmh7240]

It would be nice, and that's a nice idea without a doubt, however his decision is understandable considering everything filmed costs money.

[@roddo1955]

Would only have meaning to those who read the books. The movie was made for mass appeal. Most people who saw the movie, never read the books. His would be a scene that would have been cut by the editor. Book fans are a bit whiney when it comes to adaptations🤭

[@frankmcginty7483]

Tom came from a previous literary piece from Tolkien. I believe it was 2 short stories or poems. He included him in the lord of the rings. That is why he existed before all of middle earth and the Valar. He was the original character that Tolkien wanted to include in his later literary works

[@jbbryson8047]

Genius. Brilliant. Great clip!!

[@ransombaggins9301]

Wonderful, as always. My favorite theory--the one that I like to imagine--is that Tom is a personification of the beautiful music and light, similar to how Ungoliant is the same for the discord and darkness.

[@bentalbot6776]

I have always felt that Tom Bombadil and Goldberry are separate from Maia and Valar. I think that Tom is nature in human form and therefore his powers come from nature. I feel that in earlier ages he roamed far in the same way the ents used to. As for Goldberry I think she is meant to be a water goddess or spirit.

[@dhrgkbqxtjr2743]

When I read the book it seemed clear to me that Tom is Father Time and Goldberry is Mother Nature.

[@ElDuderinoh]

@@dhrgkbqxtjr2743 uhm no dude

[@ElDuderinoh]

@@dhrgkbqxtjr2743 like literally, not even close dude

[@dhrgkbqxtjr2743]

Wow, look at all the illiterate trolls.

[@GromDarkwater]

@@dhrgkbqxtjr2743 that's a cool idea, I always just thought Tom Bombadil was just the embodiment of the land itself.

[@hughmellerick4417]

Excellent theories, really really well thought-out. I once again commend highly your choice of artwork which doubtless was not the easiest to come by. It shows a lot of hard work and dedication. I often wish that it were possible that instead of simply giving a video a 'like', that one could give the producer a graded like, ie a score out of ten, or even out of five. Considering the obscene rubbish which can get a 'like' just as easily as your highly detailed productions, I feel that it is not a just system of grading at all, numbers of viewers notwithstanding. Anyway, I highly salute your *work*, because it *is* work, and not just another video on yt. Sláinte.

[@radicalcartoons2766]

That's why I subscribe to The Broken Sword, the artwork. ( and the use of actual text from the book, and Tolkien's letters). I'm a sf/fantasy illustrator and grew up with TLOTRs, it's always been a huge inspiration.

[@jppagetoo]

I always thought of Tom as father time. He was there when it began and will be there when it ends. I think of goldberry as Mother Nature. The two are a perfect pair and if you look at how they behave, it makes some sense. But Tolkein was never forthcoming ond this topic so we will never know for sure.

[@eacalvert]

The one I've heard along the lines of him representing the light is that he is a representation of The Song itself

[@andrew12bravo21]

This was probably the most informative Bombadil video I've seen to date!! If he was in the world before the Valar entered, he might have been sung into existence by the Valar upon the creation of Ea, maybe due to the discord Melkor sowed into the Song?

[@neogenesis0038]

I always wondered if Tom knew of the fate of the Entwives. Even if they were in fact destroyed during the War of the Last Alliance, I always wanted the Ents to get closure. Anyway, I remember my first time reading the Fellowship. I was young, pre-teen, and I read through the opening parts of the book like no other book I had ever read. It flowed so perfectly, I was excited, nervous, curious...even worried at times as the Hobbits made their "escape" form the Shire. It was like I was on a river being swept through a story...until I came to the House of Tom Bombadil. It felt as though I was reading an entirely different story. In fact, I briefly skipped ahead to see exactly what the Hell had just happened, to make sure that the story continued on "normally". It was very confusing to me...like he didn't fit, and still doesn't fit in a lot of ways to me. He is such an odd character. Un-phased, yet not uncaring. Oblivious, yet knowledgeable. Unmotivated, but active. Irrelevant, yet incredibly Important. "Good", but knowingly allowed "Evil" to exist next to him. To me, this is clearly the mark of a higher being. "Things are, because they are, and happen, because they happen"...in a sense. His actions in saving the Hobbits on several occasions show that he's at least conscious of the importance of life...at least the Ring Bearers Life. Yet, he allowed the Barrow Downs to exist.... Neither the Elves nor The Wise understand him or know him. Which leads me to what I believe he is, or represents. He is there to show that there are things in Middle Earth (or our world), that even the oldest, wisest, and most powerful do not know, and will never know. Some things will always be beyond our understanding...and I believe he's there to give the feel to the readers that there is far more depth to Middle Earth than just what is written in any of its books. We are not meant to understand what he is. Or...he's just been alive for so friggin long that he's somewhat detached/insane. Either one works for me.

[@jo1361]

Tom may just be the physical manifestation of this whole world itself. He is a part of it all.

[@robertstauffer2865]

The only real answer is that "Tom Bombadil" was a doll that his children played with when they were little. Tolkien would make up adventures for Tom to go on to amuse them. He then included Tom in writing LOTR, because he felt the hobbits needed a small adventure on their escape from the Shire to Bree, and Tom just fit the bill.

[@daniellefaure9817]

Very nice idea. To me it is the best one. Tolkien was a nice father and after the fear in the forest he makes a funny and light time to the Hobbits. I love him and his so nice wife a lot. That sort of fantasy is exactly what I love so much in english books like Alice in Wonderland and films like these of the Monty Python... I think only english people are able of that sort of fantasy. And I was so happy to find it in the lord of the rings just after the horror of the forest. Sorry for my bad english. I'm French....

[@jonnygranville281]

@@daniellefaure9817 you are doing better at English than alot of Americans i know. 👍😀

[@daniellefaure9817]

@@jonnygranville281 thank you very much. It's nice to read 😍

[@justinkitts3381]

@@daniellefaure9817 yeah i honestly assumed you were an English speaker. Your writing is excellent, especially for a non native

[@rangerofthenorth1970]

Honestly I think that Tom is just a simple beign sent and created by Eru himself and that he is let's say a sort of meesanger to Eru, he is there to watch over The Old Forrest and that part of Middleearth and he is there to inform Eru of whats hapoening in Muddleearth because he knows a lot of things and he was there before everybody.....

[@showbiz3848]

I had never heard the one about Tom actually being Tolkien himself . What a delightfully warm and kind thought and I love how you rationalized it. So I go with Tom being J.R.R., himself. Thanks 😊

[@seanchan4478]

An actual conversation I had with a bigger nerd than myself, whom I respect immeasurably Me: just finished lord of the rings Nerdbro: what'd you think? Me: I liked it, I just have one question Nerdbro: don't say Tom bombadill Me: what was up with Tom bombadill-o?

[@shanchan8247]

I always thought Tom was an Elemental (a earth spirit), Lady Goldberry too (a water Elemental). That would explain how he existed before people.

[@merakibeats]

Tom is Eru 😂 No Tom is Tom and perhaps the representation of the music of the valar?

[@meleardil]

Yes... The Avatar of Arda. The consciousness of the music. More powerful than the Valar, but helpless against the change. When Arda is conquered, he would fall. As HE himself said: he would fall last, as he was the FIRST. And Goldberry is nature. The living part of Arda. Mother Nature, not in the form "power" as the Valar, but in spirit as the essence of LIFE.

[@LamelScott]

I stand behind this.

[@LamelScott]

@@meleardil and i stand behind this too...

[@merakibeats]

@@meleardil you know bro

[@loganmpe7559]

Tom Bombadil from the first time I read The Lord Is The Rings always gave me the feeling that he is a part of the spirit of God, here to maintain a certain presence among his creation!

[@TransRoofKorean]

I'd heard of this channel, never listened to it... this is something I've had so many hours of conversation about... not as a believer or religious person in any sense.... apparently *the one bishop contemporary* of Tolkien's time that confronted him with Goldberry's declaration opposed to "Who is the Master?" "He Is" -- as an irreligious man myself, I can't see it only being bishops who perceive that quote as invoking "I AM THAT I AM" [many ways to interpret that, I recommend looking that up]. One might think it a coincidence, but the demigod-created superevil godlike power of the one Ring: he *_laughs_* that your protagonists thinks it would affect him. Looking at that pure, God-loving Christian that he is, but more notably his disdain of "progress" and love of nature, to me it's absolutely clear that Tolkien thought of Tom Bombadil as his *personal embodiment of God.* *_It doesn't have to be_* God to you, or to anyone else, but it's pretty damn clear that's what Tolkien was seeing. That's my take. [consider this in regards to his friend CS Lewis finishing the Chronicles of Narnia and the events of The Last Battle, which I almost consider Christian canon -- as a non-Christian, heh!]

[@TransRoofKorean]

crap I haven't even _started_ this video...

[@tahroy28]

I really enjoyed this. Thank you

[@isaiahmott7847]

If the ring has the power to ultimately destroy the world and therefore Tom who has no interest in the ring and would forget about it. Who is Goldberry that has so ensnared his attention?

[@Sidewinder528]

Well you know how Pu$$y affects The way guys think.

[@davect01]

We need tales of Tom and Beorn wandering Middle Earth together

[@galpeleg143]

PLEASE YES !!!! they are my 2 favorite chars ! and just add their side kick TreeBeard as Tom YOUNG strudent :)

[@KnifeCrazzzzy]

That letter reference was an awesome addition!!!

[@partofthetribe3277]

I find the ambiguity of this character so fascinating I love it. Your channel is amazing bro.

[@TheBrokenSword]

Thank you 😊

[@partofthetribe3277]

@@TheBrokenSword Very welcome sir

[@archivesofarda986]

And is Treebeard really older than Tom? if Tom was there before the first raindrop, surely he must be older than the trees and therefore older than Treebeard

[@radagast7200]

He said he was there before the first acorn. But not necessarily the first tree.

[@petebloom2734]

he was first

[@owlkat1810]

Treebeard was the first creature, Tom is not a creature.

[@petebloom2734]

owl kat cool name by the way but i think u r splitting hairs on your reply everyone is a creature

[@ronosborne6855]

I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time just last week. One of the things I noticed was how the language progressed through the story. At first, the word choice and sentence structure seemed more simplistic and rustic while by the third book the language was more complex and poetic. I was wondering if that change was intentional or just occurred during the writing of the story. From the sounds of it, I guess it was just an accident that worked for the story.

[@30110CKs]

The in world source of the book is the writings of Frodo, written from the perspective of the hobbits. They start out as childish and innocent and end up growing into worldly wise travellers and warriors. The language evolves as the narrator does.

[@ngozinnunukwe5680]

Perhaps he represents the first song of creation from the Valar as they were starting to sing creation into existence, before middle earth was fully realized. Similar to a prelude of a symphony. The prelude is important for setting the atmosphere of a symphony, but is technically not the symphony or bound to the "rules" of the particular symphony that is to be played.

[@Radioman-pv5np]

Great videos! This is my current go-to background listening. One question: Where is the graphic from (the geneaology chart) referenced at 17:05 from? I'd like to download that for personal study. Thank you!

[@TheJcornell08]

Tom is the representation of neutrality. He has full control of his own lands but if he left he would have to choose sides and thus cease to be.

[@calebmiller1315]

My theory is that Tolkien wrote himself in as Bombadil. He’s basically like an admin of Arda. When I write my stories, sometimes I like to mention a small mysterious family living in the woods who know great power but bring only joy.

[@gibblesbits1466]

I always saw Tom as the embodiment as The Great Song. That's why he is constantly singing and his voice has so much power. And as the embodiment of Creation he just loves everything because he is everything.

[@francescogigliojr1787]

Great Video! Very interesting

[@geschaftsmanngeschaftsmann6891]

The ghosts in the old forest are so important to the story if it had not been for the fact that frodo had so much courage then much courage then they would never have found the sword that killed which king in the end

[@christianolivarez9049]

Frodo is a bitch

[@giannidescalzo2101]

I like the idea that Tom is called the eldest and talks about having been there before any other inhabitants of middle-earth because he literally was in the original "beta version" of what JRR Tolkien intended to write, and Tolkien brought him over after several rewrites and a complete change in the storyline and continuity that he was trying to tell. So Tom literally existed before everything else, and now he just doesn't make sense here and no power can affect him. Meta.

[@donaldsankey5046]

Thank you for this ... I recommend you to all my friends who wish more info into this wonderful universe

[@philbyrd9264]

I thought I knew Lord of the rings, until how succinctly you put it did I realize how wrong I was. Very in depth will subscribe

[@Shaden0040]

I wonder if Goldberry is a Maia of the water affiliated Maia? Maybe even a daughter of Ulmo? I do like the theory that tom is not Eru but the music of eru and the Ainar Their music untainted by Melkor.

[@jeffclardy8751]

My guess is Goldberry is an unaffiliated Maia or more than likely a Maiar of Tom himself. As I wrote above it is in the SIlmarilion that many Ainar and Maiar entered the universe with purposes other then the named Ainar and purposed for specific tasks or parts of the Song.

[@johnnyedelhoff5866]

Maybe she's the daughter of Osse and Uinen

[@AndTheCorrectAnswerIs]

I have always believed Tom was Eru. Why would he create Arda, only to live in the void? Why would he be any more concerned with the daily minutia of men or elves than we would be with ants in an anthill? Why would we think his concerns would match those of mortal beings...or that they would even be understandable at all? The fact that he periodically notices something happening amongst the "children" is akin to us periodically noticing something beautiful in nature, like a flower or a bird. We may quickly even interact with it...and then forget about it and go on about our business.

[@DimitryRotstein]

There is also a theory that Tom Bombadil is... Tom Bombadil. Every other theory basically tries to classify Tom as something else - an angelic being, a personification of some natural force, a writer's avatar, a god... All these classes have more than one element. Many writers have embedded themselves in their stories. Even Eru isn't unique because there are other gods in other universes. But according to this theory, Tom is unique, one of a kind, and the name of that kind is Tom, because there is no one and nothing else in that kind. Tom basically said so himself - that his name is the only thing there is to know about him, implying that there is no other way to describe him, no classification that can be put to him. That would certainly make him the first and the oldest of his kind by default (and also the last and the youngest too). If that is the case, then Tom serves a very interesting and important purpose in the story - to show that not everything can be defined or understood or explained or classified (which are different words for much the same thing), and the only way to deal with it is to accept it as is without asking unaswerable questions. That's kind of what Frodo had to do to complete his mission - to walk the path that was laid before him without asking where it goes or why it had to be him to walk it.

[@Trygvar13]

The fact that is power comes from singing always had me think he was Eru Iluvatar.

[@ScrappyKitty15]

Bingo. That’s who I think he is.

[@jona826]

He's the Higgs Field of Middle-earth.

[@loganestrada2311]

I'm on the side of the Ungoliant came from the darkness, Bombadil came from the light. Neither are Valar, or Maiar, they just are.

[@Enerdhil]

So do you think Iluvatar created something purely dark and evil like Ungoliant? I have always thought that Melkor, Maiar, etc. became evil in the process of making the world. Melkor was not evil until he took part in the creation of Arda.

[@johnnyedelhoff5866]

@@Enerdhil I think Ungoliant came from Melkor's Discord during the Music

[@Enerdhil]

@@johnnyedelhoff5866 If you are saying that she is a spirit that formed herself to the discord of Melkor, I can agree with that. If you are saying that Melkor created her, then I disagree.

[@johnnyedelhoff5866]

@@Enerdhil That's what I was trying to say. English is not my first language. I don't think Melkor created her, at least not by intention

[@Enerdhil]

@@johnnyedelhoff5866 That is what I thought you meant. Your English is great! Don't stop posting!😃

[@Sikraj]

I always believed that if Eru was a creator that made things through music, then it is a good chance that he had to create several drafts before creating the song that made middle-earth as we know it. If that is the case, then it would make sense to me that Tom would be an idea that held alot of sentimentality to Eru, so rather than discard that idea, he put it in an out of the way place. Which would explain how he can be as old as he is, why the ring has no power over him, but still no inclination to leave his home to engage int he affairs of middle earth....basically, Tom is an easter egg left by Eru.

[@michaelkress84]

I think Joseph Pearce has the best theory: Tom and Goldberry are like Adam and Eve, existing before the fall, thus before the ring. They have preternatural powers and do not answer to the ring since they existed before the fall / original sin. Considering Tolkien’s robust Catholicism, I think this is a great theory-this is how man would have been without sin.

[@TurinTuramber]

A jolly old fellow...

[@user-sd7ri9fy4i]

Good work dude thanks

[@M.E.McKinley]

I always wondered why the part with Tom Bombadil was in the books but I always enjoyed reading his part in the story. I should really read these books again for my fourth time lol

[@Shaden0040]

In his day Brian Blessed would have made a great Tom Bombadil.

[@maksphoto78]

He still would!

[@Sidewinder528]

Diiive!

[@Sidewinder528]

Or Dwarf

[@MayhemmiGunn]

I've always imagined him looking, and especially sounding like Brian Blessed 😄 Also, I love that he is known as Forn to the Dwarves, as it means 'Ancient' in Old Norse, where Tolkien obviously drew much of his inspiration from (for the Dwarves anyways)

[@alementary4065]

I think TB is the physical manifestation of Illuvatar. A piece of Him left on Middle Earth to interact with the real world. All of Eru Illuvatar's creation was the manifestation of a song, a piece of music.

[@christopherwinner4]

Always see Tom as "Melchizadek King of Salem" illusion. Very little is recorded about them but their importance and power is recognized by the opinions of those who record them.

[@BrentMB79]

I think this is an awesome theroy, but whom was melchizadek? Only those that dig deep know who he is, and is only mentioned twice.

[@erindunn6689]

My theory is that he’s sort of like Aughra from The Dark Crystal; he’s the embodiment of Arda itself, and serves as its eyes and voice.

[@tyrannicaltypomichaeltester]

That's how I see it as well