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Summary
There are a handful ofLord of the Ringstheories that creatively answer the question,“Who is Tom Bombadil , really?“In a world of ever - athirst Hobbits , giant spiders , undead knight - kings , and immortal elves , Tom Bombadil is the strangest animal in Tolkien ’s world . Indeed , over the years , theLord of the Ringsfranchise continues to fork out into various raw movies and serial , including Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power . However , even with this quite a little of novel capacity , there have n’t been any clearly - cut answers to motion hem in what type of being Tom Bombadil is .
MostLord of the Ringsmysteries are explained in detail within the wider works of J.R.R. Tolkien . The origins of Shelob , the animosity between elves and dwarves , and the backstory of Sauron are all intricately detail by Tolkien elsewhere in his canon . deplorably , an explanation regarding Tom Bombadil is nowhere to be found , and decades later , the gay theatrical role remain an unknown entity in Middle - dry land . Now , Old Tom ’s appearance inThe Rings of Powerseason 2has brought this mystery back to the forefront — so what are the possible explanation ?
Amazon ’s The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power has known characters and brand raw ones , all with intimate faces . Here ’s where you know them from .
Tom Bombadil Is God
Tom Bombadil Could Be Eru Ilúvatar
Though he ’s not cite inThe Lord of the RingsorThe Hobbit , Tolkien ’s man is presided over by a God know as Eru Ilúvatar . This primordial entity shares many traits with the monotheistic gods of the real mankind and was responsible for produce all animation with the avail of his first child , the Ainur . Predictably , Eru does n’t ask himself in the day - to - day events of the creation . Despite his omniscience , Eru only intervenes straight on a handful of occasions throughout Tolkien ’s entire history - one example ( potentially ) being Gollum tripping in Mount Doom .
Since Tolkien ’s Eru is as mysterious as Tom Bombadil , it ’s only natural that fans would plug in the two . Bombadil boasts apparently unlimited big businessman and a deep association to nature . The persona also assist Frodo without immediately joining his quest , which accommodate Eru ’s detached relationship with Middle - earth . Tom trace himself as the " eldest " who remembers the " first raindrop , " and theancient elf Elrondlabels him as " fatherless , " which some have interpreted as meaning he was the first being in existence - the fabled Eru .
Tolkien rejected the feeling that Eru might have a physical presence in Middle - earth , but theories of Tom Bombadil ’s inspired nature have continued even so .
Tom Bombadil Is One Of The Ainur
The Valar Were Known To Sometimes Dwell In Middle-earth
If Tom Bombadil is n’t Eru himself , he could be one of the Valar- who are to Eru what archangels are to God . The Valar dwells in the Undying Lands , watching over the world of serviceman and taking action when necessary , and while Eru is n’t know to take the air among his creations freely , the Valar sure enough does . These being loved their forefather ’s initiation , and gravitated towards a specific element of nature for which they were responsible . Some of the Ainur befriend elves in the aloof past and withdraw forcible forms to approach the children of Eru .
Since Tom Bombadil ’s power is cut back to the Old Forest , he could be a Valar , as both have influence over panorama of nature . Some Valar are more proactive than others , which may explicate Tom ’s power being limited to his margin , and the Valar were also known to espouse , which accounts for Goldberry ’s mien better than if Tom were Eru .
Tom Bombadil Is A Maia
Many Maiar Of Lord Of The Rings Went Their Own Way
More likely than a Valar , Bombadil may also be a Maia - a less powerful being , comparable to an saint . Since theMaiar were far with child in number than the Valar , Bombadil could more well lam to the Old Forest for a quiet life , and plenty of Maia were left unnamed by Tolkien , giving some story wiggle - room . Interestingly , Tom Bombadil ’s powers appear reasonably similar to those of Melian , a Maia who feature inTolkien’sThe Silmarillion .
Sauron himself is a Maia , so Bombadil could have likewise taken a human - like form without being deliberate a human incarnation , like wizards . Still , this would n’t explain Bombadil ’s neutrality . Additionally , Bombadil being a Maia would make him only as old as the eternal sleep of the Ainur , which , once again , does n’t go with his inculpate age inLord of the Rings .
Tom Bombadil Is A Wizard
Tom Bombadil Could Be An Undocumented Istari
InThe Lord of the Rings , a maven is a Maia incarnated in human material body . Tolkien ’s have a go at it wizards are incorporate of Gandalf , Saruman , Radagast and twoBlue Wizards ofLord of the Rings , who are only mention in passing . Since Bombadil wear down a blue pelage and little is known about the movements of the blasphemous wizards , some fan speculate that he could be one of these missing wizard in disguise , though this is highly unbelievable due to Tom reside in Middle - earth long before the wizards arrived .
Bombadil could be another Maia - turned - wizard from an earlier old age whose existence was not wide bang .
Alternatively , Bombadil could be another Maia - turn - genius from an earlier age whose creation was not widely known . With that said , Tom ’s resistance to the Ring perhaps dispels any whimsy of him being a wizard . Both Gandalf and Saruman were tainted by Sauron ’s influence , but Bombadil was unmoved by dark power , suggesting his rightful form ranks high than a wiz . Tom Bombadil ’s powers also seem to eclipse what the likes of Gandalf the Grey are capable of .
Tom Bombadil Is The Embodiment Of Middle-earth/Father Time
Tom Bombadil Could Be The Earth Itself
A more out - of - the - box theory suggest Tom Bombadil is a physical avatar of the world itself . Tom ’s ability are primarily free-base around nature . The living public respond to Tom ’s commands- a ability even the Ainur do n’t possess . Bombadil also remains neutral in the War of the Ring , and it could be enounce that his only concern is preserving the instinctive ordination . Just as the Earth itself has no diagonal regarding the beings that live on it , Bombadil take no side in the War of the Ring and has no worry over good and evil .
A major cue in this theory arrive during the Council of Elrond , as the concerned attendees contemplate using Tom as theRing - bearer for the journeying to Mordor . During the give-and-take , Galdor the elf states , " Thepower to hold up our foeman is not in him , unless such power is in the ground itself , " which suggest that Tom and nature are one and the same . For standardized reasons , some have suggestedTom Bombadil could be the manifestation of timedue to his carefree personality , immortality , and control of nature . The " eldest " and " fatherless " adjectives support this theory , as does Tom ’s resistance to the One Ring .
Tom Bombadil Is The Song Of The Ainur
This Would Explain Tom Bombadil’s Love For Music
Tolkien ’s Genesis story is tell inThe Silmarillion , in which Eru and his host create a spell of euphony that thread the tapis of all metre and existence . It has been theorized that Tom Bombadil is the physical representation of this music in Middle - globe . This would make sense asRadagast the Brown already defend natureinLord of the Rings . Moreover , Tom ’s love of song is used as evidence in this argumentation , as the character exerts his power over other tool through music , almost singing them into submission .
The song of creation simply is , with no will or brain of its own , merely flowing with the passage of existence .
If Tom were indeed the song of founding , this would effectively explain his status as the first ancient living being in a land full of ancient living beings . The song of creation simplyis , with no will or mind of its own , simply flowing with the passage of existence . This perfectly describes Tom ’s personality and his lack of stake in the battle between good and iniquity .
Tom Bombadil Is “The Reader”
Tom Bombadil Might Represent You & Me
One of the more meta - theories regarding Tom Bombadil is that he is " the reader " ofLord of the Rings . The Fellowship of the Ring’sTom Bombadil chapter move the tale of the One Ring from a light - hearted jaunt through a phantasy worldto a more serious journey of last , darkness , and corruption . Tom ’s sorcerous house is the concluding refuge for Frodo and his fellow Hobbits before they pass on Bree , and thing get exponentially more serious . If Tom Bombadil were the reader , he might show this very move from the infantile to the mature .
Like the lecturer , Tom stick out Frodo but ca n’t do his job for himand is limit to watching the issue of Middle - dry land from a shoes of relative safety machine , whether that be the Old Forest or a comfortable chair in the 21st century . This idea attain the conversation at the Council of Elrond rather interesting as well . Gandalf and Elrond would have been talk over whetheryou , the reader , could pull through Middle - earth — it ’s a veryNeverending Storyidea .
Tom Bombadil Is J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien May Have Placed Himself In Lord Of The Rings
Another metaLord of the Ringstheory is that Tom Bombadil present Tolkien himself . This is like to the idea that Old Tom is Eru since Tolkien is the out - of - world creator of Arda and Middle - earth . This would excuse Bombadil ’s ancient existencesince the author is obviously old than his fancied body of work . What ’s more , this would explain why Tolkien himself was immune to leave any account for Bombadil ’s identity — spilling the attic would ruin all the fun .
There are some problem with this theory , however , since Tolkien already has a lieu in his domain .
There are some problem with this theory , however , since Tolkien already has a place in his world . TheLord of the Ringsbooks are meant to be " regain manuscripts . “Tolkien presents his piece of work as if he is n’t the source but , instead , a linguist who translated ancient text found swallow after 100 . It would n’t make much horse sense for the man who discovered these honest-to-goodness histories to be a part within them . Still , it ’s a fun theory to consider .
Tom Bombadil Is Death
Old Tom The Grim Reaper
The construct of death is neutral and indiscriminate , which is why the theory that Tom Bombadil is a strong-arm manifestation of expiry — a sort of reaper — has gained some traction . It makes signified that the One Ring would have no impact on such a being and that he would be unwilling to get involve in the struggle of goodness and evil . What ’s more , demise has an inner connexion with the earth , considering the general circle of life .
Tolkien also called demise the " Gift of Men " in his works , and it was n’t considered a tough matter to the impudent . Men were Ilúvatar ’s favorite , and their deaths were seen as a room for their souls to join their creator , a privilege not put out to the immortal Elves . Additionally , after experiencing something like decease , it makes signified that Gandalf would fit with Tom Bombadil as he did after the primary events ofLord of the Rings .
What happens to mortals after they die inLord of the Ringsremains a mystery , but it ’s implied that they join their maker ( align with the beliefs of most faith ) .
Tom Bombadil Is The Secret Fire
Tom Bombadil Could Be The Essence Of Life Itself
In Tolkien canon , the Secret Fire is a spark , created by Ilúvatar before even the Ainur , that give life . It exist within the Void surrounding the universe , at the bosom of the earth , and within every go being . The Secret Fire is life story , creation , death , soul , and everything , all at once . It ’s this thatthe Dark Lord Melkor first coveted , and therefore , at the pith of all conflict inThe Lord of the Rings .
If Tom Bombadil were the strong-arm agency of the Secret Fire , then this would once again explain how he could be the oldest thing in existence . It would also excuse his disinterest sincethe Secret Fire is the force behindallliving things , both skillful and evilness . Of course , whythere is a forcible manifestation of the life force would still be unclear . Still , it ’s play to consider .
