Middle-earth Feedback: Tom Bombadil

[Saffron]

Meet old Tom for he’s a merry fellow. See how bright blue his jacket is, and how his boots are yellow!

Read about Tom, then post your comments below!

[gildhur]

/ignore tom He's a bit of a chat spammer.

[Valdoran]

I died in the Old Forest several times. How come Tom didn't save me? In fact, on one occasion, he only appeared AFTER I killed this nasty Wight and his minons in a cave.

I don't think he likes Dwarves

[Stigglyoutty]

You gotta love Tom. I remember reading about him calming the Willow way back when. He always fascinated me. Always cheerful, always bouncing around. You get the impression that he is not concerned with the happening around him, and always one to brighten up your day.

I think we could all learn a bit from Tom!

[ViolentCulture]

T-Bomb is responsible for one of my most memorable LOTRO moments when he comes in and saves your party in the Great Barrows is when i really started liking the game.

[gildhur]

T-Bomb is responsible for one of my most memorable LOTRO moments when he comes in and saves your party in the Great Barrows is when i really started liking the game.

LOL T-Bomb. I like that.

[DarthKeryx]

One of my favorite characters in Tolkien's work. He is a sort of pre-primordial proto-Adam (riffing a bit off Jewish mysticism). To the hobbits in LOTRO he makes the amazing speech - in answer to the question who are you? - about how he was there before even the Dark Lord came down. Presumably before Melkor/Morgoth descended into Arda. That would make him older than the eldest of the eldar. Possibly he was there before even the Valar entered and took up residence.

Is he man? elf? Probably no to both. A last surviving remnant of what the world was like barely emerged from the Music of the Ainur. Surviving remnants of long ago are of course a repeated element (leitmotif?) in Tolkien's mythology. What function Bombadil - the oldest living being in all of Arda besides the Valar? and even then? - in that mythology is one I do not fully (even partly?) understand but one that tugs at my curiosity.

[ViolentCulture]

One of my favorite characters in Tolkien's work. He is a sort of pre-primordial proto-Adam (riffing a bit off Jewish mysticism). To the hobbits in LOTRO he makes the amazing speech - in answer to the question who are you? - about how he was there before even the Dark Lord came down. Presumably before Melkor/Morgoth descended into Arda. That would make him older than the eldest of the eldar. Possibly he was there before even the Valar entered and took up residence.

Is he man? elf? Probably no to both. A last surviving remnant of what the world was like barely emerged from the Music of the Ainur. Surviving remnants of long ago are of course a repeated element (leitmotif?) in Tolkien's mythology. What function Bombadil - the oldest living being in all of Arda besides the Valar? and even then? - in that mythology is one I do not fully (even partly?) understand but one that tugs at my curiosity.

Tolkien intended T-Bomb to be a mystery, but if i had to place him in the lore through guessing I'd say he's just one of Illuvatar's private checks and balances. Or maybe he was a 1st draft for the istari(sp?) and it was decided that another form of being may prove more effective.

[Inarion]

If Tom lived in the real world...he'd live in western Oregon.

[Carroll]

Does anyone else think that ol' Tom looks a tad bit suspiciously like J.R.R. himself with a long beard? That struck me when I first saw him...and it also made me smile to think of Tom as Tolkien himself...there in Middle earth before anyone else, because he'd created it...he'd even created its creator, Illuvatar. Just curious if anyone else had that thought.

[Cleitanious]

When I first encountered this character in Battle for Middle-Earth, I hated him. He was just to incredibly annoying to me and with the perspective I had then he was a lore-breaker. But now since ive read the books (including the Silmarillion (my favourite)) Ive come to like Tom and envy his for his Goldberry.

[Briand]

I just love little Tommy. Although I still feel that he should have a bit more fat on his body.
If I read this text he should look more like a cross between a Hobbit and a Dwarf.

"There was another burst of song, and then suddenly, hopping and dancing along the path, there appeared above the reeds an old battered hat with a tall crown and a long blue feather stuck in the band. With another hop and a bound there came into view a man, or so it seemed. At any rate he was too large and heavy for a hobbit, if not quite tall enough for one of the Big People, though he made enough noise for one, stumping along with great yellow boots on his thick legs, and charging through the grass and rushes like a cow going down to drink"

[DATmadild]

You gotta love Tom. I remember reading about him calming the Willow way back when. He always fascinated me. Always cheerful, always bouncing around. You get the impression that he is not concerned with the happening around him, and always one to brighten up your day.

I think we could all learn a bit from Tom!

All this means is Tom is eating some of the mushrooms in the Old Forest. ;-)

[Flimi]

Tom is so cool. He is a legend.

[dw2007]

One of my favorite characters in Tolkien's work. He is a sort of pre-primordial proto-Adam (riffing a bit off Jewish mysticism). To the hobbits in LOTRO he makes the amazing speech - in answer to the question who are you? - about how he was there before even the Dark Lord came down. Presumably before Melkor/Morgoth descended into Arda. That would make him older than the eldest of the eldar. Possibly he was there before even the Valar entered and took up residence.

Is he man? elf? Probably no to both. A last surviving remnant of what the world was like barely emerged from the Music of the Ainur. Surviving remnants of long ago are of course a repeated element (leitmotif?) in Tolkien's mythology. What function Bombadil - the oldest living being in all of Arda besides the Valar? and even then? - in that mythology is one I do not fully (even partly?) understand but one that tugs at my curiosity.

i think that tom may be a valar. if that was so would Beorn be one too? (if i spelled it wrong pardon me). i think not. they are most likely creations of the valar that illivitar (AGAIN EXUSE SPELLING) let the valar stay before awaking of the elves. or he could be one of illivatar's creation himself.
my favorite char. even though he is quite annoying when you stay in his house to long i think he is more special than any Valar just because of the great work put behing him by JRR. great going on bringing him to life devs!

[Dav16]

Tom is the greatest and most mysterious character in Lord of the Rings. After some thought, I've finnaly come up with, though I know that J.R.R Tolkein never decided himself what Tom was, that tom was J.R.R. tolkein. He was able to command things to his will, and was there before everything, like J.R.R tolkein created the story and was able to change it if he wished.

Tom also gives the best discrepancy in Lord of the Rings.

In the Two Towers, Treebeard explains to Merry and Pippin that he is the "oldest living thing in middle earth". Tom appears to say the same thing, but I re-read his chapter and noticed that he explains that:

"I am old. Eldest, thats what I am, mark my words friends, Tom was here before the rivers and the trees, Tom remembers the first raindrop, and the first acorn.............(skip a couple of lines).................. Tom was here before the elves went west, Tom was here already when the seas were bent(I think thats reffering either to the flood of Numenor or the destruction of the Northern part of middle earth), he knew the dark stars before they were fearless, before the dark lord came from the outside.

That's Tom's speech, or some of it, but It's always bugged me that he never once mentions himself as alive. So I wonder, "Is treebeard the oldest living thing in middle earth?" and realize that maybe tom isn't alive.

But he clearly isn't dead either, so I'll let you guys think about that one .

[Rippentuck]

Does anyone else think that ol' Tom looks a tad bit suspiciously like J.R.R. himself with a long beard? That struck me when I first saw him...and it also made me smile to think of Tom as Tolkien himself...there in Middle earth before anyone else, because he'd created it...he'd even created its creator, Illuvatar. Just curious if anyone else had that thought.

There is an interesting theory that, based on his characteristics, Tom Bombadil is not Tolkien, Illuvatar, a Maia, a Valar, or anything else. He is actually the reader. The theory can be found here:

http://tolkien.cro.net/else/bbeier.html


Rip

[Dav16]

That was a pretty good argument but he convieniently misses the point that if Tom was the reader, and therefore had no power in the course of the ring (As he mentioned in the writing), how did he save Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin from the barrow wights?

[thrassoss]

Perhaps some kind of counterpart to Ungoliant. Where Ungoliant is something unfamiliar and strange(spider-like) Tom is very warm and likable. Plus Ungoliant is the only other entity I can think of that seems not-really-from-Arda.

[Ravenhall]

The Barrow Wights were in Tom's domain, both geographically (in the Barrow Downs) and spiritually (beneath the earth). Fell enchantments within the barrows awakened the wights, and Tom threw the barrows open, symbolically breaking those enchantments.

I think it's very likely that Tom and Goldberry could be the reader.

It's also likely, however, that they are the spirits of Arda itself.

[Greth]

I have always thought of Tom and Goldberry as guardians of the forest / earth, making Tom something of an earth warden. According to his own comments, I believe that he initially was a guardian / watcher / warden over all of the earth (Arda). I do not know why he chose to limit his domain to just the Old Forest and the Downs, as I do not believe that anything else could impose limits on him.

The entry for Tom Bombadil in Wikipedia supports the theory of him as an earth warden:

At the Council of Elrond, Tom Bombadil is referred to by Galdor as being unable to deal with the ring "unless such power is in the earth itself", implying that the character is a manifestation of Middle-earth's inherent properties. This connection explains Bombadil's seeming obliviousness to the transient concerns of mortals, as evidenced in Gandalf's concern that Tom would not understand the importance of the ring, and hence lose it, if it were entrusted to him. The idea that Tom's songs are always "stronger", as he proclaims in his rhyme, as well as his title of Master, further suggest Bombadil is the warden of nearly invincible aspects of the planet itself.

[DreamMaster]

The part of Tom Bombadil was done so well in PJ's film. Oh wait.......

[packyj]

This game hit Tom perfectly... my only question is where is Ol' Fatty Lumpkins?

[Jadeth]

I love Tom!

When you got visit him at his house he is running around and happy! It is a nice pick-me-up after dying in the Old Forest

[Emjr]

Well I'm not getting into WHO he is or WHAT he is. But I will say that I am happy he is included into the game. He was woefully neglected in various other forms of entertainment. Way to go turbine!