Tom Bombadil
| House / Order | |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Unknown |
| Status | Living (during the War of the Ring) |
| Origin | The Old Forest; the Withywindle valley |
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Weapon | |
| Fate | Remained in his own land, untouched by the wider war |
| Portrayed by |
Tom Bombadil was a mysterious and merry being who dwelt in the Old Forest near the Shire, in the valley of the Withywindle. One of the most enigmatic figures in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, his true nature was never explained, and he stood apart from the great struggle for power that shaped the age.
Nature
Tom called himself "Eldest", claiming to have been in the land before the river, the trees, and the first raindrop, even before Sauron. The Elves named him Iarwain Ben-adar, "Oldest and Fatherless". He was master of his own small country, a power within its borders that no evil could touch. He was jolly, spoke often in rhyme and song, wore a blue coat and yellow boots, and was wed to Goldberry, the River-daughter.
The One Ring
The most striking sign of his strange nature was his immunity to the One Ring. When Frodo gave him the Ring, Tom put it on and did not vanish, and when Frodo wore it, Tom could still see him plainly. The Ring had no power over him at all. Yet at the Council of Elrond the Wise judged that Tom could not be trusted to guard the Ring, for he cared so little for power and dominion that he might simply lose it or cast it aside, and his land alone could not stand against Sauron's full might.
Role
Tom rescued the four hobbits twice on their journey out of the Shire: first from Old Man Willow, a malevolent tree of the Old Forest, and again from a barrow-wight on the Barrow-downs. He sheltered them in his house, gave them counsel, and armed them with blades from the barrow-hoard before sending them on their way. He took no further part in the War of the Ring, content to keep his own small realm.