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Post by Ilúvatar on Jan 30, 2004 15:39:26 GMT -5
So who is Tom Bombadil? Do you like Tom? Do you think he is important to the story? What do you think was his purpose in LotR, if any? Just curious. ![;)](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/Hannah22/Fourm/wink.gif)
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Post by radagast on Feb 16, 2004 1:22:51 GMT -5
i like him. im not quite sure what his purpose is, but i nonetheless enjoyed reading about him
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Post by Legolas on Feb 16, 2004 8:45:07 GMT -5
i wish tom had a more prominant role. he was the only one who the ring didn't take a toll on. even sam was tempted to claim it. even though you can't 100% tell that he wasn't tempted. ![;)](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/Hannah22/Fourm/wink.gif)
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Bombadil
Commoner
Race - Buckland
Posts: 70
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Post by Bombadil on Feb 19, 2004 23:27:59 GMT -5
I used to think he was a Maia, but then I read on some site (forgot what it was) that made me think otherwise. I recently thought up another hypothesis. Perhaps Tom Bombadil is Iluvatar himself, taking the shape of a being taller than a halfling, but shorter than a man. He claims to be the oldest of all things, and wouldn't it seem reasonable that Iluvatar would have begun to live in the void that once was Middle- Earth before anything else.
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Post by Legolas on Feb 20, 2004 10:29:13 GMT -5
hmmm... then maybe iluvatar would change your name and as her signature, say "also known as tom bombadil"
[glow=red,2,300]very interesting[/glow]
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Post by Ilúvatar on Feb 20, 2004 11:24:30 GMT -5
Tolkien called Bombadil an engima.
There is also a theory that perhaps dear old Tom is the reader. Therefore not wholly involved in the actual story, but still has an interest. Also the Ring would also have no power over him.
Just an interesting thought.
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Post by Legolas on Feb 20, 2004 14:47:01 GMT -5
he is his own master...just like the iluvatar. i think that idea is pretty good
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vacin8r
Servant
Race - Istari
Posts: 25
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Post by vacin8r on Feb 25, 2004 22:18:27 GMT -5
ahh, quite possibly the most interesting question to come from LOTR, "Who is Tom Bombadil?" your guess that he is illuvatar has been disputed heavily as in one of tolkiens letters he states that illuvatar does not appear to men ever.(i paraphrased) others have thought him to be a valar, a maiar, some kind of nature spirit, or the reader himself(kinda neverending story dont ya think?). i think we all kind of have to decide what he is to each of us. To me, Tom is none of these persay, but the idea of the reader is the closest. In the beginning of the Silmarillion, the world is created through the singing of the valar, and i feel that with the first note sang, so was created(possibly by accident) Tom Bombadil. The race name i have assigned to him(and only him) is that of Enantenta. which is kind of a geek joke towards philosophy as it is translated as "one there to hear it". as if a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, it may not have fallen, so it can be said that if the singing of the valar occurs and no one is there to hear it, it may not have happened. Tom is that someone. Tom was therefore the first, there before the first raindrop, or the first acorn as it is written in LOTR. he has no real control over the world, although as he remembers parts of the original songs of the valar, he does have some degree of power over the world which those songs created. i also feel he could have used those songs to create Goldberry from the streams of the earth to be his wife and companion in his watch over the world. his domain as he has chosen it however is based on the natural world, as those things corrupted by its inhabitants were not part of the songs of the valar, and should sauron claim dominion over the earth, no area would be left unspoiled and he then, would be, the last. i know this is kinda long, but most discussions of Tom end up that way, i hope you enjoy my take on this age old question. -don
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Post by Ilúvatar on Feb 26, 2004 11:47:11 GMT -5
Not too long at all. I enjoyed reading it. Can't wait to read more of your stuff. Thanks for sharing. ![:)](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/Hannah22/Fourm/smiley.gif)
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vacin8r
Servant
Race - Istari
Posts: 25
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Post by vacin8r on Feb 26, 2004 14:46:10 GMT -5
a small followup as to why tom wasnt affected by the one ring: think of it like if someone dropped a hundred dollar bill in front of you. maybe you keep it, maybe you dont, but the temptation to keep it exists within the heart of us all. if you had no dealings with money, the temptation would be lessened. the ring used its power to corrupt those it came in contact with. tom was a meer watcher of the world, therefore he had no dealings with power or control, and hence was immune to the rings corruption. -don
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Post by Galadriel on Mar 17, 2004 22:21:30 GMT -5
Well I read an essay talking about how Bombadil could be Aule the smith, and Goldberry could be Yavanna, It's certainly a new idea!
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Post by Ilúvatar on Mar 18, 2004 9:39:31 GMT -5
Sorry to disappoint Galadriel, but really not a new idea at all. ![:(](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/Hannah22/Fourm/sad.gif) And lots of people don't think that Aule & Yavanna could work as Tom & Goldberry. But, of course, that is the reason for the discussion. ![;)](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/Hannah22/Fourm/wink.gif) Do you know of some facts that support Tom as Aule? It would be great if you could share them here and then we could debate them ;D.
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Post by Legolas on Mar 18, 2004 20:49:38 GMT -5
i think that tom is supposed to remain an enigma. tolkien was kinda not to happy to discuss him.
maybe he is just tom. tom is just himself.
i think the $100 bill idea is good. that seems to be what he is. maybe the reader, maybe just an enigmatic character.
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Post by Kitoky on Apr 9, 2004 2:07:28 GMT -5
To me, he seems like one of those jolly, knowledgable people, I think Tolkien added his own character into Tom Bombadil.
Though for him getting taken out of the movie was understandable, he didn't do the plot any good.
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Post by Ilúvatar on Apr 21, 2004 10:46:12 GMT -5
Why do you think he didn't do the plot any good? Curious. ![:)](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/Hannah22/Fourm/smiley.gif)
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