A little something on the enigmatic Tom Bombadil, taken from the Tolkien Companion.
"The master of wood, wayter, and hill", eldest of all living creatures in Middle Earth; he dwelt throughout the Second and Third ages in the old forest east of the Shire.
The Tolkien Companion states that this was Tom's domaine since the beginning.
It is not recorded as to what kind of creature Tom was, though it seems certain from all available evidence that he was a unique being. He is called "oldest and fatherless".
The Elves considered him a benevolent spirit of the forest and the veritable incarnation of the life force present there. He was under no laws but his own.
Little is known of his history, yet he was known to Hobbits. Bucklanders often had strange tales to tell of the old man of the forest. In fact his name is Bucklandish. The Dwarves called him Forn, in the legends of the northern men he is known as Orald. Only the Elves were aware of his true origins but by the Third Age even Elrond had forgotten he existed.
Interesting side note: "The Bucklanders knew of him". Remember when Tom said that he was expecting the Hobbits? He was told of their coming. In my first reading, I emmediately jumped to the conclusion Gandalf had told him. In fact, Frodo surmises that the old farmer Maggot had told Tom to expect the party of Hobbits.
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"The master of wood, wayter, and hill", eldest of all living creatures in Middle Earth; he dwelt throughout the Second and Third ages in the old forest east of the Shire.
The Tolkien Companion states that this was Tom's domaine since the beginning.
It is not recorded as to what kind of creature Tom was, though it seems certain from all available evidence that he was a unique being. He is called "oldest and fatherless".
The Elves considered him a benevolent spirit of the forest and the veritable incarnation of the life force present there. He was under no laws but his own.
Little is known of his history, yet he was known to Hobbits. Bucklanders often had strange tales to tell of the old man of the forest. In fact his name is Bucklandish. The Dwarves called him Forn, in the legends of the northern men he is known as Orald. Only the Elves were aware of his true origins but by the Third Age even Elrond had forgotten he existed.
Interesting side note: "The Bucklanders knew of him". Remember when Tom said that he was expecting the Hobbits? He was told of their coming. In my first reading, I emmediately jumped to the conclusion Gandalf had told him. In fact, Frodo surmises that the old farmer Maggot had told Tom to expect the party of Hobbits.
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