May 31, 2002

Theory on Bombadil
Marsh

This is my first time posting, so let me give you some background. I have read The Hobbit three times, LOTR twice, and The Silmarillion twice. I plan on moving into Unfinished Tales next. What I always loved about Tolkien was that within those three books, everything seemed to be explained. Well, almost everything. Tom Bombadil and Goldberry appear to be quite a mystery. There are many theories about Tom being Eru, Maia, Vala, Elf, Man, Spirit, etc. After my second reading of LOTR and Silmarillion, I was developing a theory on the pair. The theory is that Tom Bombadil is the Vala Aule, and Goldberry is his wife Yavanna.

I will only discuss what I found that supports Tom being Aule.
· Firstly, Tom appears to have powers over the Ring, making it spin in the air, and actually vanish. He could also see the visible world and the invisible world (Frodo with the Ring on). If I’m not mistaken, I believe the Maiar, and the Valar were the only beings that possessed these powers. This strongly suggests that he is at the least a Maia, and possibly a Vala. Gene Hargrove’s essay (http://www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html) has many excellent points to support the theory of Tom being a Vala. See especially the paragraph about Tom’s “singing.”
· In Silmarillion, Aule’s “lordship is over all substances of which Arda is made.” In LOTR, Goldberry says Tom is “master of wood, water, and hill.”
· Aule is stated many times in the Silmarillion to be quite fond of the Children of Illuvatar, which could explain why he would live in middle earth.
· In Silmarillion, a description of Aule is “[he] gives and hoards not, and is free from care.” It is also said “His are the gems that lie deep in the earth, and he delights in works of skill, however small.” In LOTR, after rescuing the hobbits from the barrow wight, he piles the treasure and says it is “free to all finders…He chose…a brooch set with blue stones…he looked long at it, as if stirred by some memory.”
The last bullet point I personally think is one of the most subtle, and important examples of Aule and Tom being the same. The brooch set, I would describe as a small work of skill, made with gems. Also, a good description of Tom would be “free from care.” I am a believer that Tolkien created clues as to who Tom Bombadil is, and I believe that all of the small clues are significant and intentional.

Please understand that I never intended to write anything on this forum, which I thoroughly enjoy. I just wanted to bring up a point that I haven’t seen discussed here. Feel free to comment… :c)-~