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After all one has to expect that the son of the creator of Middle Earth would be a singer or musician of some sort.
After all one has to expect that the son of the creator of Middle Earth would be a singer or musician of some sort.
Thanks for this SPF. As you so well describe, Tom Bombadil was a person of mystery over whom the Ring had no power. Btw are you the SPF of another Christian forum?An invention
Tolkien invented Tom Bombadil in memory of his children's Dutch doll.[7][a][9] These poems far pre-date the writing of The Lord of the Rings, into which Tolkien introduced Tom Bombadil from the earliest drafts.[T 7] In response to a letter, Tolkien described Tom in The Lord of the Rings as "just an invention" and "not an important person – to the narrative", even if "he represents something that I feel important, though I would not be prepared to analyse the feeling precisely. I would not, however, have left him in, if he did not have some kind of function."[T 8] In another letter, Tolkien writes that he does not think Tom is improved by philosophizing; he included the character "because I had already 'invented' him independently" (in The Oxford Magazine) "and wanted an 'adventure' on the way".[T 9]
An enigma
Tolkien commented further that "even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally)".[T 8] In a letter to Stanley Unwin, Tolkien called Tom Bombadil the spirit of the vanishing landscapes of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. However, this 1937 letter was in reference to works which pre-dated the writing of The Lord of The Rings.[T 10]
Tolkien said little of Tom Bombadil's origins, and the character does not fit neatly into the categories of beings Tolkien created. Bombadil calls himself the "Eldest" and the "Master". He claims to remember "the first raindrop and the first acorn", and that he "knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless—before the Dark Lord came from Outside". When Frodo asks Goldberry just who Tom Bombadil is, she responds simply by saying "He is", which some have taken as a reference to God's statement "I Am that I Am" in the Book of Exodus, but Tolkien explicitly rejected this.[T 9] Others, such as Robert Foster, have suggested that Bombadil is one of the Maiar, angelic beings sent from Valinor.[10]
Antagonist
The Tolkien scholar Verlyn Flieger writes that if there was an opposite to Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, it would not be Aragorn, his political opponent, nor Gandalf, his spiritual enemy, but Tom Bombadil, the earthly Master who is entirely free of the desire to dominate, and hence cannot be dominated.[11]
My vote would be Gandalf - I believe there were 12 hobbits in the Hobbit.
Gandalf sacrifices himself against the Balrog in LOTR and returns as Gandalf the White.
I always loved this scene in response to the evil of the Ring that is overtaking Bilbo -
"BILBO BAGGINS - Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks! I am not trying to rob you!"
and then gently
"I am trying to help you"
As someone who has struggled with addiction this scene describes (to me) a Christ-like or Father/God role. The two love each other, but Bilbo has become ensnared and Gandalf suspects this. As he probes deeper trying to get Bilbo to let it go, it's clear Bilbo is powerless, and certainly would NEVER have been able to let it go had Gandalf not visited him personally because he loved him and would have suffered the same fate as Gollum. Bilbo's responses escalate and escalate the more Gandalf probes the problem.
This is classic Sin/Addiction behavior, denial, evasion, response, "it's my RIGHT!", powerlessness, accusation, hijacking of thought.
It's a scary, but also beautiful scene.
Notice that Gandalf never forces Bilbo to relinquish it; he's 6 feet tall, he certainly could have. But I have the feeling that he wouldn't, and it wouldn't have done Bilbo any good if he had.
"All your long years, we have been friends. Trust me, let it go"
Brings tears to my eyes. I've been through this scene personally in my life.
And I love the ending.
Frodo is certainly a Christ-like figure in LOTR lore. A humble soul of no importance who selflessly takes on the burden of the greatest evil of his time and is willing to give his life to destroy it and bring redemption and hope to the world.
Peter Kreeft has actual books and talks on the Christian references in Tolkien’s work.Despite any overt Christianity (religion?) in the LoTR etc one can perceive a Christian/religious subtext. Jesus was a servant from a humble background who practiced what he preached - namely self sacrifice for the common good. Hobbits were also humble people who served and loved each other: they did not normally have delusions of grandeur.
Elves would be the Pharisees then?Illuvatar is technically Tolkien's representation of God (albeit far less explicitly so than C.S. Lewis's Aslan), but Jesus Himself was never truly mentioned, so that's an interesting question. My guess is that, in order to appeal to all races, He would appear as someone like Tom Bombadil, a sort of unique anomaly. Though appearing as a hobbit would also seem to suit His modus operandi, so that's quite possible. One race I feel He would certainly not be is an elf; elves are among the purest and most noble of Tolkien's races, but the do have a struggle with pride, and would be more likely to take it as a given that God would choose their race to manifest as. A hobbit honestly does make the most sense.
Unusual but interesting discussion.