Tom Bombadil frees the Hobbits from Old Man Willow. Scraperboard illustration by Alexander Korotich, 1981
First appearance
The Oxford Magazine
1934
In-universe information
Aliases
Iarwain Ben-adar, Forn, Orald
Spouse
Goldberry
Book(s)
The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962) Tales from the Perilous Realm (1997)
Tom Bombadil is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He first appeared in print in a 1934 poem called "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", which also included The Lord of the Rings characters Goldberry (his wife), Old Man Willow (an evil tree in his forest) and the barrow-wight, from whom he rescues the hobbits.[1] They were not then explicitly part of the older legends that became The Silmarillion, and are not mentioned in The Hobbit.
Bombadil is best known from his appearance as a supporting character in Tolkien's high fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, published in 1954 and 1955. In the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo Baggins and company meet Bombadil in the Old Forest. The idea for this meeting and the appearances of Old Man Willow and the barrow-wight can be found in some of Tolkien's earliest notes for a sequel to The Hobbit.[T 1] Bombadil is mentioned, but not seen, near the end of The Return of the King, where Gandalf plans to pay him a long visit.
Tom Bombadil has been omitted in radio adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, the 1978 animated film, and Peter Jackson's film trilogy, as non-essential to the story.
Commentators have debated Bombadil's role and origins. A likely source is the demigod Väinämöinen in the Finnish epic poem Kalevala (oral tradition, recorded in 1849), with many points of resemblance. Scholars have stated that he is the spirit of a place, a genius loci.
^The Oxford Magazine, 1934, cited in The History of Middle-earth, volume 6, page 116
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TomBombadil is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He first appeared in print in a 1934 poem called "The Adventures of TomBombadil", which...
Adventures of TomBombadil is a 1962 collection of poetry by J. R. R. Tolkien. The book contains 16 poems, two of which feature TomBombadil, a character...
rescued by TomBombadil. Leaving Tom's house, they are caught by a barrow-wight. Frodo, awakening from the barrow-wight's spell, calls TomBombadil, who frees...
shorter books (Tree and Leaf, Farmer Giles of Ham, and The Adventures of TomBombadil), together with one additional piece and introductory material. It was...
appeared in print in a 1934 poem, The Adventures of TomBombadil, where she appears as the wife of TomBombadil. Also known as the "River-woman's daughter",...
including Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wootton Major, and The Adventures of TomBombadil. She became well-known for her cover illustrations for The Hobbit and...
Barrow-wight and TomBombadil himself, first appeared in Tolkien's narrative poem The Adventures of TomBombadil, where Old Man Willow trapped Bombadil himself...
of the Rings, Old Man Willow is a malign tree-spirit of great age in TomBombadil's Old Forest, appearing physically as a large willow tree beside the River...
tree who controls much of the forest, but are rescued by TomBombadil. Leaving the refuge of Tom's house, they get lost in a fog and are caught by a barrow-wight...
Dwarves to his will, instead only amplifying their greed and anger. TomBombadil, the only person unaffected by the power of the One Ring, could both...
through a series of tableaux – in the Shire, in the Old Forest, with TomBombadil, and so on. He stated that "The circumstantial expansiveness of Middle-earth...
just as in their different ways do Aragorn, Galadriel, Faramir, and TomBombadil. Christine Larsen, in the Journal of Tolkien Research, analysed why Tolkien...
thought lost before being rediscovered in 2021. It includes scenes of TomBombadil and Goldberry that were omitted from the 1978 film and Peter Jackson's...
Forest. They were waylaid by the magic of Old Man Willow, but rescued by TomBombadil, who gave them shelter and guidance. They were caught in fog on the Barrow...
Aragorn, his political opponent, nor Gandalf, his spiritual enemy, but TomBombadil, the earthly Master who is entirely free of the desire to dominate and...
Look up Bombadil in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Bombadil may refer to: TomBombadil, a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium Bombadil Publishing...
Merchant of Venice, Act 2, scene 7 Shippey, Tom (2013) [2007]. "Poems by Tolkien: 'The Adventures of TomBombadil'". In Drout, Michael D.C. (ed.). J.R.R....
unusual wisdom by voicing caution about sending the Ring to the enigmatic TomBombadil, and suggested that the Ring be destroyed and that the Three Rings of...
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