: In any case, I would say Galdor is correct about his supposition - that Bombadil does not have the power to resist Sauron. He can sing pretty well, and he can dance a mean jig; but he could not defeat the armies of the Dark Lord, if he came marching victoriously from battles against the armies of Gondor, Rohan, Lorien, Rivendell, Mithlond, Mirkwood, Dale, Erebor, and the Iron Hills. Bombadil could do nothing, except, as Gandalf says, be last. Indeed, I don't even think Sauron would need all his armies. He would come to defeat Bombadil, not because Bombadil's power was any threat to his domination, but rather because Tom and Goldberry were an affront to it, being free and happy and in love.

: What do you think?

: - Dave (formerly known as creamy goodness)

You make it sound as though Sauron would save Tolm for last as if he were a dessert. Tom Bombadil, the mild mannered nature sprite, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men? But I think the context of the text clearly indicates that Tom had enough power to hold off all of Sauron's power for a time, but in the end even he could not hold out alone. At the very least Tom had the power to thwart two, if not more of the Nazgul. Do you think they just lost track of Frodo in the Old Forest? My impression, and I should go check, is that they either wouldn't or couldn't enter Tom's domain. If true, that makes Tom at least as powerful as an Elf lord. That the One Ring had no effect on Tom at all puts him several leagues beyond the most powerful person in Middle-Earth at the time - Gandalf, who himself had to resist the temptation to wield the Ring. If the Maia could feel the effect of the Ring, it would tend to indicate that Tom was not a Maia. If I'm right, I just blew my own theory about Tom.