The White Council

Re: The importance of Bombadil

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

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: Bombadil has no direct bearing on the plot, but he is the only character on whom the ring has no effect. He is identified as something far greater than the ring. Thus he exists outside the established rules of ME. To argue that he is a Maiar, in any state is to put words in Tolkienīs mouth, as this is never stated in the story.

It's also never stated that Gandlalf is maiar, that is stated elsewhere. However, I will not argue that Bombadil is maiar, only that his being doesn't bring the whole story into scope, nor does it detract from it. Instead, he adds another demension to the world of ME.

: I beleive that Bombadil, ( even if he was an after thought ), gives the story an extra dimension. He is a window into a deeper world, ( or philosophy )that is Middle earth. Not just that; "there was a Hobbit who lived in a hole... there was a ring... then the ring was destroyed.. and they all ived happily ever after"

Which LOTR certainly isn't, even if you did cut Bombadil from the book. Fortunately, he isn't cut, and remains a wonderful mystery, but he is not so great a character that his loss would turn LOTR into a text book for ME history. Certainly the prose doesn't suddenly change, nor does the dialogue digress into history-book sound bites.

: If you take Bombadil away, then the story loses a dimension, I beleive, it becomes a "telling of events", rather than the multiple layered work that it is.

I don't believe this is either proven or borne out through the text. As I stated above, while Bombadil is a nice addition to the world of ME, he is not so vastly important that his removal detracts from the overall worth of the story. I like Tom Bombadil, but in the greater scheme of LOTR his pressence (or lack there of) is not that greatly felt.

: Look at where Bombadil lives.. his companion Goldberry. None of it seems to fit in the story very well. But if you read about old european folk lore, then it begins to make sense. European folk tales are FULL of strange forests, inhabited by strange old men, who bear a close resemblance to Bombadil. What this means in LOTR is up to interpretation, but thats what we are doing here right ?

However, LOTR is written to stand on it's own, and not be supported by additional texts (though it certainly does help to have those additional texts). Whether Bombadil is european or not, really has little bearing on whether his cutting from the book would render the book a simple timeline of events, which simply isn't true.

-RR