I'm re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring. I just finished the chapter where the Hobbits stay with Tom & Goldberry. Tom is a mystery to me, as I guess Tolkien intended. Goldberry seems, to me, like a mermaid/water nymph/nixie type being. I'm curious about what others have thought about this.
2006-12-15 17:01:11 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I always suspected it was Tolkein himself...
2006-12-15 20:06:51 · answer #1 · answered by NONAME 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tom lives apart from the world, untouched and unafraid of the evil of Sauron. He, at least to me, represents the spirit of man. That inner part that can never be extinguished. Even when faced with unsummortable odds, it finds the strength to continue struggling, fighting, reaching as did Frodo and Sam.
Goldberry is nature, the life force that is within us all. Rebirth, regrowth, the earth's abundance and timeless ability to thrive. The First Born, the Elves, are another manifestation of this.
The fact that the Professor placed man's innate strength and nature's vitality together is no coincedence. One feeds the other, one nutures the other, hand in hand they grow and thrive.
I could probably write much, MUCH more (LOTR being one of my favorite subjects), but this answer should do in a pinch.
Hope it helped!
B
2006-12-16 04:00:58 · answer #2 · answered by beatriceorme 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Weird.............I always thought of Tom as a giant for some reason. A bit like a cross between the Jolly Green Giant and the Green Man.
2006-12-15 18:04:09 · answer #3 · answered by the_lipsiot 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A fertility figure or a nature spirit, similar to the Greek Dionysus or Norse Freyr.
http://www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Bombadil
2006-12-15 19:19:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tom was comic relief? Seriously, though no idea. I pictured him kind of like a spritely elf.
2006-12-15 17:10:23 · answer #5 · answered by Ella727 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋