Tom Bombadil in Fellowship of The Ring?

Question

i need help w/ it please. wat does he do in the 1st book and who exactly is he?

it's for this reading log. i dunno wat to write.

Answer 1

It's easier to say what Tom is NOT: he is not a man, not a hobbit, not an ent, elf, or dwarf. He calls himself "Eldest" and says that he has existed "before the river and the trees" and that he remembers "the first raindrop and the first acorn". He is a 'power' of some kind, akin perhaps to the wizards, and yet not the same.
He helps the Hobbits when they are caught by Old Man Willow and rescues them from the Barrow-wights. And he gave them daggers from the barrow mound and found their ponies which had run away when the the Barrow-wights attacked. He then rode with them for a ways, to get them to the road. And he tells them to go to Bree and stay the night at the inn called the Prancing Pony.

Answer 2

Tom Bombadil is an enigmatic and unusual character. He is very like the ancient Pan in that he has many of the charachtaristics of a wood sprite. he has complete dominion over his woods,but his power stops at the borders. he helps the hobbits and gives them a pack pony.

Answer 3

He is like an elemental spirit of the woods. He is subject to nothing and no one and has absolute power but just over his woods. He has a female spirte of some sort that he kept company with but other than that was totally unconcerned and possibly unaware of the other events occuring in Middle Earth.

Answer 4

No one knows exactly what he is but he is a kind of Earth-spirit. He saves the Hobbits from Old Man Willow and the Barrow-spirit and gives them weapons and help.

Answer 5

He helps the Hobbits with shelter and food. I forgot what he was - probably some sort of tree spirit.