From: lewchuk@cs.UAlberta.CA (Michael Lewchuk)
Subject: Bombadil etc.
Keywords: Tom Bombadil
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 07:46:03 GMT


First of all, I'd like to ask why Galadriel was banned from Valinor and why
her refusal of the Ring was her redemption.

Next, about Bombadil:  a few comments:

1.  Bombadil's power seemed to be far greater than that of any mortal or
    Istari.  It was debated whether Bombadil could resist even Sauron,
    his combined army, and the One Ring.  Gandalf was sure that he, even
    as the White could not have faced Sauron wielding the One, but Bombadil
    might have been able to (although Gandalf and Elrond doubted it).

2.  Bombadil's power was internal: he was not using a Ring of Power to
    do or amplify the stuff he did.  Unlike Gandalf and Elrond, who used
    the Rings to amplify their personal wisdom and power, Tom didn't have
    a Ring to fall back on, but did really powerful stuff anyways (such as
    signing Old Man Willow to sleep and banishing the undead).

3.  Bombadil had NO FEAR.  Gandalf, Elrond, even Sauron were very afraid.
    Goldberry herself showed no fear.

Personally I'd think that Bombadil was an Arda-Maia, if such a thing
existed -- an elemental spirit (earth in his case, water for Goldberry)
with allegiance not to the Valar but to Arda and the Vision of Illuvitar
(and thus to Illuvitar).  In some sense, I'd say he was either an Exile
(similar connotation to the term when applied to the Elves) or a Maiar
who went not just into Ea per se, but directly into Arda, for the sake of
Arda, not of Ea.  Perhaps Illuvitar got the notion that Arda needed a little
monitoring here and there to mature, and thus placed a "gardener" or
"caretaker" there along with the various Valar and Maiar?  Or maybe the
Valar forgot to use birth control a few times...

The arguments for him being a Valar are few but cannot be ignored:
1.  His power was entirely internal and at least the equal of even the
    greatest Maiar (Olorin (Gandalf) and Sauron).
2.  He had no fear and basically "ruled" an entire realm based on, well,
    wisdom, fearlessness, and love.  Unlike Gandalf, Bombadil hemmed himself
    into "his corner of the world" but could presumably challenge anything
    there -- even Sauron.  His power was as great as Galadriel's, but she
    was using the Elven Ring to maintain that power, while Bombadil was only
    using his personal power.  His curing of the hobbits' death trance in
    the Barrows and the casting out of the undead showed that he had real
    power even in places and situations deemed to be evil.   Not even Elrond
    seemed to have that amount of sheer personal power and Gandalf didn't
    seem to have enough either to simply tell Sauron's minions to get lost.
3.  Unlike the Maiar, who used "flashy magic" -- the Balrog's fire and
    spells, and Gandalf's spells, Bombadil only used will-force.  What
    Bombadil sang basically happened.  He just commanded the barrow-wight
    to leave and it left, no questions asked.  He probably could've done the
    same to the Balrog.  I don't know whether he simply banished the undead
    to Mordor or to the Void, but he had one heckuva knowledge of Ea --
    his reference to "where gates stand forever shut 'til the world is mended"
    could mean either to Mordor (where the opening of the Gates indicates
    that the War of the Ring comes to its conclusion) or the Void, where
    creatures are banished until the world is reformed (the End?).

This presents an interesting hypothesis:
Could Bombadil, who sings reality, be Illuvitar "gone native"?  That is,
Illuvitar himself either went to Arda or created a persona by which he could
in part exist as an Arda native and touch things up a bit?  Bombadil seems
to have the same traits -- "singing" to produce "reality", and leaving all
the work of the Great Wars to the Maiar and Valar while he sits back and
continues with the Vision, only interfering as required.  Thus, instead of
being a Maia of a Valar, or a Valar of a certain power, he seemed to be a
Spirit of Illuvitar directly.  Either Maiar or Valar is possible.  Personally
I think even a Maia of Illuvitar would have great power: having your "boss"
be the creator of the Secret Fire rather than just its servant probably means
you get taught real neat tricks on how to solve problems.

					Michael Lewchuk
					lewchuk@cs.UAlberta.CA