Tom Bombadil in The Fellowship of the Ring Essay Example

What is Tom Bombadil? Many people are curious about who or what type of creature this jolly man is. I believe Tom Bombadil is a version of the god Eru Iluvatar because of Tolkien’s religion and how no one has ever heard of him, but he claims to have been around forever.  The ring doesn’t affect him, but it affects everyone else which proves he is a showing of Iluvator. 

“He is, as you have seen him.” This is what Golberry, Tom’s wife, says when she is asked who Tom Bombadil is. These words sound very similar to what God says in  the biblical story “Moses and the Burning Bush.” In the story, Moses asks God who he is and he responds “ I am that I am,” which sounds very close to Goldberry’s response to Frodo. This relates to Tolkien because he is a Roman Catholic and very religious.  That phrase could have been a way for Tolkein to hint at what he is while having some influence by his own beliefs. 

In Chapter 7 Tom Bombadil puts on the ring and holds it up to the candlelight, but he doesn’t disappear. Then when Frodo uses the ring to try to sneak away, the only person who could see him is Tom. The evil spirits of the ring do not affect Tom at all, while it tempts everyone else. This would mean that he has something that blocks the power and is more powerful than the ring. He also can stop the evil forest by just singing. These two things help show how powerful he is. 

Tom Bombadil says he has been around forever, but no one has ever told stories about him. Even Merry who has been in the Old Forest many times had never seen or even heard of him. This is showing that he probably isn’t always in the woods with his nice little home keeping the forest in check. Eru Iluvator probably came to Frodo as him to provide safety, so he would have protection from the evil of the forest and be able to continue his journey to help destroy the evil from the ring.