The closest thing to a definition that Tolkien gives of Tom is that he's extremely old, and simply is.
The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Tom Bombadil is een personage in de fictieve wereld Midden-aarde van de Britse schrijver J.R.R. Tom Bombadil is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He first appeared in print in a 1934 poem called The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, which also included Old Man Willow and the Barrow-wight.
Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!” ― J.R.R. Tom Bombadil is a mysterious being in The Lord of the Rings universe. Tom Bombadil is an enigma in Middle-earth; we do not know what he is and his origin is neverrevealed. Tom Bombadil is a key figure in The Fellowship of the Ring. Tom Bombadil is perfectly happy to prevent evil when it is on his turf, but he doesn't get involved in abstract causes that would take him beyond his Forest. This is, incidentally, proof of Tom's great age - the Elves 'passed westward' in the Great Journey some six Ages before he spoke these words. Tom Bombadil, happiest and perhaps ‘hippiest’ figure in the Lord of the Ring series. By water, wood and hill, by reed and willow, By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us! To be fair, it isn't just Peter Jackson's movie trilogy that left him out. To this end, the third and final theory, that Tom Bombadil is an incarnation of Ilúvatar himself, takes hold. Tom Bombadil was, however, part of The Lord of the Rings from the earliest drafts. Praise for The Lure of the Ring “Tolkien’s Tom Bombadil echoes the deep joy and presence of any true mystic! Ralph Bakshi did, hell even the 12-part BBC radio drama did!
― Tom Bombadil in The Fellowship of the Ring, "In the House of Tom Bombadil" Tom Bombadil was an enigmatic figure that lived throughout the history of Arda.
“Ho! By water, wood and hill, by reed and willow, By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us!
As usual, the text provides the best answer: > [Elrond said,]‘The Barrow-wights we know by many names; and of the Old Forest many tales have been told: all that now remains is but an outlier of its northern march. His actions are just incredibly unusual compared to the other characters in LotR. Contents[show] Background Novels In TA 3018, Frodo Baggins and his company had a chance meeting with Bombadil in the Old Forest after a nearly … The Importance of Tom Bombadil Why the scene where little happens, is of crucial importance. Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo! Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!” ― J.R.R. Tom Bombadil Theme: The Lord of the Rings Accessories: Hat Spade Years: 2012 Tom Bombadil is a minifigure from the theme The Lord of The Rings who appears in LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Video Game and LEGO The Hobbit: The Video Game. Maybe Bombadil represents the author, since he is older than any other living thing in Middle Earth, and is unaffected by the power of the One Ring, and presumably, he is also unaffected by the destruction of the ring at the story's climax. In reality, Tolkien never defines what Tom Bombadil is: not in The Lord of the Rings or in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Tom Bombadil was an enigmatic figure encountered by Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin as they tried to navigate through the Old Forest. He rescued them on several occasions: from the spell of Old Man Willow and from the terrible Barrow Wights.
“Ho! In this scene Tom Bombadil does a humourous pantomime of almost the entire war over the Ring: Holding the ring to his blue eye making fun of Sauron's red one, trivializing the essence of Sauron's power and evil to dominate the entire world as the eye of Barad-dûr. Tom's own words, from The Fellowship of the Ring I 7, In the House of Tom Bombadil Tom would hardly have said this if he was an Elf himself! Theories The most common theory is that Bombadil is a Maia, supported by his claim that, "Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn [...] he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless — before the Dark Lord came from Outside" .
Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo! Tolkien did state in one of his letters that Tom had been created long before hethought about writing the Lord of the Rings and he put him in because he wanted an … Tom Bombadil is definitely one of the weirdest characters in all of The Lord of the Rings, he just comes out of nowhere, stumbling upon Frodo and Sam while singing. Living in the depths of the Old Forest, he seemed to possess unequaled power in the land around his dwelling.
His nature is not entirely revealed by any of the characters.