#a tom bombadil who is NOT a merry fellow??

[residentmiddlechild]

i have just one thing to say. That is not the real Tom Bombadil. He does NOT look like a merry fellow, his jacket is NOT bright blue, and his boots are NOT yellow!

[425599167]

Since Rings of Power introduced Tom Bombadil in a way that gave me mixed feelings, I want to talk about him. For movie-only people, Tom is a character in The Lord of the Rings who gets ignored in adaptations because he doesn't really move the plot along, a decision I accept, but he's important thematically.

When the four hobbits begin their journey, they need to avoid the ringwraiths by passing through a dangerous old forest. They're lost, the environment is stifling and the trees are trying to trap and kill them. They're in serious trouble, but when all hope seems gone, along comes Tom Bombadil to help! He's a fun-loving guy living out in the woods, having fun, singing songs, loving life. He's also as old as the world, completely immortal, too powerful to be threatened by anything in this spooky forest, and oh yeah he's totally immune to the influence of the Ring. He has many names given by many peoples, and all of them in some way translate as "eldest". Tom Bombadil is just what he's called now, it's not his real name, depending on what a real name even means to the first being in the world. He's a merry fellow. Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.

People complain about Tom not fitting with the rest of the world or story, but that's deliberate. Tom lives with his wife Goldberry, who is also supernatural but not the same type of being as whatever her husband is, and they are up to some fey shit. The hobbits are happy for the help, but Tom confuses them as much as he confuses readers because who is he? What is he? What the fuck is going on? When Frodo asks Goldberry "Who is Tom Bombadil?" she answers "He is."

Once the hobbits are in the house of Tom Bombadil (which just happens to have four spare beds and four spare seats at the table) they tell him the story of why they're traveling, and he asks to see the Ring. Even at this early stage, the Ring is trying to control Frodo, yet Frodo pulls it out and hands it over easily. When Tom puts the Ring on, nothing happens, then he does a sleight-of-hand trick with the Ring and gives it back to Frodo without any trouble. Not only is Tom unaffected, he can see Frodo when the latter wears the Ring and becomes invisible to everyone else. The reason Frodo could give the Ring to Tom might be because, since Tom cares nothing for it, letting Tom hold it doesn't count as giving it up.

Despite his reputation for obliviousness, there are hints of Tom knowing more than he lets on. Tom mentions being alive "before the Dark Lord came from outside", pays close attention when the ringwraiths are mentioned, and will dispose of local wights if they cause trouble, so he is aware of the evil forces at work even if he isn't actively fighting them. When Frodo puts on the Ring and tries to sneak away, Tom tells him to take the Ring off as his "hand's more fair without it", a comment I find very interesting. He dislikes the Ring, even if only because he considers it a gaudy accessory. Fitting his passive behavior, he didn't go out looking for the hobbits, but he says he expected them to come and waited for them, so he has some kind of interest in their journey.

Tom is the subject of many theories as to his nature, but I don't understand the confusion. To me, Tom is obviously an embodiment of the land. He's as old as the world because he is the world. The Ring can't affect him any more than it affected the river Isildur lost it in. To destroy Tom, Sauron would first need to conquer all other lands, to already rule over the world before snuffing out its personification. Tom is the world without any influence of Sauron: lively, happy, full of song, but a little eerie while possessing powers which are hard to define. That's why he's encountered so close to the Shire, and why the hobbits stay in his household before meeting Aragorn and heading towards Rivendell. Tom is the spirit of what they are trying to save, it makes sense for him to stand at the journey's threshold.

Tom is capable of these feats because he lacks any desire to control. Gandalf opposes Sauron, but that desire would make him susceptible to the Ring's influence, just like all the other characters opposing Sauron. They want to do good, but Sauron can twist any desire into a need to dominate. This is also why Tom can't help carry the Ring; if he began to care about it, he would no longer be immune. Tom's defining characteristic is minding his own damn business to a supernatural degree, something I'm not sure if Rings of Power understands. Tom is not a guy who makes or fits into plans.

I do like his song in RoP, though.

[silmarillisms]

fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinn. give me, and thus all of tumblr, your thoughts on tom bombadil. you said you had thoughts and i wanna hear them.

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, Bright blue his jacket is and his boots are yellow, Reeds by the shady pool, lilies on the water, Old Tom Bombadil and the River Daughter.

Throughout the whole of the Legendarium, Tom Bombadil is widely considered to be one of the murkiest and strangest parts. He is loved or hated by fans and there are very rarely any middling opinions. The questions about his origins and what precisely he is will never be answered but I actually don't think that's terribly important. I'll get into why later in this meta, but I'd like to open by stating that I love Tom Bombadil and I think that his inclusion in the Legendarium (specifically in The Lord of the Rings - he is not present in The Hobbit or the Silmarillion) provides the reader with an important lens through which we can view Tolkien's world, the themes of his works, and his ethos as an author.

Before I go further, I will state that the fourth episode of season two of Rings of Power was one of my favorite episodes so far across both seasons. I understand why it might not be for some other people, but I think that it captured one of my favorite characters in a way that I never thought I'd get to see on screen.

Before I go further, the origin of Tom Bombadil, his exact nature, and what he represents is possibly the most disputed portion of the Legendarium. What I've written below is my personal opinion and literary analysis at work, nothing more than that. There are other opinions and I'm not going into them, although I have read many of them. This is my interpretation, which is one among many.

Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the Little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless, before the Dark Lord came from Outside.

Our first and only real meeting with Tom Bombadil (aside from the poems in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil) comes near the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring in the chapter 'In the House of Tom Bombadil'. The quoted passage above is, in context, Tom's response to Frodo finally plucking up the courage to ask who he is, this jolly figure whose song terrifies the Barrow-wights into flight.

While the entire passage is interesting, it is the last line that I find truly fascinating: He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless, before the Dark Lord came from Outside.

I believe that this is a clear reference to the arrival of Melkor and the other Ainur in the Silmarillion. This means that it was Eru who created Tom Bombadil - Tom was a product of the First Song. Tom wandered the hills and vales of Arda before anything and anyone else was there. But why?

What is he? Who is he to command such power that when he tells Frodo to simply sing a song to call for him if they are troubled and Frodo does so, the utterance of his very name shatters a wall?

Iarwain Ben-adar, Oldest and Fatherless, the Elves and Dunedain call him. Orald, Ancient, the men of Rohan call him. Forn, Out of the Ancient Days, the Dwarves call him.

(As a side note, the goat in episode four is named Iarwain and it's a lovely reference. Dunno who else caught that, but it's great.)

I think that Tom Bombadil is Arda, the personification of the land. He is the rolling hills, the valleys and dales. He is the waterlands where he makes his home in the Third Age. He is the rolling plains of Rohan, the deep forests of Mirkwood, the high fells of Rhudaur, the distant deserts of Rhun.

He is the utterly unselfish and primordial joy of the natural world being permitted by a benevolent deity to know itself. Fitting then that he is wed to Goldberry, the River Daughter, who is herself the turning of the seasons - the Land wed to the Seasons that shape it.

This is fitting in relation to Letter 19 in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien where Tolkien confirms that Tom, to him, represented the soul of the countryside that Tolkien saw disappearing all around him in Oxfordshire.

And therein lies the reason that Tom Bombadil is so powerful, why his song so surely masters that which it seeks to master. It also tells us why the One Ring has no effect on Tom Bombadil. Remember:

Indeed, so much did Tom know, and so cunning was his questioning, that Frodo found himself telling him more about Bilbo and his hopes and fears he had told before even to Gandalf. Tom wagged his head up and down, and there was a glint in his eyes when he heard of the Riders. 'Show me the precious Ring!' The said suddenly in the midst of the story: and Frodo, to his own astonishment, drew out the chain from his pocket, and unfastening the Ring handed it at once to Tom. It seemed to grow larger as it lay for a moment on his big brown-skinned hand. Then suddenly he put it to his eye and laughed. For a second the hobbits had a vision, both comical and alarming, of his bright blue eye gleaming through the circle of gold. Then Tom put the Ring round the end of his little finger and held it up to the candlelight. For a moment the hobbits noticed nothing strange about this. Then they gasped. There was no sign of Tom disappearing! Tom laughed again, and then he spun the Ring in the air and it vanished in a flash. Frodo gave a cry - and Tom leaned forward and handed it back to him with a smile.

And shortly after this, Tom can see Frodo when he puts the Ring on as well. Why would a Ring that tempts those who have desires for dominion and power have any effect on a creature that desires neither? Who is not able to desire either?

What do the woodlands desire? The creeks, the dells, the rocky highlands? What power does the river desire that it does not already have? You cannot tempt, manipulate, or deceive that which has no desire to manipulate.

There's another dichotomy at play here too: order and chaos, and they are not as obvious as they may at first seem. Sauron desires perfect order, brought about by the domination of industry. In the context of this dichotomy, our heroes are not different. Men, Elves, Hobbits, these are creatures of order too. This is why Sauron is capable of dominating them, and why he wants to! It feeds into his distaste for Orcs as well. Kings, thanes, mayors, cities, civilization in general, these are the things from which societies are constructed.

Tom Bombadil is chaos. He is a song echoing through the woods. His marriage to Goldberry is attended by the animals of the forest. When he loses his boat, it is retrieved for him by otters (who forget the oars). He bounces from page to page full of nonsensical rhymes, possessing love for nature and all of the creatures that inhabit it. He's the surprise bluster of a storm that ruins your picnic and the gentle glimmer of sunlight that wakes you the morning after.

Tom provides a necessary dichotomy between the beautiful chaos of the natural world and ordered civilization in a story penned by an author who truly loved the former. There is a reason he was left in the story.

Consider what Glorfindel says about him during the Council of Elrond:

'But in any case,' said Glorfindel, 'to send the Ring to him would only postpone the day of evil. He is far away. We could not now take it back to him, unguessed, unmarked by any spy. And even if we could, soon or late the Lord of the Rings would learn of its hiding place and would bend all his power towards it. Could that power be defied by Bombadil alone? I think not. I think that in the end, if all else is conquered, Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First; and then Night will come.'

Again, it is the later lines of this excerpt that are most important to me. Tom will fall if all else is conquered. He will fall last as he was first. I do not think that Sauron's personal might or his armies would be capable of felling Tom. I think what Glorfindel is implying that Tom cannot exist in a world where all else has fallen to order and industry. That is why Tom would fall last: there would be nothing left for him in a world of steel and wheels.

Tom Bombadil is an intentional enigma. If you read the text and think that you have no idea who or what he is and what his meaning in the story is meant to be, Tolkien's response is good, you're not supposed to. Sometimes, things don't need to be ordered and sensical to be beautiful.

Hop along, my little friends, Up the Withywindle. Tom's going on ahead, Candles for to kindle. Down west sinks the sun, Soon you will be croakin'. When the night-shadows fall, Then the door will open.

Out of the window-panes, Light will twinkle yellow. Fear no alder black, Heed no hoary willow. Fear neither root nor bough, Tom goes on before you. Hey now, merry dol, We'll be waiting for you.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Rereading The Fellowship of the Ring for the First Time in Fifteen Years

Oh my god we have FINALLY made it to Bree, and it's honestly something of a miracle that our hobbity bois didn't die horribly like four separate times on the way. But they (and I) made it alive and well, and now we get to hang out at the Prancing Pony for a bit. Let's talk chapter 9, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony."

My god hobbits are small-town even when they aren't small-town. There is enough crossover between Bree and the Shire historically that there is literal shared blood in the Bree and Shire hobbits, but naturally they're each "outsiders" to the other because they live more than ten miles down the road. Also, for all that Bree is significantly more cosmopolitan than the Shire, it's still a backwater small town that barely sees many travelers and is small town enough to be sus of those it does see.

Contradictorily, however, it is only in Bree that the Big and Little Folk really live together and have any sort of community, which I kind of love. The sense of everyone living and letting live while just positively reveling in all the internal and traveler-brought gossip sounds honestly fairly delightful. I also got a very different vibe from book Bree than film Bree. Book Bree is out of our four protagonists' comfort zone, so it feels bigger and a little intimidating from their perspective, but I was absolutely not getting the seedy, urine-stained bar from the film. The vibe is almost like an edgier version of Bilbo's birthday party, especially since there are apparently actual Underhills in Bree who just...assume Frodo is one of them and treat him and Sam and Pippin as such.

Although honestly, I'd have probably hung out in the room with Merry for some goddamn peace and quiet if I'd had my druthers. Other people are exhausting... And SPEAKING of Meriadoc Brandybuck, can we just take a second to acknowledge that Tolkien tells us in this chapter that there is some Bree blood in the Brandybucks? Literally at this point, is there ANYONE who hasn't married into or out of the Brandybuck line? Like what Genghis Kahn do Merry and Frodo have back in their ancestral line, and how on earth do hobbits avoid marrying cousins???

Anywho, back to things that actually matter. The one thing that I did notice that has me back to "Samwise Gamgee is secretly a demigod of some sort but even he doesn't know it" is that he basically has a precognition moment outside the Prancing Pony:

Sam stared up at the inn with its three storeys and many windows, and felt his heart sink. He had imagined meeting giants taller than trees, and other creatures even more terrifying, some time or other in the course of his journey; but at the moment he was finding his first sight of Men and their tall houses quite enough, indeed too much for the dark end of a tiring day. He pictured black horses standing all saddled in the shadows of the inn-yard, and Black Riders peering out of dark upper windows.

YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME THAT THIS IS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE. Literally Tom Bombadil predicted they'd be safe enough in Bree, but no, no they are not going to be, and they're due for a VERY near miss with the Ringwraiths. But when Sam suggests they find a nice hobbit family to stay with, Frodo full-on goes "Tom Bombadil wouldn't recommend us a bad inn" and that's apparently the final word on THAT.

So our hobbity bois get themselves some dinner and some beer and then Sam, Frodo, and Pippin head for the common room to mingle, the psychotic extroverts sociable fellows that they are. And this is more or less where we run into trouble. Hobbits are nosy, but rangers? They KNOW things. And you know the ranger in the Prancing Pony's common room is important because THIS is how he is introduced:

Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud. A travel-stained cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face; but the gleam of his eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbits.

Well hello, Strider! Welcome to the party. I literally cannot say how refreshing it is to have someone here who knows what's up, and who is willing to actually like...give Frodo instructions about how to handle sensitive situations in plain goddamn language. Because yeah, yeah Frodo probably SHOULD do something to shut Pippin up before he recounts Bilbo's vanishing act at his birthday party and has everyone and their giddy aunt gossiping about Bagginses with the Black Riders on the road HUNTING for Bagginses.

Although in total fairness to Pippin: All Frodo said before they got to Bree was that Frodo specifically should not be identified as a Baggins to anyone. He didn't say jack shit about not bringing up Bilbo or the Ring, and if there's one thing Pippin apparently needs, it's genie-levels of specificity in instructions.

Frodo doesn't need quite that much, but apparently he needed more than "I should stop your young friends from talking too much" and "You had better do something quick," because my solution would probably not have been to jump on a table and start talking. Like...Frodo. Come on, buddy. Fake a drunken stumble and dump a beer all over Pippin and then drag his ass back to the room to clean up and change. This isn't hard.

Except apparently it IS hard, because suddenly Frodo is now in the spotlight of a pleasantly buzzed mob of people who are bored and basically go "dance, monkey, dance" and so Frodo is over here literally singing and dancing on a table. And man, I have watched the movies too many times, because I was expecting him to bust out with the Green Dragon or something, but no, no, Frodo pulls out "a ridiculous son that Bilbo had been rather fond of (and indeed rather proud of, for he had made up the words himself)." And this song doesn't make it into Peter Jackson's epic, so why is it so jarringly familiar to me? Well, this is why:

(This is not actually an endorsement of Hank Green; I have low-key beef with the vlogbrothers coming out anti-mask and participating in the "Covid is over and we can all pretend it's 2019" narrative. But I do love Peter Hollens's Tolkien-inspired songs.)

So we have Frodo singing and dancing on this tabletop with a few beers in him and leaning in to the performance of it all, and then he started getting ambitious with it. Which is, of course, when it all goes right to hell. I'm just gonna let Tolkien tell it, though:

[Frodo] capered about on the table; and when he came a second time to the cow jumped over the Moon, he leaped in the air. Much too vigorously; for he came down, bang, into a tray full of mugs, and slipped, and rolled off the table with a crash, clatter, and bump! The audience all opened their mouths wide for laughter, and stopped shor in gaping silence; for the singer disappeared. He simply vanished, as if he had gone slap through the floor without leaving a hole!

Frankly, the fact that Frodo doesn't know how the dang ring got on his finger is a big old red flag. He was EXPLICITLY told by Gandalf not to use it, and he managed to NOT use it in the Barrow-Downs, which was a significantly higher-stakes moment. Plus, if you're dancing on a table and (presumably) conducting as you lead the room in song, what the actual fuck was your hand doing in your pants? (Yeah, I know, PHRASING. Not changing it though.)

Not to mention that I'm pretty sure that Frodo also SEES the two assholes who tip off the Black Riders about them, because two dudes with bad vibes who had been antisocial whisperers all night slide out the door basically as soon as Frodo does his little disappearing act, but he NEGLECTS TO MENTION THIS TO STRIDER. I have to assume that the trained Ranger also caught this, but like...come on, Frodo. Self-preservation instincts, bud.

And honestly? Strider has every right to scold Frodo for this--although I would be lying if I said my inner 13-year-old boy didn't fall on the floor in hysterics when Strider says "You have put your foot in it! Or should I say your finger?" Because Frodo really did fuck everything up, to the point where Strider has to play the "Broski, I know basically everything" card that Merry had to play a few chapters back, and where it was endearing and relatable when Merry did it, it's FUCKING TERRIFYING that Strider a) can even do it, and b) had to. This is a bad situation, and one that could have been avoided if everyone had just HUNKERED DOWN IN THEIR ROOM FOR THE NIGHT. Socializing kills, is what I'm saying here.

Frodo does make a super sad attempt to walk the disappearing trick back, saying that he just briefly teleported over to Strider's corner for a chat, but literally nobody's having it, not even Butterbur. Sure, Butterbur placates his other customers and downplays it, but he specifically tells Frodo to warn him if Frodo plans to do any more "conjuring." Our innkeeper knows goddamn magic when he sees it. But despite Frodo's sinking heart and misgivings, we know that Butterbur is on the level because, as @apocalypticavolition keeps reiterating in their Wheel of Time reread (which you should absolutely check out, it is a delight), we can always trust a fat innkeeper, and Tolkien goes out of his way to tell us that "old Butterbur" has a "fat face."

Seriously Jolkien Rolkien Rolkien Tolkien, WHY THE FAT SHAMING???

But I'm going to leave it here, as Tolkien does, because that's pretty much it for this chapter. Next time we have some conversations coming, and hopefully we get the full tea on Strider. I know him from the movies, but I genuinely remember jack all about his book background, so this will be fun!

[meteors-lotr]

More Pokémon AU

We havin fuuuuuuuuun

Here’s a link to part one

Also this will be less of like, explanations of teams, and more little trivia, headcanons, and character relationships.

Eevee is a very common starter Pokémon in...Middle earth region (idk), due to its popularity in breeding, their easy to handle for children, and the many evolution possibilities. The bardlings, Sam and Frodo, Legolas, Bard, and Thranduil all had an Eevee as their first Pokémon

Sam and Frodo's Eevees were particularly close, and even evolved into an Espeon and Umbreon just minutes apart.

Aragorn and Boromir both started out their respective journeys with a Honedge, and it's the initial source of their friendly rivalry. Their strats with Aegislash is wildly different however, as Aragorn depend more on the blade form while Boromir leans on the shield form more

In their youth, both Elrond and Galadriel dabbled in Pokémon contests before taking on their respective gyms. Both still keep up with the scene even years later, and both are quite intrigued by the curly haired upstart with his Gogoat

Almost everyone in the region knows that gym leader Sauroman and professional nuisance Gandalf are divorced, but almost no one has any memory of the two of them actually being married. Even people in their age range only ever remember the two as divorced. It's one of the many anomalies surrounding Gandalf Gray.

Mirkwood is not the actual name of the city, but Greenwood. Surrounding the city is a thick forest, populated mainly by mean spirited fairy and dark types, that drove away most of the grass types that kept it, well, green. The forest became a creepy and dark place made to get lost in, so it gained the nickname of ‘Mirkwood’ most inhabitants of the city dislike the name strongly, and sees it as an insult.

Many young trainers fear entering the forest due to how easy it is to loose your way in it, and how dark it is even during the day. This is why Illumise and Volbeat are very popular Pokémon around that part of the region

Despite being generally unhelpful and sometimes a bit grumpy, Gandalf is extremely kind to to everyone he meets, and does see the potential in everyone. The one exception to this is Peregrin fucking Took, who he for some reason is extremely hostile and rude towards. Pippin takes this as a compliment

Champion Lobelia Sackville-Baggins team consists of six Alakazams, all of which can mega evolve. I am committing to this bit

Bard Dragon retired around the time Bain was born, wishing to spend more time with his family. He was, to no one's surprise, a Dragon specialist, but in current day he only still has two of his old team with him, his Hydreigon (Was a Zweilous back during his gym leader days), and his Goodra.

Aragorn and Legolas are childhood friends, and have always traveled together. They started traveling with Gimli when they reached Erebor city, and needed a guide to navigate the mountain, as it's easy to get lost. He just sorta stuck around after that.

So far Aragorn has had run ins with Ho-Oh, Raikou, Celebi (Twice!), Shaymin, Arceus (That was an experience), Victini, and Zeraora. He has no idea as to why they are so drawn to him.

Merry and Pippin caught their Zigzagoon's and their Plusle and Minun entirely separately on different occasions. They're a little bit pissed that they have matching teams, as people mix them up enough already.

The Pokémon professor of the region is an odd fellow by the name of Tom Bombadill. No one knows what he’s studying, no one knows what his deal is, but he is in possession of several legendary Pokémon so no one really fucks with him.

[autistook]

💌send this to the twelve nicest people you know or who seem to have a good heart and if you get five back you must be pretty awesome.💌

Tom Bombadil co-signed this

thankadillo sweetierillo ♡ you're a merry fellow

sending this back mentally I am too tired to send actually

[somelotrnerd]

The Fate of the Fellowship

They are the famed company of heroes, representing the races of all the free peoples of Middle-earth. Nine companions set against the nine ringwraiths of the Enemy. However, every tale, and every life, has an ending.

We must first acknowledge that one of the Fellowship does not live to see the quest fulfilled and the days renewed. Boromir, after attempting to take the Ring from Frodo, would valiantly defend Merry and Pippin from the Orcs, at the cost of his own life. Thus, Boromir, heir of Denethor, Lord of the Tower of Guard, dies on February 26, 3019 at Amon Hen at the age of 41. The river Anduin would bear his body out to its final resting place - the great sea.

After the destruction of the Ring, all the remaining Fellowship would be on hand just over a month later for Elessar’s coronation, the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen, and after spending a further five months in Gondor, they would travel to Rohan for the burial and funeral of King Théoden. Riding north from Edoras, they would stop at Helm’s Deep where Legolas visits the Glittering Caves with Gimli. On August 22, 3019, they arrive at Isengard, where the Fellowship would formally disband.

“But all save Legolas said that they must now take their leave and depart either south or west. ‘Come, Gimli!’ said Legolas. ‘Now by Fangorn’s leave I will visit the deep places of the Entwood and see such trees as are nowhere else to be found in Middle-earth. You shall come with me and keep your word; and thus we will journey on together to our own lands in Mirkwood and beyond.’ To this Gimli agreed, though with no great delight, it seemed.

‘Here then at last comes the ending of the Fellowship of the Ring,’ said Aragorn. ‘Yet I hope that ere long you will return to my land with the help that you promised.’

‘We will come, if our own lords allow it,’ said Gimli. ‘Well, farewell, my hobbits! You should come safe to your own homes now, and I shall not be kept awake for fear of your peril. We will send word when we may, and some of us yet meet at times; but I fear that we shall not all be gathered together ever again.’” - The Return of the King, Book 6, Chapter VI: “Many Partings”

This moment would indeed be the final time all eight surviving members of the Fellowship would be together in one place. As Gimli and Legolas head to Fangorn, and Aragorn back to Gondor, Gandalf accompanies the Hobbits north toward Rivendell.

The next companions to have their stories come to an end are Frodo and Gandalf. Prior to sailing west, Gandalf spends the past two years visiting Tom Bombadil. What the two great beings conversed about, we can only guess. Needless to say, a conversation between Tom, oldest and fatherless, and Gandalf the White, who was resurrected by Eru himself, would be incredibly interesting.

As for Frodo, he would serve as the Mayor of Michel Delving for a period of at least a few months until Will Whitfoot is restored to the role. He would also return to live in Bag End and see the first efforts of reviving the Shire from Saruman’s scouring. However, he would fall ill every March 13 and October 6 - the anniversaries of being poisoned by Shelob and being stabbed by the Witch-king respectively. After suffering from the lasting effects of his wounds for two years, Frodo sets out to the Grey Havens on September 21, 3021. There, Frodo would bid farewell to his fellow Hobbits before joining Gandalf on the White Ship.

“‘Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.’

Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship sailed away down the long grey firth; and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost. And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.” - The Return of the King, Book 6, Chapter IX: “The Grey Havens”

Thus, on September 29, 3021, Frodo and Gandalf sail into the West. Frodo is said to live the rest of his mortal days in a period of reflection and peace on the isle of Tol Eressëa. Gandalf would finally return to Valinor over 3000 years after leaving - his mission fulfilled, for he has supported, and kindled the hearts of, the free peoples to overcome the evil of Sauron.

The three Hobbits return to the Shire, Sam notably upon his trusty pony Bill. Sam would be instrumental in the restoration of the Shire, having already put the Lórien soil given by the lady Galadriel to great use. He has also, by this time, been married to Rosie Cotton for nearly a year and a half - and together they have had their first child, Elanor, born on the second anniversary of the destruction of the Ring. Sam and Rosie would go on to have a total of 13 children: Elanor, Frodo, Rose, Merry, Pippin, Goldilocks, Hamfast, Daisy, Primrose, Bilbo, Ruby, Robin, and Tolman. Their family name would be known not by the name Gamgee, but by the name Gardner - in honor of their father’s efforts in restoring the Shire. Their family would live many long years together in Bag End, as Frodo had made Samwise his heir.

After Will Whitfoot resigns from his post as Mayor of Michel Delving in the sixth year of the Fourth Age (abb. FoA), Sam would be elected to the role. In fact, he would go on to serve seven consecutive seven-year terms. In the year following his first election, Sam’s father - Gaffer Gamgee - would pass away at the age of 102. Nine years into his eventual 49-year service, Sam along with Merry and Pippin would meet King Elessar and Queen Arwen on the Brandywine Bridge, at which time Aragorn awards Sam with the Star of the Dúnedain. His role of Mayor is also appointed to be a Counsellor of the North-kingdom, and his daughter Elanor is made a maid of honor to Queen Arwen.

We are told that in 41 FoA, Sam and Elanor would make the long journey south, spending a year in Gondor. Twenty years later, in 61 FoA, Rosie would die at the age of 98 years old. Later that year, on September 22 (Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday), Sam would leave Bag End for the final time. He leaves Elanor at the Tower Hills, entrusting to her the Red Book of Westmarch, in which Bilbo and Frodo had documented their adventures. Sam would make his way to the Grey Havens at the age of 102, and 61 years after bidding farewell, he would be reunited with his friend Frodo Baggins.

Merry and Pippin would also have many long years remaining in the Shire after the turn of the Fourth Age. Pippin marries Diamond of Long Cleeve in the year 6 FoA, and three years later, they would have their only child - Faramir. In 13 FoA, Pippin succeeds his father and becomes the 32nd Thain of the Shire - another role made a Counsellor of the North-kingdom by King Elessar. In 42 FoA, Pippin’s son Faramir would marry Sam’s daughter Goldilocks Gardner. During his years as Thain, Pippin would collect a library of historical accounts within the great Took family residence in Tuckborough. He particularly collects information relating to Númenor and the heirs of Elendil. It is through Pippin’s efforts, with the help of Merry, that we get the “Tale of Years,” also known as Appendix B of the Lord of the Rings.

As for Merry, he would not only assist with Pippin’s historical accounts, but also write several scholarly works of his own including: “Herblore of the Shire,” “the Reckoning of Years,” and “Old Words and Names in the Shire.” It is said that Merry would visit Rivendell several times during the course of his later life, which no doubt also helped Pippin with the Tale of Years. Like Pippin, Merry would succeed his father in a prominent role of Shire leadership, becoming the Eighth Master of Buckland in 11 FoA. Like Sam and Pippin, Merry’s role is also made a Counsellor of the North-kingdom by King Elessar in 13 FoA. Merry would marry Fatty Bolger’s sister Estella, and together they would have at least one son.

Like so much of their lives, the waning days of Merry and Pippin are tied together. In the 63rd year of the Fourth Age, Merry receives an invitation from King Éomer, who wishes to see him once more before the end of his life. Merry and Pippin leave their possessions and their titles to their children, leaving the Shire for the last time. The friends make their way to Rohan, where they would stay with Éomer until the King’s death that very year, at the age of 93.

From there, they travel on to Minas Tirith, spending their remaining days with Aragorn in Gondor. While it is believed Éowyn may have already died by this time, it’s possible that Pippin is able to see an elderly Faramir before his end. Merry and Pippin would live out their remaining days in Gondor, and upon their deaths, their bodies would be laid to rest in Rath Dínen - the Hallows where the Kings and Stewards of Gondor are entombed.

As for the King himself, Aragorn would reign for 122 years after the defeat of Sauron. In the early days of his rule, he would set about reordering his kingdom. One of his first actions is to pardon all the Easterlings who had given themselves up, sending them away free. He would also make peace with the people of Harad. As for the heart of Sauron’s evil kingdom, Aragorn frees the Mannish slaves of Mordor and gives to them all the lands about Lake Núrnen to be their own.

Before the Fellowship disbands at Orthanc, Aragorn would order its restoration - during which the long lost Elendilmir, an heirloom lost with Isildur, would be found in Saruman’s old fortress - along with many other treasures. Aragorn takes the Elendilmir as he establishes his full kingship of not only Gondor, but the northern kingdom of Arnor. Aragorn reigns as the King of the Reunited Kingdom. As for Orthanc itself, he turns the realm over to the Ents to rule - renaming it the Treegarth of Orthanc.

Elessar would also declare the Druadan Forest to belong to the Drúedain as a protected enclave of his kingdom - and that no one should enter it without the permission of the Drúedain. He would likewise declare the same of the Shire - that no one should enter the land of the halflings without the Hobbits’ permission.

As for his own realm, Aragorn would make Faramir not only his Steward, but also Prince of Ithilien. It is also said that Aragorn would order Minas Morgul to be utterly destroyed - for no one could dwell in that evil place for many long years.

As for Rohan, King Elessar and King Éomer would renew the Oaths of Cirion and Eorl - pledging to come to one another’s aid in everlasting friendship. It is said in the early Fourth Age, Éomer would often fulfill his oath - riding with Aragorn to both the East and the South - for while Sauron had been defeated, there were still those loyal to him that would need to be subdued before the White Tree could grow in peace. While we are told of battles in both the East and at the haven of Umbar - home of the Corsairs, we learn that Haradrim embassies would travel to Aragorn’s court, and we are told his reign would largely be one of peace with the South.

King Elessar would live to 210 years old, and like the great kings of Númenor of old, he would wait not for the decay of time, but give up his life willingly - embracing the Gift of Men. In one of Tolkien’s most beautiful and heartbreaking writings, Aragorn’s life ends with a discussion of mortality with his wife Arwen. The Queen would lay down her own life the following year. Aragorn is laid to rest in Rath Dínen upon his death on March 1, 120 FoA. At this time, Merry and Pippin are moved to their final resting place, alongside Aragorn.

Aragorn and Arwen are survived by their son Eldarion and at least two daughters. Eldarion becomes the Second High King of the Reunited Kingdom as heir of the Royal House of Telcontar - Telcontar being the Quenya translation of Strider.

The final two members of the Fellowships, the unlikely friends Gimli and Legolas, would likewise leave the mortal lands together. After their journey in Fangorn Forest, Gimli would return to Erebor, and Legolas to his father’s Woodland Realm in Mirkwood. They both return to find that war had marched upon their homes in the North - and both would come to make their way back to the South.

Gimli takes a group of Dwarves to dwell in the Glittering Caves behind Helm’s Deep, with the permission of King Éomer. These great craftsmen would help King Elessar to rebuild the gates of Minas Tirith with both steel and mithril. It is said the Dwarves would accomplish great works in both Gondor and Rohan, aiding their Mannish friends. Gimli would share much of his people’s history with his friends Merry, Pippin, and Aragorn - contributing the history of Durin’s Folk to the Red Book (also known as Appendix A) and the genealogical tree of the Dwarves of Erebor. For the coming decades, Gimli would be known as Lord of the Glittering Caves and presumably, he would make good on his promise to Galadriel, setting the three strands of her hair in crystal as a pledge of goodwill between the mountain and the wood until the end of days.

For his part, Legolas would bring a group of his own people out of the North. Traveling from Greenwood, they would come to dwell in Ithilien, helping it to once again become the fairest country in all the westlands and alongside Gimli’s Dwarves and the King Elessar, they would help in rebuilding and improving Minas Tirith.

After Aragorn’s death in 120 FoA, Legolas would come to the coast of Middle-earth with his friend Gimli, now aged 262. Together, they would sail into the West - Legolas finally answering the call of the sea upon his heart, and Gimli becoming the first and only Dwarf ever to make the voyage. Legolas and Gimli pass beyond the mortal lands, the last surviving members of the Fellowship of the Ring.

[phantom-september]

Hi, TSS gifter here! What is something more in line with what you prefer :-)?

Hey! :D

Daily life/cute or gore are kinda my two speeds for Tolkien stuff. XD

Good stuff: - Non-humanoid monsters are cool (gorey or having a gossip session with some other monster, taking a little nap, etc) - Wizards are cool (casting spells! Not so much into the drug use direction fandom does though) - Hobbits are cool (gardening, having big dinners, stealing cups from dragons, riding barrels, riding ponies, fishing, throwing an apple with devastating accuracy, etc.) - Elves are cool (especially Beleg (with his little red shoes or otherwise), Finrod, Glorfindel, King of Mirkwood (book version), Elu Thingol, Elrond (any version except the Rings of Power one), Legolas, Galadriel (again, no Rings of Power), Cirdan, Luthien-- to name just a few!,

And then of course there's even more good stuff: - The Fellowship

- Huan - Bill the Pony

- Beorn (book version) - Poor Smeagol before the Ring ruined his life

Don't even get me started on good Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.

I could go on! Ah! So much good stuff.

I hope something here sparks an idea that sounds fun to you! If not, there's no bad blood on my side if we need to file for a mismatch--you should be getting to have fun too! And if that's not with me, that's ok!

Do not wants: No Rings of Power anything. Not into anything featuring sexy(anything) in the Tolkien universe. Not interested in any ships. Not into the humanoid baddies, Feanorians, or Maeglin.

Exceptions: Thuringwethil gets a free pass because she has a cute bat form (not interested in a sexy version). Not particularly into humans in general either, but Aragorn, Faramir, and Eomer free passes. XD

No shade to the "do not want" characters, concepts, or people who enjoy them, they just aren't what I would personally enjoy receiving in the secret santa exchange.

[is-it-mungojerry-or-rumpelteazer]

With another hop and a bound there came into view a man, or so it seemed.

'Fair lady!' said Frodo again after a while. 'Tell me, if my asking does not seem foolish, who is Tom Bombadil?' 'He is,' said Goldberry, staying her swift movements and smiling. Frodo looked at her questioningly. 'He is, as you have seen him,' she said in answer to his look. 'He is the Master of wood, water, and hill.' 'Then all this strange land belongs to him?' 'No indeed!' she answered, and her smile faded. 'That would indeed be a burden,' she added in a low voice, as if to herself. 'The trees and the grasses and all things growing or living in the land belong each to themselves. Tom Bombadil is the Master. No one has ever caught old Tom walking in the forest, wading in the water, leaping on the hill-tops under light and shadow. He has no fear. Tom Bombadil is master.'

*Takes Tom Bombadil by the shoulders and shakes him* Who are you?? What are you??? Answer me!!!

(He would probably just laugh and say something like “I’m a merry fellow, my jacket is blue and my boots are yellow”, wouldn’t he)

[lesbiansforboromir]

Impossible LotR Quiz Answer sheet with explanations!

As an addendum, since people have been doing the quiz I’ve seen a few mistypes and awkwardnesses that are my own fault so I’ve corrected them. This means some people got a higher score than was shown, know that when I looked over your answers I saw your actually right answers and fully appreciated them! It’s good to not that the ‘fill in the blanks’ questions will not take two words in one space, so I’ve had to get creative with how I apply two named folk like Mardil Voronwe, or people who have numbers like Hurin I.

I would also like to say, to everyone talking about how they’ve never read the Silmarillion, this quiz is very purposefully almost entirely based outside of the Silmarillion. This is Appendices stuff! Indeed there is only 1 question even tangentally related to elves in here, this is by design. 

@magaramach, @brynnmclean and @apojiiislands asked to be tagged in this! Answers under the cut. 

Q2. Who was Dora Baggins in relation to Bilbo Baggins? - Second cousin on his father's side Dora Baggins is a very elderly woman who was the daughter of Bilbo’s father’s brother. She likes writing people a lot of unsolicited advice! THIS WAS WRONG AND SAID FIRST COUSIN FOR SO LONG AND I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR IT.

Q3. How many pairs of biological twins are mentioned in the whole of Arda's timeline and what races do they belong too? - 2 for men, 1 for elves and 3 for half-elves Fastred and Folcred, Haleth and Haldar (men) Amrod and Amras (elves) Elured and Elurin, Elrond and Elros, Elladan and Elrohir (half-elves) Now, admittedly Elladan and Elrohir are never actually described as twins. However they appear completely identical and have the same birth date, so it is assumed.

Q4. Baldor is who the skeleton scratching at the door used to be. When Aragorn and co pass through the paths of the dead they find a skeleton clawing at a door to the mountain. It is finely dressed and described as mighty and was later essentially confirmed to be Baldor, the eldest son of King Brego of Rohan, also called Baldor the hapless, who foolishly wandered into the paths of the dead on, apparently, a dare. (the answer to this was originally Brego because of a foolish typo from me, many apologies!)

Q5. When was the Ondonóre Nómesseron Minaþurie written? - During Meneldil's reign. “Enquiry into the Place-names of Gondor” was a text written by settled numenoreans about their new kingdom during Meneldil’s reign, who was the first sole King of Gondor after both Anarion (his father) and Isildur had perished.   

Q6. Farmer Maggot's particular friend was Tom Bombadil  It is stated that Farmer Maggot sometimes peacefully passes through the Old Forest to go and meet Tom Bombadil, who very much enjoys his company. However! Those who answered Merry or Pippin still deserve excellent recognition, Farmer Maggot was indeed fond of Pippin and respected Merry greatly.

Q7. What was the office of the Steward originally created to do? - Keep the Tradition of Isildur When Romendacil I went to war in the east, he realised that if he died then the secret of the Tradition of Isildur would die with him. Hence he wrote it down in a sealed scoll and gave it to a trusted confidante, to be given to his heir if he should perish. This tradition was maintained by further kings and those trusted confidantes became the Stewards of Gondor. This, admittedly, is a more suggested progression than explicit, but it’s a Impossible evil quiz so :) Q8. What was the 'Tradition of Isildur'? - Remember where Elendil was buried. Elendil had been secretly entombed in Calenardhon, supposedly the midpoint between Gondor and Arnor. This was a hallowed space for only Kings at first, but in later years when the Stewards came to rule Gondor they also were permitted the secret. Cirion had the remains moved when Calenardhon was gifted to the Eotheod to eventually become a part of the Kingdom of Rohan. 

Q9. At the time of Pelargir's founding, is the world flat or round? - Flat. Pelargir was founded as a ‘Faithful Numenorean’ haven on the river Anduin. Therefore it was built before Numenor’s destruction in the Akallabeth, the reason for which being that Eru turned the world from flat to round. 

Q10. Which of these monarchs were indolent and had no interest in ruling? - King Atanatar I - King Narmacil I - Tar-Vanimelde King Atanatar I ruled during Gondor’s richest generation and seemed to believe that meant he didn’t need to put any work in. Narmacil I, his son, didn’t want to put any work in, but he at least assigned his nephew, Minalcar, as ‘Karma-Kundo’ or regent during his reign. So he at least did something to keep the country going. Tar-Vanimelde had no interest in ruling and allowed her husband to do most of the governence. This backfired when she died and he organised a coup against his son to hold power.

Q11. When looking back on the Ship-Kings of Gondor, King Tarannon Falastur began the invasion of Harad and expanded Gondor's borders, King Earnil-I finally took Umbar but died at sea shortly afterwards, King Ciryandil spent most of his reign trying to defend Umbar and died in it's seige and King Hyarmendacil defended Umbar against seiges for 35 years before making war upon all Harad and claiming Harondor as a province of Gondor, ending the line of the Ship Kings.

Q12. What happened during the reign of King Romendacil II? - I don't know! Nothing? Yes I know this is particularly evil of me but Romendacil II was originally called Minalcar, yes the same Minalcar who became REGENT of Gondor due to Narmacil’s indolent nature. Minalcar indeed did everything else listed as answers to this question, but none of them happened during his reign as king. Indeed, his reign was said to be peaceful and we have no real information on it, so technically saying we don’t know, and suggesting nothing happened, is actually the most correct answer :)

Q13. Who succeeded Tar-Telperien of Numenor? - Her nephew, Minastir Tar-Telperien was a lesbian Queen of Numenor who never married and never wanted too and did an excellent job and I love her. Her nephew built a tower to mope in about how much he wanted to be an elf. They are not the same. Absolutely terrified about what Amazon could do to her. 

Q14. Whilst his brethren, the nazgul, were attacking the Prancing Pony, The Witch-King was waiting in the Barrow Downs and probably had a really nice time. Not much to this! Witch King was chilling with the Barrow Wights. 

Q15. Which of these characters are described as 'beautiful' at least once in the Lord of the Rings? - Galadriel, Denethor, Eowyn, Frodo, Elanor, Celeborn, Boromir Yes, Arwen is never described as beautiful, but Denethor is :)

Q16. We all love Boromir II, select the similarities he and Boromir I did NOT share. - Renowned relationship with the Rohirrim. - Destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath - Feared by the Witch King - Retook Ithilien. - Had a brother. In case you’re wondering, yes, I love both Boromirs. But this question is a fun highlight of how many similarities Boromir II has with his namesake. These are the only things they didn’t both do. Although! Boromir I’s son was Cirion who allied with the Eotheod and created Rohan in the first place, the Uruk-Hai destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath in Boromir I’s lifetime, Boromir II was PROBABLY feared by the witch-king we just don’t know, Boromir II held Ithilien and Boromir I had two elder sisters like Denethor II did.

Q17. Hey, did you know that, from Boromir I's war with the Uruk-Hai of the Morgul Vale, Gondor didn't know peace until Sauron's death on the 25th of March, 3019? Hah hah! How gut wrenching is that? About how long do you think it has been since Gondor knew peace then? Hey wait does that mean Boromir I's valiant victory that came at a personal sacrifice was the beginning of Gondor's wars and then Boromir II's valiant sacrifice was the end- oh god... oh fuck - 550 years To everyone who answered the crossed out answer,,, you’re correct in my heart. You get bonus points. Also hey! What the fuck :) 

Q18. Who was Borondir? - The rider sent to find Eorl who made it to him after starving himself for two days but who then rode to the Celebrant with Eorl anyway and died in that battle. Literally couldn’t love this fellow more. Big Hirgon energy. A hero of Gondor for time immemorial. 

Q19. The Ruling Stewards, from first to last (with their numbers typed as so Turin-I Hurin-II etc), were as follows; Mardil ; Eradan ; Herion ; Belegorn ; Hurin-I ; Turin-I ; Hador ; Barahir ; Dior ; Denethor-I ; Boromir-I ; Cirion ; Hallas ; Hurin-II ; Belecthor-I ; Orodreth ; Ecthelion-I ; Egalmoth ; Beren ; Beregond ; Belecthor-II ; Thorondir ; Turin-II ; Turgon ; Ecthelion-II ; Denethor-II ; and for like two seconds ; Faramir ; Alrighty, we had a bit of a fight in my discord about this but eventually I did relent in agreement that Faramir IS... very briefly... legally considered a RULING Steward. Ruling Stewards being Stewards that ruled a Kingless Gondor. But! With Aragorn RIGHT THERE is just seemed very redundant. Still! I’ll allow the pedant to win out, ten minutes is still a Ruling Steward. ALSO! I decided that having an extra box for the ‘voronwe’ part of mardil voronwe was just mean as it set everyone’s answers off kilter, so I removed that. ALSO for all of those calling me a bastard for adding this question, @illegalstargender was the one who requested it! I wasn’t going too! 

Q20. The Stewards, despite ruling through very tumultuous and violent periods, were often known for boring things (because they simply ruled better than the Kings did, I said what I said) But what boring thing was Steward Turin I remembered for? - Being the only monarch of Gondor that married twice This skeezy bastard really did marry a second time during his OLD age just to father a son. I can only imagine what a dreadful cultural and social effect this had on this prude country. It’s so unnecessary! He had daughters, many of them! One of them certainly had a son before he did. He was just being a controlling arse, down with Turin I!!!!

[ambassadorquark]

who is the weirdest guy in lotr? feel like it has to be tom bombadil

oh yeah, i mean my lotr knowledge is like... fairly limited to having seen the films and read some of the books ages ago before getting bored bc i was like 12 and didn’t understand it i just kind of post about it bc i think the memes are funny but it is tom bombadil is the thing. he’s literally a merry fellow

[teabooksandsweets]

Bright blue his Jacket is

Who is Bombadil? He is. According to his wife, Goldberry, and his creator, J. R. R. Tolkien, we are to be content with this. I, for one, am, because I trust the author about his own intentions and take his words as the final word about them.

But that doesn't mean that I cannot have my own thoughts regarding such a particularly mysterious, and intriguing figure. And, as it is, I like Bombadil. Though most readers of Tolkien's work will agree that he is a mystery, he is often found to be annoying, disruptive and, even, incongruous with the story's style

[…] and even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally).

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Letter #144

Tom Bombadil is an enigma, and that is just right as it is. There is no need to explain

I suppose he has some importance as a 'comment' […] and he represents something that I feel important, though I would not be prepared to analyse the feeling precisely […] Ultimately only the victory of the West will allow Bombadil to continue, or even to survive. Nothing would be left for him in the world of Sauron.

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Letter #153

Bombadil is comment, a symbol of what is good and ought to be preserved, and a thing for itself, outside the story. Yet, despite his apparent immunity to major powers, such as the Ring itself, he would not be left unaffected by the actual destruction of his environment. This is of consequence, but I will come to it later on.

A common theory about Tom Bombadil's true identity is that he is supposed to be Eru Ilúvatar himself—or at least, his incarnation in Middle-earth. Tolkien denied this, and I don't see why I or anyone should dispute this. It is an understandable theory, as Tom Bombadil is ancient, of incomparable power and nature, and inexplicable. But he is a being for himself and his surroundings, not involved or interested in the dealings the rest of the world and its peoples.

And I, personally, don't think it would suit Tolkien to portray his creator of Arda in such a manner—though I don't want to make assumptions about him in that regard, just as I don't agree with those who argue that Bombadil would not fit Tolkien's style and narrate, because what an author includes in his work suits his style and narrative. But, aside from Tolkien's own denial of this particular theory, I have another reason for my own thoughts regarding it: Tom Bombadil is, though older than all of Arda, not necessarily older than anyone or anything else.

“Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the Little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless—before the Dark Lord came from Outside.”

The Fellowship of the Ring

Tom Bombadil lived before the world was created, or, at least, before it was as one knew it. He knew a time before “the Dark Lord came from the Outside”, which might refer to Sauron or Morgoth, although it isn't clear whether or not he lived before their rebellion, or even before their creation.

All this does not mean that Bombadil is the great creator himself. Nor does it mean that he is one of the Ainur, as is another popular theory. As the Maiar are not immune to the One Ring's influence, and all Valar are named and known, I consider this unlikely. Nor would it be in accordance with his singularity, and his deep connection to the place his is in.

Now, there's a few who like the idea of Tom being evil. But it doesn't appear to be in his nature, it doesn't agree with Tolkien's own comments, and wouldn't explain what made him so different from all other life in Middle-earth. A special evil being or spirit, of greater power than is otherwise known—yes, that might be an appealing idea if one finds a jolly old man to be too boring without a sinister background, but it would still leave us where we are. Who is he? What is he? Why is he—like that?—so other?

But one of those evil theories, that he is indeed the evil spirit of the forest, comes remarkably close to my own thoughts about him.

Tom Bombadil, as Goldberry said, “is”. He represents himself, and his right to be in the story does not need an explanation, nor an apology, as it was only up to the author to make this decision. He existed, in a way, before many a part of the Legendarium, and in that sense, his own explanation of himself and his great age might be even a nod to the reader. The Lord of the Rings is, after all, a fictional translation, and many a thing just a means for the reader from our world to understand the going-ons in another. Who knows what his counterpart in the “original” Red Book of Westmarch would be, with no Dutch doll to inspire the “translator”? But I should not dive too deep into a story which, in this sense, doesn't exist.

Shoving the art of writing and the science of stories aside for a moment, and look at the story from within, as if it were real. What could explain Tom's nature?

I assume my idea is not better than most. But it does appeal more to me. It has so for a while, though I just now got around to writing it down.

He is older than all that is known and seen in Middle-earth, though not likely older than anything else. He is not affected by the One Ring as any mortal (or even immortal) man or otherwise sentient being would be, yet “there would be nothing left for him” under Sauron's rule. His wife is “the River-woman's daughter” and likely a spirit. He claims the land does not belong to him, but to itself, yet it seems also inseparable from him. He is not evil, it does not appeal to him or have immediate power over him, yet it does also not agree with him. He is not precisely good, nor does he care much about the dealings and doings of other people and beings.

His demeanour and nature are lively, earthly, and robust. And thoroughly physical—although apparently a spirit or spiritual being, he is exceedingly bodily and alive, concerned first and foremost with his wife, his land, and his food and drink. So physical, indeed, that no supernatural power seems to appeal to him so much as to fall for it, so different is his own interest, his own nature incompatible with a thing such as the One Ring.

Now I get to the tricky part—because I don't want to make any sort of assumption about J. R. R. Tolkien's own ideas, nor would I claim my theory to be in accordance with his intentions. But I want to say what my own idea is anyway, and I like it, because, even though I don't think that that's what's supposed to be true in the book, at least not directly so—not clearly, specifically, though possibly, just possibly, at the edge of it—it is beautifully fit, compatible so to speak, not really wrong.

Tom Bombadil is Middle-earth. In one way, or another. Its spirit, perhaps, or its man-like form, its protective soul, or a representative, for the reader only, or even for its inhabitants. He, as Verlyn Flieger said, does not desire to dominate, and hence cannot be dominated. I think that is, perhaps, because he dominates all that is in his nature to dominate, and is dominated by all that his in his nature to be dominated by. Not more, nor less.

He came to Middle-earth with its creation, and he is Middle-earth in all its states and stages. He does not want more than Middle-earth, but he cannot have less than Middle-earth, because it is he and he is it. He is. Mind you—not Arda, not Eä, only Middle-earth. But Middle-earth, in its entirety.

Made and sent by Eru, but not as a person, but as a place, he cannot exist in accordance with pure evil—there would be nothing left for him—but not intervening in the doings of and dealings of his own inhabitants. At least, not going further than nature itself, in the shape of a jolly old man, could or would do.

So much for my theory.

But in truth and canon and fact, Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow. None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the Master: His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster. That, I suppose, is all we ought to know.

[saurons-pr-department]

I was a bit confused about Tom Bombadil and I read somewhere that he was a rapist? Is this true ?

Hey anon, I think I've heard this being mentioned before. It's related to a section in the poem I've put under the cut (The Adventures of Tome Bombadil). I've highlighted the relevant spot. I'll admit, that bit doesn't sound great (it's about how he caught Goldberry), but like, the poem also involves him getting captured by a tree and then some badgers and then a wight, so like... I don't know how much normal, everyday logic we're expecting here... She also catches him at the start of the poem and address him by name, so she seems to already know who he is. We're given no context for their relationship and we're not given much in the way of details about the whole matter other than this poem-ified version of events.

I don't know about anyone else, but for me, saying that he's outright a rapist, sounds like an overly literal reading of fantasy poem, you know?

(Also, so for asking if this was a real ask, it just came out of no where and I was afraid it was someone just trying to start shit XD)

Old Tom Bombadil was a merry fellow; bright blue his jacket was and his boots were yellow, green were his girdle and his breeches all of leather; he wore in his tall hat a swan-wing feather. He lived up under Hill, where the Withywindle ran from a grassy well down into the dingle.

Old Tom in summertime walked about the meadows gathering the buttercups, running after shadows, tickling the bumblebees that buzzed among the flowers, sitting by the waterside for hours upon hours.

There his beard dangled long down into the water: up came Goldberry, the River-woman’s daughter; pulled Tom’s hanging hair. In he went a-wallowing under the water-lilies, bubbling and a-swallowing.

‘Hey, Tom Bombadil! Whither are you going?’ said fair Goldberry. ‘Bubbles you are blowing, frightening the finny fish and the brown water-rat, startling the dabchicks, and drowning your feather-hat!’

‘You bring it back again, there’s a pretty maiden!’ said Tom Bombadil. ‘I do not care for wading. Go down! Sleep again where the pools are shady far below willow-roots, little water-lady!’

Back to her mother’s house in the deepest hollow swam young Goldberry. But Tom, he would not follow; on knotted willow-roots he sat in sunny weather, drying his yellow boots and his draggled feather.

Up woke Willow-man, began upon his singing, sang Tom fast asleep under branches swinging; in a crack caught him tight: snick! it closed together, trapped Tom Bombadil, coat and hat and feather.

‘Ha, Tom Bombadil! What be you a-thinking, peeping inside my tree, watching me a-drinking deep in my wooden house, tickling me with feather, dripping wet down my face like a rainy weather?’

‘You let me out again, Old Man Willow! I am stiff lying here; they’re no sort of pillow, your hard crooked roots. Drink your river-water! Go back to sleep again like the River-daughter!’

Willow-man let him loose when he heard him speaking; locked fast his wooden house, muttering and creaking, whispering inside the tree. Out from willow-dingle Tom went walking on up the Withywindle. Under the forest-eaves he sat a while a-listening: on the boughs piping birds were chirruping and whistling. Butterflies about his head went quivering and winking, until grey clouds came up, as the sun was sinking.

Then Tom hurried on. Rain began to shiver, round rings spattering in the running river; a wind blew, shaken leaves chilly drops were dripping; into a sheltering hole Old Tom went skipping.

Out came Badger-brock with his snowy forehead and his dark blinking eyes. In the hill he quarried with his wife and many sons. By the coat they caught him, pulled him inside their earth, down their tunnels brought him.

Inside their secret house, there they sat a-mumbling: ‘Ho, Tom Bombadil! Where have you come tumbling, bursting in the front-door? Badger-folk have caught you. You’ll never find it out, the way that we have brought you!’

‘Now, old Badger-brock, do you hear me talking? You show me out at once! I must be a-walking. Show me to your backdoor under briar-roses; then clean grimy paws, wipe your earthy noses! Go back to sleep again on your straw pillow, like fair Goldberry and Old Man Willow!’

Then all the Badger-folk said: ‘We beg your pardon!’ They showed Tom out again to their thorny garden, went back and hid themselves, a-shivering and a-shaking, blocked up all their doors, earth together raking.

Rain had passed. The sky was clear, and in the summer-gloaming Old Tom Bombadil laughed as he came homing, unlocked his door again, and opened up a shutter. In the kitchen round the lamp moths began to flutter; Tom through the window saw waking stars come winking, and the new slender moon early westward sinking.

Dark came under Hill. Tom, he lit a candle; upstairs creaking went, turned the door-handle. ‘Hoo, Tom Bombadil! Look what night has brought you! I’m behind the door. Now at last I’ve caught you! You’d forgotten Barrow-wight dwelling in the old mound up there on hill-top with the ring of stones round. He’s got loose again. Under earth he’ll take you. Poor Tom Bombadil, pale and cold he’ll make you!’

‘Go out! Shut the door, and never come back after! Take away gleaming eyes, take your hollow laughter! Go back to grassy mound, on your stony pillow lay down your bony head, like Old Man Willow, like young Goldberry, and Badger-folk in burrow! Go back to buried gold and forgotten sorrow!’

Out fled Barrow-wight through the window leaping, through the yard, over wall like a shadow sweeping, up hill wailing went back to leaning stone-rings, back under lonely mound, rattling his bone-rings.

Old Tom Bombadil lay upon his pillow sweeter than Goldberry, quieter than the Willow, snugger than the Badger-folk or the Barrow-dwellers; slept like a humming-top, snored like a bellows.

He woke in morning-light, whistled like a starling, sang, ‘Come, derry-dol, merry-dol, my darling!’ He clapped on his battered hat, boots, and coat and feather; opened the window wide to the sunny weather.

Wise old Bombadil, he was a wary fellow; bright blue his jacket was, and his boots were yellow. None ever caught old Tom in upland or in dingle, walking the forest-paths, or by the Withywindle, or out on the lily-pools in boat upon the water. But one day Tom, he went and caught the River-daughter, in green gown, flowing hair, sitting in the rushes, singing old water-songs to birds upon the bushes.

He caught her, held her fast! Water-rats went scuttering reeds hissed, herons cried, and her heart was fluttering. Said Tom Bombadil: ‘Here’s my pretty maiden! You shall come home with me! The table is all laden: yellow cream, honeycomb, white bread and butter; roses at the window-sill and peeping round the shutter. You shall come under Hill! Never mind your mother in her deep weedy pool: there you’ll find no lover!’

Old Tom Bombadil had a merry wedding, crowned all with buttercups, hat and feather shedding; his bride with forgetmenots and flag-lilies for garland was robed all in silver-green. He sang like a starling, hummed like a honey-bee, lilted to the fiddle, clasping his river-maid round her slender middle.

Lamps gleamed within his house, and white was the bedding; in the bright honey-moon Badger-folk came treading, danced down under Hill, and Old Man Willow tapped, tapped at window-pane, as they slept on the pillow, on the bank in the reeds River-woman sighing heard Barrow-wight in his mound crying.

Old Tom Bombadil heeded not the voices, taps, knocks, dancing feet, all the nightly noises; slept till the sun arose, then sang like a starling: ‘Hey! Come derry-dol, merry-dol, my darling!’ sitting on the door-step chopping sticks of willow, while fair Goldberry combed her tresses yellow

[kyndaris]

To All the Books: Always and Forever

For those that know me, there are two things in the world that I love more than anything else: video games and...books. All throughout high school, I was known as the one who always had a book in her bag, ready to whip out when I no longer had to socialise with my fellow mouth-breathers. To be honest, it was a source of shame as I’d be disparaged for reading when I could have been talking. Worse, even back then, people hardly read things beyond the prescribed texts set by the school’s English Department. To many, I was an anomaly. And it was difficult to discuss anything beyond those that had young adults enthralled such as Harry Potter, Twilight and Eragon with any of my friends. Due to my  niche repertoire, it was a little harder to find anyone with the same interests. Who’s Trudi Canavan? What’s the Silmarillion? 

Note to self: Do not read Chapter 13 of Gene of Isis, which is titled Seduction, when friends can very easily look over your shoulder and wonder why a thirteen year-old might be interested in hands sliding down knees. 

In my defence, I skimmed over most of the risque scenes as I was more interested in the actual world-building.

Recently though, I’ve stumbled upon a YouTube channel that features one of the major things I cherish: the written word and the characters lurking within. In fact, it’s been a great joy to delve into a few of the book reviews and to learn about the strange quirks that come from being a reader. It’s also great to hear what they might have liked or disliked about some of my favourite books. And, hopefully when the COVID-19 pandemic finally blows over, I too, hope to stop someone in the produce section of a grocery store to chat about Brandon Sanderson (who, by the way, signed my Mistborn books when he was in Australia for Supanova and I asked him a terribly stupid question because I hadn’t sat in on his panel).

It has also made me wonder that perhaps people might be more interested in hearing my thoughts on books. After all, if the internet has taught me anything, there’s still a sizeable audience for any type of content. Books and Fanfiction included.

The only problem, is that I read for leisure. I’ve always hated how, during English class, we’d try to break down each and every sentence an author inserted into their story. Did it matter that the dress was red? I would say ‘no’ but English Literature professors would say ‘yes.’ Why? Because it represents passion and sexiness and every in between. Clearly, the author is trying to state from the very first chapter that what proceeds next is going to be hot and steamy.

As someone that has dabbled with a bit of writing, I know for a fact that I’ve never put in that much thought about my random background descriptions. Most of the time, it’s been: how does that look good? And if I choose to use ‘pivot’ instead of ‘dodged’ in a combat scene, it’s only because I’m trying to change it up a little. And not because I wanted to allude to my failed career as a ballet dancer (which, by the way, would never have happened because I am a terrible dancer).

I suppose I could always break down the things I liked about narrative or the characters. That’s something I’ve always done with video games. The problem with books, however, is that a lot of the characters also stem from the reader’s imagination. While some authors like to paint an explicit picture of what their protagonists might look like, others just give them broad descriptions and let their readers fill in the rest. It’s why I couldn’t get over the fact that Remus Lupin had a moustache in the Harry Potter films. And probably why I fell in love with book Faramir, but couldn’t seem to love his film portrayal in the Lord of the Rings films (which do make the franchise more palatable. Though, they did do Tom Bombadil a great disservice by not including him).

Still, it’s food for thought.

After all, in this day and age, it’s so hard to find someone that has similar interests as me. Honestly, I’d gladly go on a rant about some of the authors that I’ve been introduced to, and others that I’ve discovered. Better yet, I’ve been also trying to expand what types of books that I read. Though, of course, I’m a little leery about reading romance in public - what with their covers and all.

In any case, 2021 is the year that I hope to continue to indulge in my hobby. Hopefully, I’ll continue to read widely even though I’d much prefer to focus on my core genre that I take the most joy out of exploring. Because, even among readers, there’s judgement. Though this isn’t much explored, I still feel a little out of place to reveal how much I love epic fantasy. This might have been due to my mother hoping I’d read Jane Austen back when I was twelve, but honestly, at that time in my life, magic wands and dragons seemed much cooler than Regency England. Since then, however, I’ve read Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. 

Maybe I’ll read more of Jane Austen’s works in the future and develop a deeper appreciation for her writing. For now, my favourite is still Jane Eyre. Even if Rochester is a problematic love interest.

As for my other books, well...all I can say is that I appreciate how fast Mr Brandon Sanderson writes and I look forward to the next story in the Stormlight Archives. Scott Lynch, I need more from Locke and his merry gang of thieves. And you...Patrick Rothfuss...will you ever be able to finish what you’ve started?

But, just like my games, it might be best to go through the huge pile that I’ve yet to finish. Why is it every time that I enter a bookstore I seem to know no restraint and buy, buy, buy? There have been many books that have sat on my shelves, just waiting to be devoured, but have been eclipsed by the latest and shiny titles of a few of my favourite authors.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Rereading The Fellowship of the Ring for the First Time in Fifteen Years

Ok, so...stop me if the internet has said this before, but goddamn Tolkien is a master at using setting to affect the mood of a chapter. This forest is depressing as hell, it's creepy, and we had to deal with Old Man freaking Willow. Nobody is having a good time in this chapter, except maybe Tom Bombadil right at the end, and we REALLY need to talk about Sam for a second. So let's talk "The Old Forest."

So before we start, I've been meaning to comment on Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger's nickname for like three chapter and have just...utterly failed to do so, so as we say goodbye to him for the rest of the book, I'm just going to...I dunno, stick a pin in Tolkien's ass for being fatphobic the same way I do George Lucas for nicknaming Jek Porkins "Piggy" (and then the EU passed the nickname onto Voort SaBinring, a Gamorrean who was genetically altered but still kept a nickname that had the potential to be dehumanizing on casual observance, even though Wedge treats it like a badge of honor in Porkins's memory...guys we really need to work on nicknames because COME ON...). Like...literally both these characters have more going on with them than their girth, and we could perhaps ACKNOWLEDGE that. Especially since Fredegar has volunteered to cosplay as Frodo with Black Riders in the area. Like give the hobbit a dang break with that nickname, y'all!!! Not, I suppose, that it's really going to matter because when the gate to the forest clanged ominously shut, the group was well and truly beyond the Shire and had left hobbity things behind.

Which brings us rather neatly to this goddamn forest, and Meriadoc Brandybuck having the sheer nerve to go, "I don't believe any of the stories about boogeymen in the forest, but just so y'all know, the trees watch you as you traverse the forest, they talk, they might poke you if they're pissy, and oh yeah, they might MOVE" is just kind of astounding. Like...Merry. Are you HEARING yourself??? And then we also get this little gem from our favorite competent hobbit about the forest:

They do say the trees do actually move, and can surround strangers and hem them in. In fact long ago they attacked the Hedge: they came and planted themselves right by it, and leaned over it. But the hobbits came and cut down hundreds of trees and made a great bonfire in the Forest, and burned all the ground in a long strip east of the Hedge. After that the trees gave up the attack, but they became very unfriendly.

...So, apparently there is precedent for hobbits going full-on fucking scorched earth when threatened. And were I the Old Forest, I would also be really pissy with the hobbits for murdering a bunch of my fellow trees and literally burning the earth. Like...no freaking wonder the entire trip through this forest is depressing and creepy and it keeps shunting them away from their destination.

I also like the little details about Pippin getting so fed up and uncomfortable that he is full-on pulling an "I didn't burn your friends and I'm not going to do anything to you" and Frodo trying to sing and getting just utterly squelched by the general mood.

The writing in this section was just brilliant on a technical sentence level too; reading the twisty and shunting you away from where you want to go sentences was ENTIRELY as frustrating as navigating the actual forest was--to the point where I had to put down and pick up this chapter like three times to get through it because TOO REAL, JOHN RONALD. That's a skill you see all too rarely in books these days, that the literal sentences on the page and how they are constructed evoke the emotions the characters are feeling and you don't have to do anything to feel it with them because the writing has already got you there. Just incredible, I have to say. (And the petty part of me wants to also shoot a derisive glare and Brando Sando's philosophy of "invisible prose," point at this chapter in Fellowship, and say "suck it." Because I'm just not always that nice a human, and I am not a Sanderson girlie.)

And then we get to Old Man Willow.

I will grant Merry, Pippin, and Frodo that it is ENTIRELY unreasonable to expect them to know what genre they're in. They had no real reason to expect that the sudden overwhelming exhaustion, sudden lack of flies, and weirdly inviting willow tree were basically a venous fly trap. This is literally day one outside the Shire and they're inexperienced hobbits. They absolutely get a pass on not realizing that they were getting whammied this time around.

At which point the question "WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH SAMWISE GAMGEE???" becomes entirely reasonable, because our boy seems to like...repel magic? Here's what the text says:

Sam sat down and scratched his head, and yawned like a cavern. He was worried. The afternoon was getting late, and he thought this sudden sleepiness uncanny. "There's more behind this than sun and warm air," he muttered to himself. "I don't like this great big tree. I don't trust it. Hark at it singing about sleep now! This won't do at all!"

Sam is over here side-eyeing a tree. Correctly. Like...is this his gardener mojo happening? Because he is just this deeply familiar with plants and their ways, he can clock a suspicious tree trying to mind whammy everyone? I'd buy that, if this was the first thing, but it's NOT. There was that thing a couple chapters back where the text put Sam and Gandalf on a level, and then the thing with the elves where they were fine having a frank chat with Sam when they refused to give Frodo details because they didn't think he could handle them. The text is CLEARLY setting Sam up to be both weirdly unflappable in general and also weirdly resilient to and resistant against magic--even for a hobbit.

Like it has been established at this point that hobbit have some natural resistance to evil and magic and that apparently they're not afraid to just burn shit down when threatened, but then we get Sam out here SCOLDING people for not resisting or for misbehaving. Some of my favorite examples from this chapter include:

"You were dreaming I expect, Mr. Frodo," said Sam. "You shouldn't sit in such a place, if you feel sleepy."

and

"If it don't let them go, I'll have it down, if I have to gnaw it."

Literally, Sam looked at a big, evil tree that tried to drown Frodo and squash Merry and Pippin to death and said "I will take you down with my teeth if I have to." This hobbit has exactly zero fucks to give, and there has to be more than just "professional gardener mojo" at work here. I am keeping one hell of an eye on Sam at this point, because he is weirdly unflappable and weirdly magic resistant and frankly he is ALREADY carrying this group of hobbits on his back and we're nowhere near Mount Doom.

Before we have to watch Sam try to take a tree down with his teeth though, we get Bombadil ex machina-ed out of the situation, and yet another person scoops the four hobbits off the road and out of danger to feed them and give them a good night's sleep.

This is starting to be a theme with hobbits. I am seriously starting to wonder if there is a good Samaritan law in Middle Earth that basically goes, "If you find a hobbit on the road, you are morally, ethically, and legally required to feed them and house them for a night" because LITERALLY EVERYONE DOES THIS.

And before the internet jumps down my throat: Yes, guys, I know about hospitality traditions. I know what Tolkien is going for here. But the regularity with which this is happening in these early chapters is giving me The Hobbit vibes, which I was extremely not expecting given how much the internet at large likes to go "Wow, LotR and The Hobbit are so wildly different in tone, it's like they're not related at all." I guess my point is that these first six chapters are reminiscent of that structure, and only Sith deal in absolutes.

We're going to leave it there for this chapter, because I'm not dealing with Bombadil in the machine until his chapter. The TLDR is that he shows up to rescue the hobbits from Old Man Willow here, and brings them home for dinner. We can address the rest next time.

[straightouttahimring]

On Tom Bombadil and The Ainulindalë

In case anyone in the fandom is unfamiliar with Tom Bombadil, Tom is a merry old fellow (his words, not mine) who comes to the Hobbits’ aid in The Fellowship of the Ring book. Curiously, the One Ring has no effect on Tom. The elves call him “the oldest and fatherless,” leading to many theories that Tom Bombadil could be Eru (the one true God—God with a capital ‘G’—in Tolkien’s universe).

Tom’s power comes from song. Not magestic or lyrical songs, but mostly nonsense and childish rhymes. While walking alone, he sings about himself, to himself:

“Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!

Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow!

Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!”

Not exactly poetry.

In the beginning in the Timeless Halls, the Ainur created Eä—the universe—through song. They were taught the ways of music by Eru, their creator.

What I am getting at is this: if Tom Bombadil really is Eru, than The Music of the Ainur was much sillier than we have all been imagining.

Along that tangent, could that mean Melkor’s Discord during the Ainulindalë was actually... good music? Was everyone reciting drunken nursery rhymes and Melkor bursts onto the scene with some Broadway-worthy composition? Oh the possibilities...

TL;DR — If Tom Bombadil really is Eru, then the Ainulindalë would have been worse than Bilbo’s poetry and all my images of the Valar are shattered.