It is not known when Tom settled into his domain outside the Old Forest, but of course he was already living there when the Third Age began, seeing the rise (and fall) of the realm of Angmar and its wars that led to the Barrow-downs being inhabited by evil spirits called Barrow-wights. Tom Bombadil, by the Brothers Hildebrandt

He is a strange creature.' - Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring But many another name he has since been given by other folk: Forn by the Dwarves, Orald by Northern Men, and other names beside. Iarwain Ben-adar we called him, oldest and fatherless.

Third Age ' But I had forgotten Bombadil, if indeed this is still the same that walked the woods and hills long ago, and even then was older than the old. The next day he came to the River-woman and asked Goldberry to be his wife, and the creatures of the Old Forest (the badger-folk and other animals) attended their wedding. Ultimately, Bombadil was captured and married Goldberry when she pulled Tom by his beard under the water-lilies out of mischief, but he ordered her to let him free. In this period, his journey down the Withywindle to the Brandywine river, several of the valley's mysterious residents, including the River-spirit Goldberry (also known as the ' River-woman's daughter'), the malevolent tree-spirit Old Man Willow and the Badger-folk, attempted to capture Bombadil for their own ends, but quail at the power of Tom's voice, which defeated their enchantments and commands them to return to their natural existence. As a result, he came to be known by many names during his pilgrimage: the Elves called as Iarwain Ben-adar ('Oldest and Fatherless' in Sindarin), while he was known as Orald to men and Forn to the Dwarves.Īt the end of his wanderings, Tom focused his exploration only on Eriador, making him the first to reside in the west even before the Elves moved there and the tides were folded. The level of his interactions with the outside world is also unclear however, he perhaps became a folkloric figure in the traditions and legends of Elves, Dwarves and Men. He also witnessed the reducing of the great forests that covered all Middle-earth, and perhaps of his powers. While his role and nature in the First and Second ages is unknown, but he must have witnessed most of the major events and battles. Tom would eventually 'leave' where he came from and arrived in Middle-earth, where he began his journey through the region to explore it while wandering, having witnessed the emergence of the forests and the rain. In any case, Tom is insinuated to have been the first living creature to inhabit Arda. The origin and nature of Tom Bombadil are unknown however, he claimed already existed before the Dark Lord came to Arda, signifying he may have been alive even before the coming of the Valar (it is unclear whether he refers to Melkor's first or second entry into the world.). He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.' - Tom Bombadil ( The Lord of the Rings) Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn.

10.1 The Lord of the Rings film trilogyīiography Origin ' Eldest, that's what I am.

Bomba in english