Even in 2021, fans of The Lord of the Rings still say Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the trilogy was by far the best there ever was or will be. Yet even so, those fans can still agree: if there is one plotline Peter Jackson left out that he could have maybe included, it would be Tom Bombadil’s. Many fans of Tolkien’s writing and Middle Earth say Tom Bombadil was perhaps one of the most important characters in the story and in the quest to destroy the One Ring, and his mysterious nature makes him an intriguing character, too. Without him, things may have ended differently. But what makes him so important?
Tom Bombadil’s exact age is not known, but it is said he existed since sometime before the first Dark Lord (Melkor) rose to power. His exact race is not known, and he remains mysterious—although with some apparent magical and spiritual abilities. Tom Bombadil lived with his wife, Goldberry, just east of the Shire in the Old Forest. He has a few titles, like The First and Eldest. In the book, Tom even states that he “was here before the river and the trees” and he “remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn,” suggesting he may have been the very first creature to live in Middle Earth (along with Treebeard, though Tom was first). Being so old and in seemingly good health, Tom Bombadil is an enigma. In addition to being the first living creature to exist in Middle Earth, Tom may also be the first creature in all of Arda—or the world.
Tom Bombadil is said to be able to control and bend his surroundings to his own will. This includes influence over both the forest itself as well as those who live within it. Tom stayed within his domain and had limited interactions with the outside world, so much so that he actually became a folktale in the legends of Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Each race gave Tom Bombadil a different name, but the name given by the Elves—Iarwain Ben-adar, which meant Oldest and Fatherless in Elven—says a lot. After all, the Elves were considered some of the wisest and fairest of all beings in Middle Earth, so they must have known of Tom’s importance and old age.
Many Lord of the Rings fans also say Tom Bombadil is actually the most powerful character in all of Middle Earth, due to his apparent immortality, ability to completely resist the Ring, power over his domain, and knowledge that comes from living since the beginning of time. Some even refer to him as the God of all of Tolkien’s writings, and say he resembles the God of the Christian religion. Tom did interact with some creatures outside the forest, like Farmer Maggot—a character that wasn’t seen in The Fellowship of the Ring movie, but was heard off-screen after Merry and Pippin had stolen from his crops.
Though this character isn’t respected by some of the Hobbit friends, Tom Bombadil says he knows of Farmer Maggot and his importance. Tom also had contact with the Elves occasionally, as Gildor informed Tom that Frodo had fled the Shire with the Ring. When Frodo met him, Tom was picking flowers. Frodo asked for his help because Merry and Pippin had gotten into trouble with Old Man Willow and were stuck in the tree’s roots. It is said none but Tom could command Old Man Willow, and when Tom told the tree to release the prisoners, it obeyed immediately.
Tom really did have absolute control over his dominion, as even Frodo seemed to be under his command. Frodo was normally very careful of letting anyone know about the Ring, and he was extremely wary of handing it over to anyone. But he told Tom about the Ring right away, and when Tom asked to see the Ring, Frodo (just like Old Man Willow) obeyed without hesitation. Anyone who knows a bit about The Lord of the Rings knows that when a creature puts on the Ring, they will become invisible if they are mortal.
When Frodo gave Tom the Ring, Tom put it on. To Frodo’s surprise, Tom did not become invisible, and the Ring did not seem to have power or control over him. Tom even played around with the Ring, showing Frodo a “magic trick” where he caused the Ring to disappear and reappear somewhere else. Without hesitation, Tom handed the Ring back to Frodo, making him one of three characters to give up the Ring willingly.
In the book, Frodo even puts on the Ring after Tom Bombadil hands it back to him to make sure it was the real Ring. But lo and behold, it was still the same Ring, and Frodo became invisible again. As if this encounter with him wasn’t shocking enough to Frodo, Tom reveals one last secret to Frodo—Tom can still see him when he has the Ring on. Tom tells Frodo to take off the Ring because his hand looks better without it. Perhaps this gave Frodo the encouragement needed to resist wearing the Ring.
Tom Bombadil parted ways with the Hobbits after saving them from several creatures on their way out of the Old Forest, but not before giving to each of them a Barrow-blade—sometimes called the Daggers of Westernesse. This is the dagger Merry would later stab the Witch-king with to aid in Sauron's defeat.
