Page 131 – “When they caught his words again…”

This is going to be a bit of a history lesson. Say what?

"Today...we're gonna talk about...Nikola Tesla."

Let us begin. I’m gonna explain all this in a second.

Tom goes on telling stories of the world before it was made round and Valinor was lifted from Arda. The hobbits, having returned to his tales from their fears of the Barrow-downs, are enchanted. The rain outside has stopped, and the sun has gone down. They know not how long they have been listening to him talk. Once again, Frodo asks Tom just exactly who he is. Tom answers cryptically. He is old, very old. Older than rivers and trees. He saw men come, and hobbits too. He lived here before the events on the Barrow-downs as he described them. He lived before the world was made round. Before evil.

Goldberry comes in, announcing the end of the rain, and that supper should be had. Tom springs up to get things ready.

Tom Bombadil. Older than evil.

First Mentions:

-the western Shore: Undoubtedly Aman, the undying lands, and location of Valinor. A sort of heaven, once a land west from Middle-earth, but since lifted from Arda, the world. Now it exists on a separate plane that only the elves know how to reach.

-the Elf-sires: I can’t tell for certain, but these seem to be ancient elves. Likely the forefathers of present-day elves.

-Outside: The Void. A separate space, or dimension, or something. Think, like, the train station where Harry meets Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows. Or the similar train station in Matrix Revolutions, not that you want to think about it.

Also, Tom refers to a “Dark Lord”. This is not Sauron, which is part of the reason why I didn’t want to officially give him a first mention until his name directly came up. Who is it? We’ll get to that here in due time.

Nope.

Let’s talk geography. On Arda (again, the world itself) there are a handful of continents. The three most important (two of which no longer exist on the earth as we know it) are Middle-earth, with which we are familiar, Númenor, a land of men, which was sunk all Atlantis-style, and Aman, home of the god-like Valar and final destination of the elves. Middle-earth and Aman were close to equal size, and Númenor was a smaller one in the middle. In fact, map!

Makes this book seem pretty small in scale, doesn't it? (Click to magnify!)

One of the Valar was Melkor, sometimes referred to as Morgoth, who turned to evil long ago. He and his lieutenant, a guy named Sauron you might have heard of, corrupted the men of Númenor, causing them to travel to Aman, where they were forbidden. As punishment, Eru Ilúvatar (the creator we discussed earlier as possibly being Tom Bombadil) sunk Númenor into the sea and lifted Aman off the plane of Arda. The remaining world was made round, with Aman existing on a separate plane that can only be reached by sailing along a path that goes straight on a tangent away from the world’s curvature.

Confused? It's like traveling off of Arda (if Circle A were a sphere) along a path on the line through Point B.

So, Melkor is this other Dark Lord. He was the Dark Lord before Sauron was, and he caused a whole bunch of trouble for the Valar.

As a (hopefully) quick reference, here’s a way to separate all the different beings, powers, races, and what-have-you in your mind:

Eru Ilúvatar created pretty much everything. The first beings he created were the Ainur, the most powerful of which are the Valar, and the lesser the Maiar. The Maiar are people we know like Sauron and Gandalf, along with every other wizard as well as the balrogs. Ilúvatar also created elves, then men. One of the Valar, Aulë, created dwarves, and though the origin of hobbits is a bit of a mystery, they are assuredly related to men. That pretty much covers everyone, right? Oh, orcs were elves corrupted by Melkor. Boom.

As you can see, this is all very complicated, and if you got all that, I applaud you. However, the point of this is that Tom Bombadil is saying that he was alive before and during all of this. That’s OLD. More fodder for those who argue that Tom is Eru Ilúvatar? Certainly. The oldest point he mentions, as cryptic as it is, is “before the Dark Lord came from Outside.” If he’s referring to Melkor coming to Arda from the Void, that would mean in the time shortly after Arda was created, when Melkor left the Void and built a fortress in the darkest corner of Middle-earth. That’s literally tens of thousands of years ago, approximately.

Tom, you old.

I’m going to leave it there. This has been my most complicated post to write. Do you see why Tom Bombadil is such a mystery? I find the mythology of Tolkien’s world fascinating, and I’m still only beginning to understand it, bit by bit.

“Then Tom and Goldberry set the table; and the hobbits sat half in wonder and half in laughter: so fair was the grace of Goldberry and so merry and…”

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Page 130 – “…where all other things were at home.”

Before we get started here today, I should apologize if this post may be a little unfocused. Return of the King is on TV right now. It would be heresy if I didn’t watch it, right?

The odd thing is, TNT played the three Matrix movies earlier today. When I got home a short bit ago and turned on the TV, Return of the King was on. But wait a second, I was watching The Matrix at around 1pm, and it was to be followed by Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. (Unfortunately…) How did we get to Return of the King? Well, it turns out that apparently TNT doesn’t care about your sanity, because instead of letting The Matrix stand alone as a movie, (which it does quite well) they decided to let Return of the King stand alone. This broadcast wasn’t preceded by Fellowship OR Two Towers. So, if you didn’t already know what was going on in the series, there’s no point for you to watch this. Smart marketing that is right there…

In other news, SO MUCH HUGO WEAVING.

“The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it.” Just happened.

Anyway, today in the BOOK, Tom Bombadil is telling stories. He tells of Old Man Willow, and how he and all trees hate things that chop, bite, break, cut, or otherwise harm them. Which is, you know, a lot. The great old willow is very old, and his influence has extended over many trees in the Old Forest. Tom then shifts his focus up to the Barrow-downs. He tells their history, going from peaceful green hills to the battleground between small war-torn kingdoms. When these kings died, they were buried in mounds in the Downs. Evil powers awoke their bones, and they now haunt the hills. This is a typical ghost story in hobbit-lore, and our hobbits lose focus as they remember that the Downs are clearly their next destination.

First Mentions:

-the Great Barrows: In the Barrow-downs, these are the highest of the scores of hills. Undoubtedly, they once were the sites of the fortresses built on the Downs, and now serve as the burial sites of the ancient kings.

-the Barrow-wights: Evil spirits inhabiting the bodies of the dead kings of the Downs. Classic boogeyman stories for hobbits.

Seriously though, the siege of Minas Tirith is under way. “Aim for the trolls! Kill the trolls!” You tell them, Gandalf. HERE COMES GROND!

The history of the Barrow-downs is interesting, showing you the greed and warmongering of men in a small-scale way. There are a few references made to the treasures that are hidden in the hollows of the hills, haunted though they are. It’s no secret in Lord of the Rings that the race of men have to show their mettle as a purer culture than they once were. Their history is wrought with greed, leading to war and tragedy. One need look no further than Isildur’s failure to destroy the ring.

"Cast it into the fire! Destroy it! ISILDUUUURRR!!"

It really is a shame I didn’t think of this whole Hugo Weaving-themed day a few days ago, on the 5th of November.

You see though, these kinds of pages, though literally nothing is happening to our heroes, are very interesting to me. We get a history: one that hints at one of the more important themes of the entire book very subtly. This is the kind of stuff that the book really kicks into when the hobbits lose some of the innocence that they feel so protected in.

Words My Computer Didn’t Like:

-ageing

Because the extra “e” is for “English”!

Night has fallen, Grond is pounding into Minas Tirith’s main gate, and Denethor’s gonna go burn himself now. Happy Hugo Weaving Day.

“Bring wood and oil.” Er… I mean:

“They lost the thread of his tale and shifted uneasily, looking aside at one another.”

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Page 129 – “…the hobbits came soon, and left the table late…”

It’s officially rainy-day-land in Middle-earth. Does that mean I’m going to take a rain-check today?

Did T. Rex ever take a break from being AWESOME?

The four hobbits eat breakfast alone, with Tom busy about the house and Goldberry singing a floor above them. The rain is coming down heavily outside, and Frodo is adjusting his plan since it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to leave today. Tom comes in, announcing this very certainty, and suggesting that today be set aside for storytelling. He volunteers to go first, and gathers the hobbits, telling them stories of the Old Forest. His telling is strange, with him sometimes talking to himself, and other times singing and dancing.

So according to the weather, we’re not going anywhere today. I mean, “today” might just be as long as this page or the next, or maybe we’ll be sitting in the Bombadil house listening to stories for twenty pages, you never know.

We can really dig into the oddities of Tom Bombadil on this page. First of all, Frodo watches him walking around outside in the rain, and notices him waving his arms around, as if he was trying to keep the rain off him. Strangely enough, when Tom enters the room, he’s mostly dry. Is it magic?

Really, it's a moisture-wicking shirt. Hobbits don't understand that technology yet.

In other news, Tom has the strangest method of telling stories. Sometimes he’s off somewhere else, as if he’s talking to himself. Sometimes he’s staring directly at the hobbits. Sometimes he’s singing and dancing! Truly, this dude is crazy. I’m not here to judge one’s storytelling ability. I have too many friends who are well-versed in that sort of thing. However, I find it hard to argue with the fact that Tom Bombadil has quite the unique touch to his oratory skills.

Lost among the craziness that is Tom Bombadil is this statement: “It’s a good day for long tales, for questions and for answers.” Does Tom intend to answer any questions about himself? This seems to be the case. We’ll sure see if the hobbits can get some more information about the most interesting man in Middle-earth as we move forward.

“As they listened, they began to understand the lives of the Forest, apart from themselves, indeed to feel themselves as the strangers…”

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Page 128 – “…on the corner of a cold hard flagstone.”

Well, now we know who the least imaginative of the four hobbits is.

Was it ever any question?

Merry has a similar end to his dream as Frodo and Pippin did, realizing that there is nothing to be afraid of. Sam has no dream. He slept soundly throughout the night. BORING.

All four hobbits wake up at the same time in the morning, with Tom Bombadil buzzing about the room. Frodo springs up to look out of the eastern window in the room, and can see hilltops against the sunrise. Pippin looks out the west-facing window into the mist rising from the Old Forest. Neither sees anything that they were afraid of from their dreams. Tom remarks that it looks like rain today, and announces that breakfast will be served soon, if the hobbits come eat it.

Why doesn’t Sam have a dream? I don’t know, maybe it’s a good thing. I mean, the three other hobbits have dreams that end in them waking up out of fear of something. Sam doesn’t have to deal with that, which is good, I guess. It’s still boring, though.

Not to mention, this page is kind of boring, actually. Let’s look out windows!

There's just so much excitement going on here.

It is important to note that both Tom and Goldberry warned earlier about noises during the night, and Tom reiterates it here again. How accustomed to hearing noises in the middle of the night are these two? Or are they the ones making the noises, just to mess with people? Jerks.

It’s breakfast time! Oh, boy!

“Needless to say – not that Tom’s threat sounded very serious -…”

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Page 127 – “Their mattresses and pillows were soft as down…”

Amount of lines between when the hobbits enter their room to go to bed and when they fall asleep: 3.

FLOP.

All four hobbits fall asleep nearly immediately, and we’re given a look into each one’s mind as they dream. Creepy? Nah…

Frodo sees a rock wall, and is lifted up over it to see a plain stretching behind it. In the center is a tower, though it doesn’t look like it was man-made. A grey-haired man stands on the top of the tower, and wailing cries, both human and animal, come from the ground below the tower around him. As the man lifts his arms, carrying a staff, an eagle swoops down and carries him away. Frodo awakes to what he thinks is the sound of hoofs, but realizes quickly that nothing is there, and falls back asleep.

Pippin’s dream is suddenly disturbed by noises which make him think that he is back in the body of the willow tree. Frightened, he wakes as well, but finds the pillow soft, and also falls back asleep.

Merry, whose dream we’re in the middle of when the page cuts off, hears water streaming down around the house, and believes that it will drown him as it finds its way inside.

Frodo’s dream is clearly the most notable. And of course it is, he’s Frodo.

"Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal."

Having the perspective of knowing the rest of the story, I think I can deduce that he’s dreaming of Gandalf. In fact, he’s probably seeing what is happening to Gandalf at this very moment, or otherwise recently. We don’t hear this yet in the narrative, but Gandalf has been imprisoned at the top of Orthanc, Saruman’s tower. He is eventually saved by the eagles. This certainly sounds like what Frodo sees. The only thing that seems odd is that the tower doesn’t seem to be man-made. That doesn’t sound like Orthanc, unless I totally just didn’t know that.

I looked it up! Orthanc was man-made, yes, but it was carved out from a single enormous block of stone. So, could it look as Frodo describes it here? Yes. Also, that’s awesome.

Merry’s and Pippin’s dreams are less important, but still interesting. They’re both afraid of dying, although from different causes. Pippin is afraid of Old Man Willow. Merry’s fear of drowning is harder to explain. He’s used to water! He’s a Brandybuck by golly! Where this is coming from, I’m not sure.

As Tom and Goldberry warned, “Heed no nightly noises!” Nightly noises, indeed!

We’ll hear about Sam’s slumber tomorrow, I would presume.

“He felt that he was lying in a soft slimy bog, and springing up he set his foot…”

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Page 126 – “‘Did you hear me calling, Master…'”

Where were you, Mr. Bombadil, in the early evening hours of September 25th?

Did it have anything to do with that confounded song you always sing?

Frodo asks Tom exactly what he was doing in the Old Forest when he came to the hobbits’ rescue. Did he hear Frodo’s cries for help? As it turns out, no. Tom was on an errand to fetch the waterlilies for Goldberry when Frodo and Sam ran up to him. He didn’t hear anything because of his singing. He had heard the the four hobbits were traveling in his direction, (Say what?) but didn’t expect to run into them. He sings this entire explanation to the hobbits sitting next to the fire, and adds that he wouldn’t have been in the forest any later, as the errand to pick waterlilies only happens once a year around this time. Then he doesn’t head back into the forest until spring. Frodo begins to ask about Old Man Willow, but Merry, Pippin, and Tom stop him. It’s time for bed.

It’s a bit of an interrogation, but we get these important and interesting details about Tom’s life. He goes once a year to pick these flowers for Goldberry, (aww…) and does so in the last few days before the cold of the later seasons sets in. The waterlilies are found in a place where Tom also apparently once found Goldberry, young and beautiful. Like any forest-man, he took her home to become his wife! It all boils down to the fact that the hobbits were extremely lucky. On any other day, Tom wouldn’t have been in the forest, and wouldn’t have been able to save them.

On occasion, mild-mannered Tom Bombadil hears the cries of hobbits and springs into action!

And wait, Tom knew about the hobbits traveling through the forest? Did a tree tell him? How does he know this, and why aren’t the hobbits concerned about how much other people know about their doings?

Tolkien Songs In Real Life:

Here is Tom’s story, in song form!

“I had an errand there: gathering water-lilies,

green leaves and lilies white to please my pretty lady,

the last ere the year’s end to keep them from the winter,

to flower by her pretty feet till the snows are melted.

Each year at summer’s end I go to find them for her,

in a wide pool, deep and clear, far down Withywindle;

there they open first in spring and there they linger latest.

By that pool long ago I found the River-daughter,

fair young Goldberry sitting in the rushes.

Sweet was her singing then, and her heart was beating!”

Tom, who has had his eyes closed, half alseep, suddenly opens them.

“And that proved well for you – for now I shall no longer

go down deep again along the forest-water,

not while the year is old. Nor shall I be passing

Old Man Willow’s house this side of spring-time,

not till the merry spring, when the River-daughter

dances down the withy-path to bathe in the water.”

What I hope is the last rap, (at least for a while) I present:

TomBombadillomus Vs. Hobbitoceros

(Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenoceros – Flight of the Conchords)

Yup, Flight of the Conchords. This might be getting a little ridiculous. Maybe?

The song itself is more of a narrative story than a song, but it’s said that Tom is singing, so, this happened. Something about Tom Bombadil has to be comical, so I might as well use some comedy from New Zealand. Heck, doesn’t it make sense that I’m using the music of two guys from New Zealand? I mean, you know how Kiwi the entire movies are, right?

Nevertheless, the hobbits are heading to bed, and that’s what I need to do myself. Sweet dreams, Frodo.

“And with that he took down the lamp and blew it out, and grasping a candle in either hand he led them out of the room.”

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Page 125 – “‘It is,’ said Goldberry; ‘but the guests are perhaps not?'”

To be perfectly honest, these hobbits are pros at getting free meals out of people. We’ve seen it before with Gildor and the elves, as well as with Farmer Maggot. Now it’s Tom Bombadil’s turn.

Tom leads the four to their room, where there is clean water waiting. After cleaning themselves up, the hobbits share dinner with Tom and Goldberry, and are loosened up by the refreshing water, which acts upon them like wine. Once supper is ended, the hobbits sit by the fire, warming themselves and their feet. Goldberry goes to bed, but Tom stays up with them. They all sit in silence, as the hobbits try (and fail) to ask Tom everything that they want to know about him.

Life is good.

The room that the hobbits are shown is strewn with plant life. It’s clear that Tom has a close connection with plants, as does Goldberry. Either that, or one of them just loves them as a decorative strategy. Someone in Middle-earth has to be an interior decorator, right?

I forgot to mention the other day how Goldberry is one of the few female characters we’ve met so far. In total, women who’ve played any sort of part in the story include her, Mrs. Maggot, and the loathed Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. We’ve met some others, but none of them really acted upon the storyline. Goldberry is far and away the most important so far, and she’s not even that big a deal. Yes, Lord of the Rings is lacking in strong female characters. Why do you think Arwen played such a greater role in the movies than she will as we read the book? We do get Galadriel and Éowyn, but that’s about it.

At least Éowyn is a total beast.

So the hobbits are clean, fed, and relaxing. It’s a far cry from where they were earlier in the day. Remember, this day started with them leaving Crickhollow! They managed to get all the way through the Old Forest over the course of the day, but it was not without some trouble. Now, all is well.

“At last Frodo spoke:…”

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Page 124 – “‘O slender as a willow-wand!'”

Remember how when you were a middle school aged boy you couldn’t talk to girls? Frodo feels that. So do the other hobbits.

"Do something with your hands! Anything!"

Frodo doesn’t know what else to do, so he breaks into heightened poetry to praise Goldberry. She laughs it off, totally killing his groove. She offers the hobbits places to sit, and busies herself with getting the table ready for supper while Tom is outside taking care of the ponies. The hobbits stare at Goldberry, creepily amazed. Frodo works up the courage to ask Goldberry about Tom Bombadil, and she gives a response that we’re going to dive deep into. Tom himself walks in shortly thereafter, asking if dinner is ready.

Yes, at the start of this page, I’m labeling Frodo’s speech as poetry. It’s four rhyming lines, AABB. Part of me wanted to call it a song, but there isn’t any reference to him actually singing. Frodo is surprised that he is “saying such things,” (emphasis mine) which leans my mind towards him speaking as opposed to singing. Either way, the hobbits hear a short snippet of Tom singing outside, so you still get a song today.

First, though, let’s talk about Goldberry’s response to Frodo. He asks: “Who is Tom Bombadil?” It’s a question we all want to know the answer to. One of the great questions of our time.

Along with this one.

Goldberry’s answer? “He is.” At least, that’s what she says at first. Frodo gives her a quizzical look, and she adds: “He is the Master of wood, water, and hill.” That’s at least somewhat satisfying. This is a main point of argument for those who believe that Tom Bombadil is actually the form taken on Earth (called Arda in Middle-earth) by Eru Ilúvatar, supreme god and creator of the world. This comes from the vague “He is,” that Goldberry seems happy to say alone. It implies that Tom is, in some way, everything, or existence itself. There’s a pretty natural theology angle here. Nothing’s ever been confirmed, and Tolkien intentionally never said anything more about Tom Bombadil but that he was to be a mystery. Is he Eru Ilúvatar? It’s just as likely as him being anything or anyone else.

Tolkien Songs In Real Life:

In other news, Tom Bombadil still sings. Here’s the short clipping we get today:

“Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow;

Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.”

Short and sweet, I present:

No Sleep till Mordor

(No Sleep till Brooklyn – The Beastie Boys)

If you’re doing Beastie Boys, you have to have an extra voice shouting one of the rhyming words, right? I’m pretty sure that’s an obligation. This is a little short thing we get. Apparently Tom is singing as he tends to the ponies outside. This is all the hobbits pick up, but I feel it necessary to include every song we get, no matter how short.

Words My Computer Didn’t Like:

-dillo

“Dillo” came up earlier as a part of Tom’s first song, and it wasn’t a problem then. Why is it now? This makes less than no sense.

“‘Is the supper ready?'”

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Page 123 – “Chapter 7 – In the House of Tom Bombadil”

Every once in a while, one of these pages is going to come along that convinces me of the pure beauty with which Tolkien was able to imbue this text so seamlessly.

This is one of those pages.

The mind under that hat is unequaled.

The hobbits creep into the doorway of Tom Bombadil’s house. In a chair facing the door sits Goldberry, and the four are struck by her beauty. She resembles flora in many ways, and around her feet are waterlilies floating in jars. She greets them, and they continue walking in very slowly. She rises and bounds to close the door behind them, telling them not to fear anything. Frodo addresses her, but is too enchanted to say very much.

No lie, the description of Goldberry is stunningly gorgeous. She’s undoubtedly supposed to be the prettiest thing that these hobbits have ever seen, and the language fits the bill. Phrases like: “she seemed to be enthroned in the midst of a pool,” and “her gown rustled softly like the wind in the flowering borders of a river,” paint a glowing portrait of her beauty. For all the bad rap that Tolkien can sometimes get for being long-winded or sounding too much like a textbook, (He was writing a history for his languages, mind you.) this is his narration at its best, at least so far as we’ve gotten. He sure knew how to write.

We don’t get any answers about Tom and Goldberry on this page, and I’m not inclined to go asking them. That can wait while we bask in this glorious start to the chapter.

Bask! Bask in the glory!

Hopefully, the hobbits relax from their fears. I know I would if I were given this kind of a greeting. For sure, this eases any worry that Tom Bombadil is secretly evil. (Not that that was ever a major concern…) If you’re evil, a beautiful woman doesn’t greet your guests this way. Unless she’s a siren, but this isn’t Greek mythology. No need to tie Frodo to the mast.

Words My Computer Didn’t Like:

-BOMBADIL

-untame

The fact that “BOMBADIL” renders a spellcheck simply because it’s all caps is maddening. You’d think a computer could understand the similarity.

“‘Now the joy that was hidden in the songs we heard is made plain to me.'”

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Page 122 – “…house lay before them, up, down, under hill.”

Our final look in Chapter 6 is a comforting one, at least.

Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin hurry to Tom Bombadil’s house with their ponies. Song comes flowing out from the house. At first it’s Tom’s familiar tune, then a second voice sounds, clear and beautiful, undoubtedly Goldberry’s.

It's all so freaking idyllic.

Tom Bombadil does live outside the Old Forest, in a short area between the edges of the woods and the start of the Barrow-downs. You could argue that Tom lives in perfect ignorance of all the evils in Middle-earth around him. In some ways that could be true, but I think he’s aware of everything, but decidedly doesn’t take part in the troubles of the outside world. Like Switzerland.

They won't take part in your war, but they will take care of all your money.

Most of this page is the song, so…

Tolkien Songs In Real Life:

Tom starts singing with this:

“Hey! Come derry dol! Hop along, my hearties!

Hobbits! Ponies all! We are fond of parties.

Now let the fun begin! Let us sing together!”

The next is Goldberry, singing. See the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys bit yet?

“Now let the song begin! Let us sing together

Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather,

Light on the budding leaf, dew on the feather,

Wind on the open hill, bells on the heather,

Reeds by the shady pool, lilies on the water:

Old Tom Bombadil and the River-daughter!”

In order to thoroughly confusing you with my numbering scheme, I present:

Forest State of Mind (Part II) Broken Out

(Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down – Alicia Keys)

Okay, does it make sense? Alicia Keys made her own solo version of “Empire State of Mind”. That’s where this non-rap tune comes from. So, Tom Bombadil has been doing the Jay-Z song, and Goldberry is singing the Alicia Keys version. Yes, Tom sings at the beginning of this one, but it’s not a perfect world.

I do wish, however, that I could somehow simulate that, according to the hobbits, Goldberry’s voice is beautiful. Singing like a girl isn’t one of my special skills.

With all of that, we move to Chapter 7!

“And with that song the hobbits stood upon the threshold, and a golden light was all about them.”

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