A mystery within a mystery, involving Tom Bombadil.

[Bombadil]

I looked for any threads that match this, didn't find any, but sorry if I didn't look hard enough.

In the Fellowship of the Ring in chapter VIII Fog on the Barrow-Downs, there is an interesting and mysterious line about Tom Bombadil- hence the title of the thread a mystery in a mystery, Tom being an enigma in himself. The line comes after he saves the hobbits from the barrow-wight, and it is:

He chose for himself from the pile a brooch set with blue stones. many-shaded like flax-flowers or the wings of blue butterflies. He looked long at it, as if stirred by some memory...

(Just to clarify, the ellipsis at the end shows the quote continues, it wasn't written in a such a way, which if it were would add more mystery to it than it already entails.)

What is this memory? Being a big fan of the character of Tom Bombadil I wish I could say I had a clue. Perhaps the answer lies in the poem of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, but I do not own a copy - because I don't have 300 dollars to buy one! (btw, if anyone has a free copy of this poem if you could please email it to me, or put up a link). What could this brooch be that affects Tom Bombadil so?

[Fingolfin II]

I also don't own a copy of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, but my guess is that he is touched by the brooch's beauty, and that it could be a symbol of the beauty of the environment before the Barrow-wights and 'sinister' trees (i.e. Old Man Willow) moved into the Barrow-Downs.

'Here is a pretty toy for Tom and his for his lady! Fair was she who long ago wore this on her shoulder. Goldberry shall wear it now, and we will not forget her!

This suggest to me that this was worn by some beautiful Elven lady in the First Age, possibly even Luthien or her Maia mother, Melian. As Goldberry is described as fair as 'a young elf-queen clad in living flowers', no doubt the beauty of probably a dead, or gone, Elf lady who wore this long ago brought to mind Tom's beautiful mistress, Goldberry. So I think this is probably a better answer than the one above, and that he remembered not only the beautiful Elf lady long ago, but all Elves that have perished and gave it to Goldberry in memoriam of them.

[Bombadil]

Thank you! I completely forgot to put in that part of the quote which was very important! That is a very good theory, and most likely true, I just wonder if there is any evidence or not to the exact nature of the object.

[The Saucepan Man]

There is an interesting discussion of Bombadil's brooch here.

This suggest to me that this was worn by some beautiful Elven lady in the First Age

As noted in the thread linked to above, the brooch is more likely to have belonged to a lady of the race of Man, as the Barrow-Downs were used as burial sites by the Edain in the First Age and by the Kingdom of Cardolan in the Third Age.

[Lalaith]

Thanks Mr Saucepanman, I had a feeling we'd talked about this before...but I must say this is one of the things I love about Tolkien, these little throwaway lines which hint at hidden historical texture. It's what helps make Middle Earth feel such a real place.

[Bombadil]

Thanks Saucepan! I suppose I didn't look hard enough, I apologize! Perhaps we could change the topic to where I could find The Adventures of Tom Bombadil cheap, or if someone has read the book of poems.