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06-24-2004, 04:52 PM | #1 | |
Shade of Carn Dûm
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A mystery within a mystery, involving Tom 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: Quote:
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?
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"'Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.'" |
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06-24-2004, 08:19 PM | #2 | |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Feb 2004
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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.
Quote:
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Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta. |
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06-24-2004, 09:44 PM | #3 |
Shade of Carn Dûm
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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.
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"'Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.'" |
06-25-2004, 04:20 AM | #4 | |
Corpus Cacophonous
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: A green and pleasant land
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There is an interesting discussion of Bombadil's brooch here.
Quote:
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06-25-2004, 04:55 AM | #5 |
Blithe Spirit
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,779
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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.
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06-25-2004, 09:48 AM | #6 |
Shade of Carn Dûm
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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.
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"'Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.'" |
06-25-2004, 06:18 PM | #7 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Where you want me to be
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Try looking at your local, school or State Library. My school has The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. If you're looking to buy it, then try Amazon, or Collin's Books, or Angus and Robertson or a good site for out-of-print books is Biblioz.com.au.
Note that these are all Australian websites, except for Amazon. Hope that helps!
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Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta. |
06-29-2004, 12:48 PM | #8 | |
Wight
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Well, while we're on the topic of where to find The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, I have a question. Is there more than one version of the poems? I own a copy of it that is called The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. It is said to contain 16 poems in it. My suspicion arose when Bombadil said:
Quote:
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"The price for freedom is far more than the greatest amount of gold or jewels, yet it is rarely prized among those who have it." "Do what you can, while you can, and make it last forever." ~*Rinfan*~ |
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06-30-2004, 08:08 AM | #9 |
Illustrious Ulair
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties
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Rinfanawen
Don't worry you have the right (& only) version. |
06-30-2004, 12:45 PM | #10 |
Wight
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Thanks, Davem. I guess I just somehow found a cheaper version of it. Lucky me!
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"The price for freedom is far more than the greatest amount of gold or jewels, yet it is rarely prized among those who have it." "Do what you can, while you can, and make it last forever." ~*Rinfan*~ |
07-01-2004, 01:57 AM | #11 |
Desultory Dwimmerlaik
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Pickin' flowers with Bill the Cat.....
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Here is The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Bombadil Goes Boating
I have them in a collection called The Tolkien Reader - this section being called The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book - with lovely drawings to accompany them by Pauline Baynes. The other poems included in this section are: Errantry Princess Mee The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late The man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon The Stone Troll Perry-the-Winkle The Mewlips Oliphaunt Fastitocalon Cat Shadow Bride The Hoard The Sea-Bell The Last Ship ~*~ Other sections of The Tolkien Reader Collection are: The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, Beorhthelm's Son Tree and Leaf Farmer Giles of Ham All preceded by: Tolkien's Magic Ring by Peter S Beagle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a little review of the Tom Bombadil section: Greenman Review -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can get The Tolkien Reader at Amazon.com very inexpensively for the paperback new and even less expensive for a used copy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside. Last edited by piosenniel; 07-01-2004 at 02:06 AM. |
07-01-2004, 07:46 PM | #12 |
Wight
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Why, thankyou, piosenniel, that was most helpful. I don't have most of those poems in my version, but it does include Sir Gwain and the Green Knight, Tree and Leaf, and Farmer Giles of Ham. There's one other, I think, but the name escapes me at the present moment. Perhaps I will take a look at some of these poems and see if I can get a copy of them. Thanks much, pio!
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"The price for freedom is far more than the greatest amount of gold or jewels, yet it is rarely prized among those who have it." "Do what you can, while you can, and make it last forever." ~*Rinfan*~ |
07-05-2004, 03:00 PM | #13 |
Animated Skeleton
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Northwest Florida
Posts: 27
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My version is A Tolkien Miscellany. I got my copy from the SciFi Book Club so I know it is still out there. It contains Smith of Wootton Major, Farmer Giles of Ham, Tree and Leaf, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. My copy is hardback published by SFBC Science Fiction Printing: June 2002 by arrangement with Houghton Mifflin Company.
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07-13-2004, 12:25 AM | #14 |
Wight
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: in my hobbit hole
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I believe the significance of Tom Bombadil is to show character. I believe Tolkien wanted to have someone who could resist the ring and not be affected by it while others were being taken by the darkness. Amist all the chaos and despair there can always be one person who is not affected by change but does not have to be a key part of the adventure. Much like Sir Tolkien himself. Growing up during the industrial revolution was hard on him. However, Tolkien never really met up with the turn of the times eye to eye and always enjoyed peace and quiet and good tilled earth.
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07-16-2004, 02:31 PM | #15 | |
Wight
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 166
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Tolkien wrote himself on the importance of Tom Bombadil in Letter 144:
Quote:
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07-18-2004, 11:30 AM | #16 |
Pilgrim Soul
Join Date: May 2004
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$300? Was that a first edition? Or written in Ithildin....
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