Barrow-downs - Tom Bombadil

[Ulvenok]

I was thinking of something just now, is it possible that Tom actually played a major part in the lord of the rings? He appears in three chapters in the book, starting with him saving them from old man willow, ending with him escorting them out of the Barrow-downs. There are some events during these chapters that actually might be quite significant in the bigger scheme of things.

1. Frodo's vision of Gandalf on top of Orthanc.
2. Tom.
3. The Barrow-blades.

First is Frodo's vision of Gandalf on top of Orthanc, it's clearly not a coincidence that Frodo dreams of this in Tom's house. If Elrond has the gift of foresight I'm quite sure Tom has it too and he must have seen what happened to Gandalf from afar and wanted to share this with Frodo. What better way to share it than unconsciously in a dream. Remember Tolkien himself said that one of the reasons he put Tom in the story was to show that there are beings wholly unconcerned with what is going on in the world, one of the reasons Tom didn't tell Frodo directly? I'm not quite sure what this dream and the later dream Frodo has when he is sailing for valinor exactly tells us, or how it helps Frodo.

Tom himself is clearly as has been said before a very powerful spiritual being, people have compared him to the the valar and even to Eru himself. Some even think he is a manifistation of Arda, the world. He will remain to be a mystery, however his manipulation of the one ring must mean that he is above the istari in spiritual power, he is also the oldest being in the world. So him playing any part in the story at all must also be a significant event, if he has anything at all to do with Valinor or if he is some kind of spiritual manifistation of the world. Then him helping the hobbits would be a hint as to what side nature is on or whatever Tom is. In either way the character Tom himself is important.

Now when the hobbits leave Tom's house in the third chapter they go through the Barrow-downs, these are haunted by wraiths that long ago were sent there by the witch king of angmar. To make sure men wouldn't settle there, anyway at Tom's house Frodo tells Tom all there is to know about their quest, even more than what he told Gandalf according to Frodo himself. He is told about the ring wraiths and about Sauron and the one ring that he is carrying. Tom wants to see the ring, now this is quite an event, that Tom wants to see it. Why would he want to see it, he examines it and then laughs, why would he laugh? Also remember that he actually were expecting the hobbits when he saved them from the old willow. Anyway let's jump ahead, the hobbits after leaving Tom's house travels through the barrows and is captured by a wraith under the command of the witch king of angmar. Tom taught Frodo a song to sing if they needed his help and Frodo sings it now summoning Tom who saves them from the wraith. Now Tom actually gives the hobbits something, the barrow blades:

They were originally forged by the Dúnedain of Cardolan during the Angmar War for use against the evil undead Barrow-wights sent by the Witch-king. After the Fall of Cardolan and the defeat of Angmar, the blades were entombed with the last prince of Cardolan. They were found in the Barrow of a Barrow-wight and given to the hobbits by Tom Bombadil. Frodo's sword broke in the confrontation with the Nazgûl on the banks of the River near Rivendell and was replaced by Sting. Sam, Merry and Pippin kept their swords. Merry and Pippin's weapons were taken and discarded when the two hobbits were captured by Uruk-hai at Amon Hen, but Aragorn saved them and they were returned when they were reunited at Isengard.

Merry's Barrow-blade played a major role in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. It was enchanted with the power to harm the Witch-king of Angmar himself by a weaponsmith of Arthedain long before. When he stabbed the Witch-king in the knee with it, it broke the spell protecting his undead flesh. This may have killed him, though Eowyn, a woman, drove her sword into his unseen head.

So, Bombadil expecting them, toying with the ring and laughing, then giving the hobbits these blades that ends up killing the witch king of Angmar. There would be really no other way to kill the witch king at that battle, if the witch king hadn't died the Battle of the Pelennor Fields could very well have been lost eventually leading to the destruction of middle earth which would mean the end of the race of men and the dwarves as we know them.

So help me explain this:

-Frodo's dreams
-Who is Tom, nature?
-Tom's laugh

Did Tom save the world, Tolkien's love of nature embodied saved Arda from industry and that which Tolkien hated?

[Nerwen]

Tom is one of many characters who played a part in saving the world, yes. Not quite the same thing as saying "Tom saved the world", though.

[Ulvenok]

He played quite a big role in Glorfindel's prophecy. I don't know things just doesn't seem to be quite right here, one could imagine that Tom also gave the hobbits their blades because the barrows were within his land and he wished the wraiths to go away and hoped the hobbits would get rid of the witch king. It's quite a coincidence that they would jump into Bombadil and that he would eventually give them the only weapon capable of killing the witch king. Or maybe not....

[Ardent]

Tom's indifference to the affairs surrounding the ring is one reason for thinking of him as an embodiment of nature. Another reason would be his care for Goldberry, who fits Treebeard's description of the Entwives:

...But the Entwives gave their minds to the lesser trees, and to the meads in the sunshine beyond the feet of the forrest; and they saw the sloe in the thicket, and the wild apple and the cherry blossoming in spring, and the green herbs in the waterlands in summer, and the seeding grasses in the autumn fields...