The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson may be considered a very faithful adaptation by today’s standards, but when taken as a whole, the Kiwi filmmaker certainly took a lot of liberties with the source material, namely the complete exclusion of several characters like Erkenbrand, Imrahil, and more.
The films are a lengthy journey however you look at them. The first two easily push toward the 4-hour mark, while the third one — or rather its extended edition — flies past that with its many endings. But despite editing his adaptation in a way that would give current industry moguls a panic attack, Jackson ultimately ended up cutting a lot of the material from the book for the films.
Now, Tolkien fans have once again come together to discuss one of the most mysterious elements in The Fellowship of the Ring. Tom Bombadil might be an unfamiliar name to a lot of cinema-loving ears, but he has gone down as one of the most influential characters in all of fantasy, if not the most enigmatic.
The community over at Reddit is debating the true nature of Bombadil all over again, and the heated discussion has a lot of compelling answers for Middle-earth enthusiasts.
The majority of fans seem hell-bent on the speculation that he is the embodiment of Ainulindalë itself; the spirit of creation manifested in a person.
But why make a big deal out of it? Tom and his wife Goldberry are just merry folk.
And perhaps Tom is Tolkien himself. Now wouldn’t that be a very heartwarming thought?
The most definitive answer is found in The Lord of the Rings itself. Tom is an enigma, and he’s supposed to remain an enigma.
While we may never know the answer for sure, we do know that Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
And in some inexplicable way, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?