BOMBADIL, tom

[TOM BOMBADIL]

CAN WE PRETEND
that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars i could
really use a wish right now wish right now wish right now

TOM BOMBADIL*

WELL, I LOVE THE COLOUR BLUE AND I LOVE TO WEAR EVERYTHING THAT IS BLUE. BUT I ALSO LOVE MY GOLDEN/YELLOW BOOTS WHICH ARE VERY COMFORTABLE AND PRACTICAL IN THE SUMMER AND SPRING PERIOD. IT EVEN HAPPENS THAT I WEAR THEM DURING EARLY AUTUMN. I REALLY LIKE TO WEAR HATS, AND DURING THE WINTER I PREFER TOP HATS. WHEN THE SUN’S SHINE IS TOO STRONG FOR THAT, I USUALLY DECORATE MY HAIR WITH TWIGS OR LEAVES FROM THE FOREST. MY CLOTHES ARE ALL NATURAL OF COURSE, AND I DO NOT KILL BEASTS IN ORDER TO GET THEIR SKIN. MY CLOTHES ARE ALL COTTON OR AT LEAST WOOL THAT I HAVE BOUGHT FROM SOMEONE ELSE. MY EYES ARE SPARKLING AND THEY ARE USUALLY LIGHTLY BROWN OR DARK AND WARM GREEN – SOMETHING THAT WILL REMIND YOU OF THE FOREST FLOOR. MY HAIR IS THICK AND BROWNISH RED. IT IS RATHER LONG AND I USUALLY HAVE A LONG BEARD AS WELL, BUT I HAVE SHAVED RECENTLY. MY FINGERS ARE LONG AND PALE AND MY MOVEMENTS ARE LIGHT AND CAREFREE – IT IS HARD TO SPOT ME IN THE FOREST.

HMM, THERE ARE NOT MANY THINGS THAT IRRITATES ME. SOMETIMES IT IRRITATES ME WHEN THE OLD WILLOW DOES NOT FALL ASLEEP RIGHT AHEAD AND THAT HE TAKES OVER THE TREES IN THE FOREST. IT ALSO IRRITATES ME HOW CARELESS SOME CREATURES ARE TO THE NATURE. IT IRRITATES ME THAT SOME PEOPLE WANT ME TO PICK A SIDE IN THE WAR AND I REALLY HATE TO HAVE A LONG TOE NAIL. THAT IS PROBABLY WHAT IRRITATES ME THE MOST. MY NAIL SCISSOR IS AT THE BATHROOM OF MY SMALL HUT IN THE FOREST AND MY NAILS ARE SO THICK THAT IT TAKES SOME HARD WORK TO CUT THEM (AND I DON'T WANT TO WALK ALL THE WAY TO THE BATHROOM). I ALSO HATE WHEN PEOPLE TAKE SMALL THINGS WAY TOO SERIOUSLY… BUT THAT IS WHAT YOU USUALLY EXPECT OF YOUNGSTERS. THEY LOVE DRAMA AND THEY WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD.

MY SKILLS ARE SINGING. I HAVE THE WORDS IN MY POWER. I CAN SING THE TREES OF THE OLD FOREST TO SLEEP, I CAN HYPNOTISE THE ELVES AND SOME OTHER SPIRITS. THIS RING THAT SOME HOBBITS ARE SO CONCERNED ABOUT DOES NOT HAVE ANY POWER OVER ME, AND I DON’T HAVE ANY POWER OVER THE RING. I LOVE MUSIC AND SOME SAY THAT MY MUSIC IS SOMEHOW MORE ENCHANTING THAN THE ONE OF THE ELVES. MY BIGGEST SKILL IS ALSO MY AGE AND WISDOM… THE SORROWS AND WARS OF THE WORLD TODAY DO NOT AFFECT ME AT ALL.

I DO NOT NEED TO WORK ON ANYTHING. BUT THE BIGGEST MINUS IS – FOR OTHERS THAN ME – I COULD PERHAPS MISPLACE THE RING IF IT GOT INTO MY PROCESSION. I WOULD NOT CARE FOR A SMALL SHINY THING LIKE THAT ONE. NEITHER WOULD I CARE FOR THE WAR UNLESS IT SUDDENLY CAME TO THE BOARDERS OF MY FOREST. I DO NOT CARE ENOUGH TO HELP THE ENTS FINDING THEIR WIVES AND MY INTEREST ARE SOMEWHERE ELSE THAN WHERE PEOPLE TODAY WANT THEM TO BE. I CONSIDER THE FOREST AND THE GREEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN HUMAN LIFE.

I HAVE FORGOTTEN MY FEARS… OH WELL, I FEAR THAT THE TOE NAIL WILL GET LONGER. MY SECRET IS ALSO THAT I MIGHT HAVE HYPNOTIZED MY DEAR GOLDENBERRY TO MARRY ME… AND MY REGRET IS THAT I HAVE NOT CUT MY TOE NAIL YET. I AM QUITE SURE THAT MY DEAR GOLDENBERRY WANTED TO MARRY ME NO MATTER WHAT – I WOULD HAVE WON HER WITHOUT MY MUSIC.

I am a spry fellow, with a quick, playful wit. I speak in a rhyming whimsical way: "Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!/ Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!" I have a jolly, carefree attitude, and very little seems to concern me. I also sometimes refer to myself in the third person, as if simultaneously weaving my own epic narrative, even as I live it. I love to do that!

I certainly do not share the same concerns as everybody else about the One Ring, even though I know at least as much as the hobbits about its connections and possible consequences. Indeed, this aspect of my personality seems quite perplexing: the discussions of those at the council of Elrond at Rivendell, and especially those of Gandalf, seem to indicate that I, Tom Bombadil would not be immune to the actions of a rejuvenated Sauron; however, I seem to be wholly unconcerned with this fact and immune to the power of the Ring. In fact, the closest thing to an adversary I have, in the loosest sense of that word, is possibly Old Man Willow, who occupies and holds dominion over the trees in miles of my "country"; although I do seem to demonstrate at least some control over even him.

Tom Bombadil's (who is me – well I like to talk about myself in third person) origins in the cosmology of Middle-earth. He calls himself the "Eldest" and the "Master". He claims to remember "the first raindrop and the first acorn", and "knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless — before the Dark Lord came from Outside." He does not neatly fit into the categories of beings. Speculative ideas about his true nature range from one of the Ainur, angelic beings (who came after the dark lord and shaped the earth), or God, who is called Eru Ilúvatar and "the One". This is reinforced when Frodo asks my dear sweet Goldberry just who Tom Bombadil (me) is, and she responds by simply saying "He is".

At the Council of Elrond, I am (got tired of the third person) referred to by Galdor as being unable to deal with a siege by Sauron "unless such power is in the earth itself", implying that the character may be a manifestation of Middle-earth's inherent properties. This connection explains my seeming obliviousness to the transient concerns of mortals, as evidenced in Gandalf's concern that I would not understand the importance of the Ring, and hence lose it, if it were entrusted to me. The idea that my songs are always "stronger", as I proclaim in my rhyme, as well as my title of Master, further suggest I am the warden or avatar of the nearly invincible aspects of the planet itself. Well, that is just silly.

WELL, MY DEAR SWEET GOLDBERRY IS THE ONE I CARE FOR THE MOST. SHE CAN OVER SHINE EVERY ELVISH RING AND SHE IS STRONGER THAN EVERY WIZARD AND EVERY DARK LORD THAT HAS EVER WALKED ON THIS EARTH. I LOVE MY DEAR GOLDBERRY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. I ALSO LOVE THE OLD FOREST AND EVERYTHING THAT LIVES IN IT. I LOVE THE MYSTERIOUS PEOPLE IN THE HILLS. THE BADGERS. ME AND THEM ARE ON FRIENDLY TERMS. I AM ALSO FRIENDS WITH THE OLD WILLOW WHICH IS QUITE POSSESSIVE OVER THE FOREST. HOBBITS WHO LIVE OUTSIDE THE OLD FOREST ARE QUITE FUN AND GOOD COMPANY AS WELL AS THE WIZARDS. OF COURSE – MY FAVOURITE IS THE BROWN WIZARD. I ALWAYS FORGET HIS NAME – HE IS SO YOUNG… BUT STILL A STRONG YOUNG MAN. YES, THE WIZARDS, THE FOREST, THE CREATURES OF THE OLD FORESTS AND THE HOBBITS ARE MY FRIENDS. THE ENTS ARE OF COURSE ALSO MY FRIENDS, THOUGH THEY FASCINATE ME MORE… I HAVE NOT REALLY SPOKEN TO A REAL ENT YET AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DAY WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN.
MY RELATIONSHIP TO GOLDBERRY’S COOKING IS ALSO QUITE GOOD.

I am a "merry fellow" and a nature spirit living in a dingle close to the Withywindle river, where I wander, exploring nature at my leisure. Several of the dingle's mysterious residents, including the River-spirit Goldberry (also known as the "River-woman's daughter"), the malevolent tree-spirit Old Man Willow, the Badger-folk and a Barrow-wight all attempt to capture me for their own ends, but quail at the power of my voice, which defeats their enchantments and commands them to return to their natural existence. At the end of… a century that seems like yesterday, I capture and marry Goldberry. I am and will remain unconcerned by the attempts to capture me and brush them off with an inherent power in my words.

Later… perhaps a century or a few days… I harbour in Middle-earth, featuring a journey down the Withywindle to the Brandywine river, where Hobbits ("Little Folk I know there") live at Hays-End. I am challenged by various river-residents on my journey, including birds, otters, and hobbits, but cows them all with my voice, ending my journey at the farm of Farmer Maggot (a good friend of mine till today), where I drink ale and dance with the family. At the end the cowed birds and otters work together to bring my boat home (such friendly creatures they are).

THE FUTURE;
I am a mysterious character who aids Frodo and his companions on their journey. Me and my wife Goldberry, the "Daughter of the River," still live in our house on the Withywindle. I am described as "Master of wood, water and hill", and nearly always speak or sings in stress-timed metre: 7-beat lines broken into groups of 4 and 3. Behind my simple façade are hints of great knowledge and power, though limited to my own domain. What do I need it for??

I make my appearance after Merry and Pippin are trapped by Old Man Willow and Frodo cries for help. I command Old Man Willow to release them, singing him to sleep, and shelter the hobbits in my house for two nights... or was is just two hours? Here it is revealed that the One Ring has no power over me. Frodo wearing the Ring can be seen by me, and me wearing the Ring does not turn me invisible. I even toss the Ring in the air and make it disappear, but then produce it from my other hand and return it to Frodo. While this seems to demonstrate that I have unique and mysterious power over the Ring. My dear friend Gandalf does not want to give me that silly thing because he thinks that I might misplace it… which is true… my memory is quite bad… we were talking about Sauron’s Bracelet… right?

Frodo spends two nights or hours in my house. Before sending the hobbits on their way, I teach them a rhyme to summon me if they fall into danger inside my borders again. This proves fortunate, as the four encounter Barrow-wights during "Fog on the Barrow-downs," -- After saving them from the Barrow-wights, I give each hobbit a long dagger taken from the treasure in the barrows. As the hobbits leave the Old Forest, I refuse to pass the borders of my own land, but before I go I direct them to The Prancing Pony Inn at Bree.

Now, my young ones. Let me sing you a song about another part of my history... this is the most important part - more important than a dark lord.

ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a day on the fields of May
there was snow in the summer where the blossom lay;
the buttercups tall sent up their light
in a stream of gold, and wide and white
there opened in the green grass-skies
the earth-stars with their steady eyes
watching the Sun climb up and down.
Goldberry was there with a wild-rose crown,
Goldberry was there n a lady-smock
blowing away a dandelion clock,
stooping over a lily-pool
and twiddling the water green and cool
to see it sparkle round her hand:
once upon a time in elvish land.

Can you blame me for wanting such a beauty? No. This is how I remember her, and she has not changed. My dear dear Goldberry!

Once upon a night in the cockshut light
the grass was grey but the dew was white;
shadows were dark, and the Sun was gone,
the earth-stars shut, but the high stars shone,
one to another winking their eyes
as they waited for the Moon to rise.
Up he came, and on leaf and grass
his white beams turned to twinkling glass,
and silver dripped from stem and stalk
down to where the lintips walk
through the grass-forests gathering dew.
Tom was there without boot or shoe,
with moonshine wetting his big, brown toes:
once upon a time, the story goes.

People say that this is how I got created. Well, it is a beautiful song… but I must admit that I don’t remember this part of it. I will just let it be and continue.

Once upon a moon on the brink of June
a-dewing the lintips went too soon.
Tom stopped and listenes, and down he knelt:
"Ha! Little lads! So it was you I smelt?
What a mousy smell! Well, the dew is sweet,
so drink it up, but mind my feet!"
The lintips laughed and stole away,
but old Tom said: "I wish they'd stay!
The only things that won't talk to me,
say what they do or what they be.
I wonder what they have got to hide?
Down from the Moon maybe they slide,
or come in star-winks, I don't know:"
once upon a time and long ago.

Oh I remember this! Haha And with my song and the words in my power I got my dear Golden Berry (I like to call her that). The river spirit. Yes yes. She is the wonderful wife of mine!

I COULD USE A

dream or a genie or a wish to go back to a place much simpler
than this cause after all the partyin' the smashin' and crashin'

hey there. so my name is el. i also play too many chars. i happen to be gender and i've blown out twenty-two candles. if you want to contact me, no sweat. just pm me! but check me out in action. I would like my character to be ancient being and he/she hails from the old forest. My final last words are edited by admin!

thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

this is el...

this application was made by two birds. of caution. steal and her hoard of zombies will come and eat your brains.

[ADMIN EL]

accepted!!
welcome to NOW AND FOR ALWAYS