Good way to put it!

Tom is unusual, I believe he's a Maia who is protecting the forests around the Shire but that's a life he has chosen for himself. He's very special, for me he's like the soul of the forest or something like that.
About Farmer Maggot... I don't know... maybe after all Tom didn't talk with him... but I don't know. I think the question is not very important... I don't know maybe because nobody actually thinks about that while reading and afer all that's a fantasy, isn't it??

well, yes, that is true, but it's still fun to debate things like this...I mean, that's why this forum exists, in part, isn't it?

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we never hear (read) abaut gandalf putting on the ring?? maby he wont disapear...
In the index or somewere in the book it stands that the ring wouled give mortals Long life and invisebility (i think). tom bomadill is imortal and sauron is imortal and he does not come visible dos he?

Just pitty tolkien is not araund us annymore

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The glory of gondor will rise aonce more

Good point MasterPeregrin! Gandalf probably wouldn't dissapear, I forgot that Sauron didn't dissapear either. But we still don't know why Tom wasn't tempted by the ring like Gandalf.

Yes it's too bad Tolkien's not with us anymore Imagine how many letters he would get.

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Proud Member of the The Evilishy Nazgûl Alliance for World Domination
{Beri}

Gandalf never wanted the ring because it would turn him evil

And Gandalf is already immortal (well almost anyway) he must have been in middle earth for hundreds of years but never ages (he's just in the form of an old man)

So he might not dissappear . . .

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There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings.

So I was at Chapters (a book store) and I quickly looked for the explanation of Tom in this Lord of the Rings dictionary thing. It said something about how he came before all speaking things and the elves called him "the oldest and fatherless'. There was more but I can't remember

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Proud Member of the The Evilishy Nazgûl Alliance for World Domination
{Beri}

Tom Bombadill is pretty cool! I love his songs and there is a little book on him called the adventures of ?Tom Bombidil...Very cute!

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Faith isn't the ability to believe long and far into the misty future.
It's simply taking God at His Word and taking the next step Joni Erickson Tada

He wasn't created by Illuvatar, the Valar, or a Maia. So he was just kind of.....................there......................

I have Guide to Middle Earth and about Tom it says:

A being, lord and master of the Old Forest. His race is unknown, although it is possible that he is a Maia "gone native." Certainly his power, knowledge, and joy were great enough. Tom's power within the Old Forest was absolute, and even the ring could not affect him, but he did not go beyond the boundaries of the Forest, save for the occasional visits to the Barrow-downs and the Marish.
Tom called himself the Eldest and claimed to have been alive since very early in the First Age. He looked like a Man, short and red-faced. He wore a pointed hat with a blue feather and large yellow boots. Tom was merry and blithe, good-hearted but unconcerned with the problems of the outside world.
Tom Bombadil was the name given to him by the Hobbits of Buckland. He was called Iarwain Ben-adar and the First by the Elves, Forn by the Dwarves, and Orald (tr. Mannish: 'very old') by nothern Men.

I hope that helps someone

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There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings.

about Farmer Maggot... it says in the book that Frodo has spoken to him when he was younger or something, maybe the knowledge could have been passed on from then... also it is entirely possible that Tom had come up during Frodo and his friends short stay with Farmer Maggot during the book

and about Tom not disappearing... it states in the book that Gandalf was considering leaving the Ring with Tom, but he didnt because Tom might lose/forget about it. My theory about why it didnt affect him is because, well, he was just odd. There were many things not explained about him and maybe that is one of the things that are supposed to go unanswered.

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I don't think it affected him because maybe he is not an earthly bieng. I think someone stated on the first page that he could be a personification of nature. (Or maybe that was on a different thread). If he was there at the begining when nature was created then that statement could be true. He might not a be a living breathing person.

well i thought he was funny and annoying at the same time but sometimes it confuses me

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What confuses you, minky? IS it that we don't know what he is?

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i think i read/hear somwhere that they actually cast a character for tom bombadil and goldberry, but then desided not to use that part because it would make it to long, i'm not sure how reliabe that info is though so don't take my word for it.

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I was kind of annoyed when they didn't put Tom in the movies, too. And he's kind of an intereting character too.

The book The Tolkien Companion, by J.E.A Tyler, suggests that Tom is a Maia, perhaps a servant of Yavanna. I agree with that, but I also think that he had more power than some of the other Maiar. The Istari could've been tempted by it (and one of them was), while Tom could put the Ring on without it affecting him and see someone who wore the Ring.

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