Tom Bombadil, the Secret Fire & The Rings of Power

Tom Bombadil: Amazon's Secret Fire | The evolution of Tom Bombadil | The Rings of Power 2024 |

In the cave of Tom Bombadil, The Rings of Power. Source: Vanity Fair, 29 May 2024.

Contents

First appearance?
S2 Episode 4
S2 Episode 6
S2 Episode 8
Commentary

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1. The first appearance?

During 2024 Amazon released season 2 of its 8-part television series The Lord of the Rings - The Rings of Power, and therein (episode 4 - Eldest) introduced the character of Tom Bombadil and his partner (wife) Goldberry. The latter was not seen, but only heard briefly in conversation with Tom. British actor Rory Kinnear appeared as the enigmatic Tolkien character, conversing with Daniel Weyman’s Stranger, who is a Istar - the Blue Wizard or Gandalf. This is perhaps the precursor to the famous comment by Gandalf at the end of The Lord of the Rings wherein he notes that, having defeated Sauron with the assistance of the Fellowship of the Ring, he is now looking forward to sitting down and having a long conversation with Tom Bombadil. The reason for that was long wondered by readers and fans of the book. The episodes in The Rings of Power featuring Tom now provide a back story and reason for such a meeting, assuming, of course, that the unknown wizard - the Stranger - is actually a "young" Gandalf.

Both Tom Bombadil and Goldberry had featured in chapters VI to VIII of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, but had not appeared in the Peter Jackson cinematic trilogy, much to the consternation of fans of the original books. During the 1970s both characters had appeared in a little-known Russian television program retelling the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring. Despite this, the The Rings of Power promotional material and general fandom claimed this was the first television appearance of Tom for a general audience. Be that as it may, it was undoubtedly the first such presentation of the characters to a world-wide audience via Prime Video. So, the question must be asked: Did Amazon get it right? The answer is both yes and no, with more of the latter than the former. The discussion below is a detailed break down of the two appearances by Tom Bombadil.

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2. S2 Episode 4 - Tom displaced in time and space

When Tom Bombadil was introduced in episode 4 of The Rings of Power this was in the context of a Second Age of Middle-earth story. In the original J.R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings, Tom was presented in the Third Age. In the episode, lines of text from the book were utilised, as were events. Whilst Tom's home with Goldberry therein was at the head of the Withywindle River in the Barrow-downs, we now saw Tom living in a cave in a desert area. This transposition of time and space was purely fictional on the part of the writers of The Rings of Power, and was somewhat jarring to fans of the original work. However, as Tom was a timeless character - the "eldest" or oldest on Middle-earth - this did not matter, for he was ever present in Tolkien's greater legendarium from its point of creation, if not specifically mentioned. Tom also mentions his journey from the Withywindle to his then present desert cave location in order to check out events there and the actions of the so-called Dark Wizard (Saruman).

The Tom Bombadil of episode 4 is generally similar to Tolkien's character - enigmatic, speaking in riddles, wise beyond his years, and helpful whilst not interfering in person. He engages in conversation with a supposed wizard character - simply titled the Stranger in the credits and subtitles - who is seeking answers to his own identity. Their conversation, as noted, includes extracts from The Lord of the Rings and is in large part true to the character and the book. The same cannot be said for his appearance in episode 6. In episode 4 we see the wizard searching for his two Harfoot companions, most especially Nori, when he comes across the cave house of Tom Bombadil. The wizard then becomes trapped in a tree (Old Man Ironwood) whilst chasing a map in the wind. Tom eventually frees him and they return to the cave house. Whilst taking a bath, the wizard hears Tom and Goldberry, but when queried about her, Tom reveals nothing. Why "deny" the presence of Goldberry? This is a very strange thing for the writers to do, implying that Goldberry is a spirit and not a real person. In the books she is very much real, and has a number of encounters with the hobbits led by Frodo Baggins. Upon leaving his bath, the wizard queries Tom on a number of issues. The following is an excerpt from that discussion, and includes direct quotes from The Lord of the Rings as used in the program:

Wizard: Pardon me. I don't suppose you've seen a pair of halflings come this way?

Tom: I see you found the goat?

Wizard: It wasn't quite what I was searching for.

Tom: Well, there is what you're searching for, and there's what you find now, isn't there? [singing] Hey dol, merry dol. Ring a dong dillow .... Sandflies in the grass, bees around the willow.

Wizard: There are some stars above your hill.

Tom: Stars above most hills.

Wizard: But my friends and I were looking for these stars. I had hoped that .... My apologies .... just a moment.

Tom: [singing] Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather.

The wizard gets trapped in an old tree after attempting to break off a limb for a staff. Tom eventually comes to the rescue.

Tom: Let him out again. You should not be waking. Eat earth. Dig deep. Drink water, hmmm? Go to sleep. Shhhh...

Wizard: Who are you?

Tom: Been a while since I've been called much of anything, but back in the Withywindle folk used to call me Bombadil. Tom Bombadil.

Back at Tom's cave house.

Tom: [singing] Down west sinks the sun. Soon you will be groping.[not singing] Don't be bashful now, Goldberry.

Goldberry: [singing] When the night-shadows fall.

Goldberry and Tom: [singing] Then the door will open.

Tom: I've done as much as I can with your filthy robe. Well, clean your arms, wash your face, and come join me by the fire.

Wizard: Is, uh, is somebody out there with you. I thought I heard a woman singing.

Tom: Woman? What woman?

Wizard: Is no one else here with you?

Tom: You're here. At least, I think you are. Are you?

Wizard: Yes.

Tom: What was it that you were hoping to find under those stars of yours, huh? Certainly not ol' Tom.

Wizard: I was hoping to find my friends.

Tom: Shows what stars know, doesn't it? Newcomers, that's what they are. One year it's dark, the next you look up and there's a sea of tiny eyes looking down at you, a-watching. Now, they think they know everything, but newcomers. Hmmm? Still newcomers.

Wizard: What are you?

Tom: Don't you know, my name yet?. That's the only answer. Tell me, who are you, alone, yourself, and nameless? But you are young, and I am old. Eldest, that's what I am.

Wizard: What do you mean, "eldest"? Tom: Eldest. Mark my words friend, Tom was there before the river and the trees. Tom remembers the first rain drop, and the first acorn. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless. This whole place used to be green. Now, it's all sand. I have to come see for myself, to believe it. Even the bird song isn't wholly untouched. Even your tree out there. Old Man Ironwood.

Wizard: I thought it...

Tom: Uh?

Wizard: ....He, might be able to uh, lend me a branch.

Tom: Oh well, you should have tried asking him. ....[conversing with a lamb] Easy, Iarwain. Easy. ... Yeah, I know.

Wizard: This .... magic. Can you teach it to me?

Tom: Teach you? What's to learn way our here?

Wizard: You wield power over trees, over wind and fire; you wield it as if it belongs to you.

Tom: All things belong each to themselves. Just as you belong to yourself.

Wizard: Then might you teach me how to wield a staff?

Tom: A wizard's staff is like a name. It's yours to wield already, if you prove yourself worthy of it. You showed today that you're not. Yet. Whether you can become so, we shall soon discover.

Wizard: I was never meant to find the staff under these stars. I was meant to find you. Wasn't I? .... What is it?

Tom: We're not alone.

Wizard: Who are they? Why do they hunt me and my friends?

Tom: You're not the first Istar who's eaten honey by my fire. Years ago there was another. The Dark Wizard.

Wizard: What became of him?

Tom; Once he sought to control magic, like you. Now, he controls much of the Rhun. But still he hungers for more.

Wizard: You believe his evil will spread?

Tom: Not without an ally far more powerful even than himself.

Wizard: Sauron.

Tom: If these two flames combined into one, there will be no end to burnin' till all Middle-earth is ashes.

Wizard: Can you stop it?

Tom: Old Tom's a wanderer, not a warrior. Great deeds are left to the hands they were placed in, and I shall gather lilies whilst ever they grow.

Wizard: You mean ..... You mean my hands? Is it my task to stop the fire? Is it my task to face Sauron?

Tom: Your task, is to face them both.

The above exposition clearly outlines how Tom is immortal, was present at the creation of Middle-earth and is a manifestation of Eru / the Secret Fire / Holy Spirit / God. It also emphasises the fact that he is not meant to intervene, but only guide. This was an important element of the character emphasised by Tolkien in order to tie in with his Catholic belief in the role of the Holy Spirit of the Blessed Trinity. The use of this expositionary conversation is one element where The Rings of Power has got it right - a task beyond the Peter Jackson team, unfortunately.

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3. S2 Episode 6 - Getting it wrong: the Secret Fire

In season 2 episode 6 of The Rings of Power, Tom Bombadil and the wizard are having a discussion as they walk through the desert, wherein the writers reference the Secret Fire. According to Tolkien, both within The Lord of the Rings and other writings such as The Silmarillion, plus a recorded conversation, the Secret Fire - also known as the Flame Imperishable - is the Holy Spirit of the Catholic Blessed Trinity and the force of creation. The latter is the three-persons-in-one-God concept, represented by the Father, the Son (Logos) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was both creative force of the universe and the grace of God, available to empower and embolden, but not interfere directly.

The Blessed Trinity, or God, is presented in the legendarium as Eru, or Eru Iluvatar in specific reference to God the Father. As the events of the legendarium take place in a pre-Christian world, there is no God the Son (Logos). However, the Holy Spirit is present on Middle-earth and in The Lord of the Rings in the form of Tom Bombadil - the Secret Fire. That is, Tom is the embodiment on Middle-earth of Eru. This is not reflected in The Rings of Power, where the Secret Fire is presented as some sort of power able to be accessed, which is not entirely true to Tolkien's original concept. The Secret Fire is an entity, not simply a power to be learnt or acquired. As Gandalf famously said when he faced the Balrog on the bridge at Khazad-dûm: I am a servant of the Secret Fire! In this instance he was proclaiming the fact that he was accessing the power of the Holy Spirit - the power of Tom Bombadil - and his belief in it to overcome a force of evil. Within The Rings of Power that is not the way the Secret Fire is presented. It is not seen as a force of personal empowerment, but rather as some sort of precognitive device. It is mentioned therein in two conversations as follows:

#1 - Tom and the wizard in the cave (episode 4)

The wizard has a vision where he sees the Harfoot character Nori scream and then be attacked or trapped in a collapsing cave.

Wizard: Nori.... I saw something.

Tom: Snorin'? Whose snorin'?

Wizard: No one. I .... saw something.

Tom: The Secret Fire whispers to us, if we have ears to hear. It tells us things; even shows us things.

Wizard: Does it show us things that will be? Or things that only might be?

Tom: It shows tomorrow's clouds as clear as yesterday's sunshine.

Wizard: How do I learn to master its power? To fight back against the darkness?

Tom: What does the Secret Fire need with you as a master?

Wizard: But if I cannot master it, how am I to use it?

Tom: Every trial that you've met thus far, you have failed. Fail the trial before you now, and there will not be another.

Wizard: Tell me what I must do.

Tom: Follow ol' Tom, for he will show you.

The scene ends, and we later see the pair in episode 6, continuing their conversation away from the cave.

# 2 - Tom and the wizard in the desert (episode 6)

After leaving Tom's cave (episode 4), Tom and the wizard are walking along a rocky cliff in the desert, to a place overlooking a barren valley, and in search of a staff.

Tom: The Dark Wizard found his staff, and now, the time has come for you to find yours.

Wizard: Oh! Which one is it?

Tom: You'll find your true staff only when the vision of your heart is single to the service of the Secret Fire.

Wizard: But there are so many. One could spend months searching out there.

Tom: You have all the time you need. Unless, there is somewhere else you wish to be?

Wizard: I saw her. Nori. She was ... Somehow I know that unless I find her soon, she will die. Both of them will die.

Tom: Many that die deserve life. Some that live deserve death. Who are you to give it to them?

Wizard: Once I know that she's safe, I could return to you.

Tom: No. You cannot. There are times when one path becomes two, and you must choose. Turn away now, and you can never return to this path.

Wizard: Is there no other way?

Tom: Sauron rises in the West, the Dark Wizard in the East. Every soul in Middle-earth is in peril. Would you abandon them to their doom?

Wizard: She is my friend.

Tom: Your friend, or your destiny? The choice is yours.

Tom then mysteriously disappears in an instant, leaving the wizard standing alone amongst the barren rocks, wondering where he has gone.

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4. S2 Episode 8 - Let's sing a song

Finally, there was a brief scene between Grand-Elf (Gandalf) and Tom in episode eight of the second season. The dialogue goes as follows, upon the Wizard entering Tom's house:

Wizard: It was all a test, wasn't it? Another one of your riddles. I was meant to choose friendship over power; was meant to help them; was meant to find this? [holds upstaff].

Tom: A wizard does not find his staff. It finds him. Like his name.

Wizard: Gandalf.That's what they're going to call me, isn't it?

Tom: Now, let the song begin. Let us sing together.[singing]

Merry dol, derry dol, ring a ding dillo
Sandflies in the grass, bees around the willow
Now let the song begin, let us sing together
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather
Light on the budding leaf, dew on the feather
Wind on the open hills, bells on the heather
Old Tom Bombadil, is a merry fellow
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow
Reeds by the shady pool, lillies on the water
Old Tom Bombadil, and the River-daughter

These song lyrics have been extracted from The Lord of the Rings and adapted by the writers of The Rings of Power. For example, this was a song sung by Goldberry to the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry.

Now let the song begin! Let us sing together.
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather,
Light on the budding leaf, dew on the feather,
Wind on the open hill, bells on the heather,
Reeds by the shady pool, lilies on the water:
Old Tom Bombadil and the River-daughter!

Snippets from other songs are also included. This points to the fact that Amazon is not restricted solely to use of material from The Lord of the Rings Appendices, but can make use of material in the book which was not seen in the Peter Jackson trilogy. For example, the story of Tom Bombadil and the hobbit encounter with Third Age barrow-wights. Of course, the use to which the writers of The Rings of Power use this material is to stray from Tolkien's lore and construct new narratives which are at odds with the original, in time, space and characterisation.

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Commentary

Whilst Amazon's The Rings of Power makes a valiant "first" effort to portray Tom Bombadil as Tolkien originally presented him, their effort falls short in capturing the multiplicity of the character's abilities and personality. It hints at magical powers, such as the ability to travel through space, but omits his powerful use of language, most especially evident in his song.

As far as the present author is aware, any precognitive aspect of the grace of the Holy Spirit is not referred to by Tolkien in his characterisation of Tom Bombadil as the Secret Fire. Some of the "magic" applied to Tom in The Rings of Power include, with a note as to whether it reflects specific or implied content in the original book:

Instantaneous disappearance whilst on the cliff side with the wizard [Yes]
Transformation of the wizard's paper map into a piece of bread [No]
Talking to the tree and getting it to release the wizard [Yes]
Talking to the "spirit" Goldberry [No, but possible]
Breathes in to increase the fire [No]
Communicates telepathically with a lamb [No, but possible]
Points out the sentient aspect of Old Man Ironwood [Yes]

All of these actions nevertheless reflect the metaphysical elements of Tom Bombadil which are utilised by Tolkien and Amazon to support his celestial origins.

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Last updated: 6 October 2024

Michael Organ, Australia

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