10 About the Rings of Power Tom Bombadil is different from the Lord of the Rings

This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Finally revealed his version of Tom Bombadil, but the show made some changes to the character laid out by pioneering fantasy author JRR Tolkien. Showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne teased Tom Bombadil’s inclusion in their show all the way back in May 2024, but it wasn’t certain until the airing of episode 4 how they would portray the character (via. Vanity Fair). It is now clear that The rings of power Season 2 celebrates Tolkien’s Tom Bombadil in many ways, but takes the character in its own direction.

Lord of the Rings Character Tom Bombadil is one of the most beloved characters of the book, which is Tolkien’s magnum opus and one of the few Lord of the Rings Books he published while alive. The majority of Tolkien’s Legendarium was published by his son, Christopher, after his death. As such, Tom Bombadil is one of Tolkien’s pillars Lord of the Rings World, making Rings of power Unprecedented image on the screen of him a landmark moment for television and literature. This makes it intriguing to pick apart the differences between the show’s Tom Bombadil and the book’s Tom.

10

Tom Bombadil deals with Old Man Ironwood in the show

Tom Bombadil deals with Old Man Willow in this book

The rings of power Tom Bombadil saved the stranger from a sentient tree that Tom Bombadil called Old Man Ironwood, which did not happen in the book. However, this reminded me of a scene in The Lord of the Rings Where Tom rescued the hobbits Merry and Pippin from a sentient tree Called Old Man Willow. Old Man Willow was a willow in the old forest, so Rings of power Cannot adopt him, as it put Tom Bombadil in Rhûn. However, it may retain the spirit of Bombadil’s arc in the book, which it did with Old Man Ironwood.

Those looking for a completely faithful adaptation of Tolkien’s stories will likely be dissatisfied with this change from the book. The root of this change lies in Tom being in RhûnRather than the old forest – this is the core change here. For those happy to see Bombadil finally committed to screen, albeit with a non-canonical storyline, this could be seen as the show’s determination to adapt Lord of the Rings Despite the twists and turns it was obliged to take to tell the story of Middle-earth’s second age. This is a difficult story to master in a TV show, and it won’t be fully understood by viewers until the end of the show.

9

Tom Bombadil controls fire in the show

Tom Bombadil is the master of Wood, Water and Hill in this book

Tom Bombadil lit a candle in his cottage, and many more immediately lit up, suggesting a kind of magic not described in The Lord of the Rings. in The Lord of the RingsTom was “Master of wood, water and hill.“The vague but evocative description of Bombadil’s extreme and overarching power did not exclude power over fire, but did not suggest it either. Bombadil never lit multiple candles with one flame In this book.

In this book, Tom’s powers over wood, water and hill go hand in hand with his home in the old forest. Tom Bombadil has power in and over his realm but not necessarily outside it. Tom is removed from his canonical home In episode 4. Tom’s clear pyrokinesis showed him as the strong being he was in the book, retaining his awe-inspiring quality and combating the risk of him celebrating powerlessness and weakness outside the old forest. A weak and feeble Tom Bombadil would not really be Tom Bombadil.

8

Tom Bombadil adds a desert verse to his book Song in Rings of Power

Tom Bombadil builds his famous song

in The rings of power season 2’s episode 4, Tom sang of “Sandflies in the grass, even around the willow.“The line is not in Lord of the Rings But was sandwiched between lyrics that were. It was a victorious moment, seeing Tom Bombadil singing in The rings of powerSolidifying Tom’s position as a source of levity in a dark story. That was Tom’s role in Lord of the RingsAnd it seems to be his role in Rings of power.

Rings of power Give Bombadil the exact lines he sang Lord of the Rings Was a nice touch, especially since the fidelity extended to the vast majority of Tom’s singing in episode 4. Tom’s line about sandflies was the only musical deviation from loreAnd it caught on Rings of power Tom’s own interpretation. The tome of the show is a desert-dweller singing of sand, whereas the tome of the book only sings of the forest.

7

Tom Bombadil’s shoes in the book may differ from his shoes in the show

Tom Bombadil’s colorful clothes are an identifying feature

Tom Bombadil was a colorful figure in Lord of the RingsBut it’s debatable if the show adopts his yellow boots. “Light blue his jacket [was]and his shoes [were] Yellow“In Lord of the RingsHowever Tom’s shoes in the show were closer to ocher than yellow. However, ocher is kind of yellow and is in keeping with the palette and costume design of Bombadil, Rhûn, and the show in general.

Bombadil can be seen wearing a blue coat The rings of powerAnd also the manager’s hat, described in Lord of the Rings. Bombadil actually had red cheeks in the show, a Tolkienian detail that anchored him to the source material. Bombadil’s boots are far from the biggest change made by the show to Tom, but they may be seen as not quite yellow enough by some.

6

Tom is known as Iarwain in the book but calls his lamb Iarwain in the show

Iarwain is one of Tom Bombadil’s names

Tom Bombadil seemed to call his lamb Iarwain Rings of powerHowever Tom did not have a lamb called Iarwain in Lord of the Rings And was actually known by the name itself. Gandalf said “Yarwain Ben-Adar we called him, oldest and orphan,” referring to Tom Bombadil in Lord of the Rings. There’s nothing to say that Tom doesn’t go by the name of Iarwain Ben-adar in Rings of Power, so Tom’s lamb is more of an Easter egg than a lore shift.

However, the show has yet to explore Tom’s many nicknames. Tom’s lamb may be named after TomWhether it was named by Tom himself, Goldberry, or someone else. Tom’s animals in the show help build the sense of him as a caring figure who works the land to keep it safe.

5

Tom Bombadil traveled to Rhûn in the Rings of Power

Tom Bombadil never goes to Rohan in the book

one of Rings of power The biggest change in the character of Tom Bombadil was situating him in Rhûn, when he lived in the Old Forest in the book. in The Lord of the Rings, Tom was protective of his realm and was reluctant to leave it. When confronted with leaving his kingdom, he said (in his characteristic third person vernacular) “Tom’s country ends here: he will not cross the border.“In Rings of powerTom left his home to investigate the dark shadow threatening nature in Rhûn. Tom was a protector of nature in Lord of the RingsSo this motivation, at least, aligns with the original character.

Whether Tom’s protective nature of nature or his reluctance to leave his realm would have won had he been faced with the threat of Rhûn in the book is purely speculative. However, Gandalf’s claim that Tom “Will not step further“His boundaries point to a possible answer. Despite this, The show explores an earlier version of Tom Like the one in Lord of the RingsLeaning into the possibility that Tom used to travel. Gandalf said, “Now he has retired to a small country,” suggesting that Tom acted differently before.

4

Tom Bombadil from The Rings of Power knew beyond the Old Forest

Tom Bombadil’s realm is the Old Forest in Lord of the Rings

Tom Bombadil’s knowledge only extended to the borders of his realm, the Old Forest, in Lord of the RingsWhereas it definitely was active in Rhûn in the show. Tom said in the book “Out east my knowledge fails. Tom is not master of riders from the Black Lands far beyond his country.” Tom was out east in Rings of power But was just as smart as in the book.

True, Tom’s statement in the book was a generic reference to his knowledge of the goings-on of the eastern countries, and does not mean that he could never achieve this knowledge. Tom clearly traveled to Rhûn many years ago in the show, giving him time to acclimatise. Whatever the case may be, Tom’s magical foresight and powers are certainly in full swing in Rings of power.

3

Tom Bombadil keeps Goldberry secret in the show

Goldberry is bashful in the show

Goldberry is Tom Bombadil’s wife in The Lord of the Rings And was one of the best characters of the book, but was very different in Rings of power. Tolkien portrayed Goldberry as a holy presenceBeautiful and one with the river. She was welcoming and friendly. However, in Rings of powerShe was accused off the screen of being “ashamed” by Tom then never made an appearance.

It is unclear if Goldberry’s bashfulness will be justified by future episodes of The rings of power Or if this lore change will go unexplained forever. It seems like glaring a mystery For the show to leave unresolved. Goldberry’s symbolic importance in The Lord of the Rings Makes you an interesting card for the show to play in the future.

2

Tom Bombadil trains the Rings of Power’s two wizards

The identities of the wizards are shrouded in secrecy

The rings of power Dark Wizard was a huge bombshell in season 2, matched by the bombshell that Tom Bombadil knew him and gave him a lawyer. It seems like the mysterious Dark Wizard may be a Blue Wizard of lore. None of the Istari (which included Saruman, the Blue Wizards, and Gandalf) were around in the Second Age in study and Tolkien gave conflicting accounts of the Blue Wizards’ political alignment, obscuring the Dark Wizard’s identity. However, there is enough source material to suggest that the Blue Wizards started their own magical cult In the east, what the dark wizard seems to have done.

Tom Bombadil gave advice to both the Dark Wizard and the Stranger in Rings of power. There were enough hints dropped by The rings of power To strongly imply that the stranger is Gandalf, although his identity is enigmatic. If the identities of the Dark Wizard and the Stranger are a Blue Wizard and Gandalf respectively, this makes Tom Bombadil’s admission relevant. Tom never advised Blue Wizards or Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.

1

Tom Bombadil gets more involved than he does in The Lord of the Rings

Tom Bombadil is non-interventionist in this book

Tom Bombadil was a non-interventionist in The Lord of the RingsResisted participation in the War of the Ring, but he was advocated the stranger takes on Sauron in the show. in Lord of the RingsElrond suggested that Tom Bombadil’s enormous power made him a good candidate for attending the council he held to assess the future of the One Ring. Gandalf said that “He would not come“If he has already invited.

JRR Tolkien said in a letter that Tom Bombadil represented “A natural pacifist view.“It is also true that Pacifism exists on a sliding scaleAnd that Tom rescued the Hobbits from Barrow-Wits and armed them with swords Lord of the Rings. Therefore, the reality is complicated, and the show has a tough job of adapting this symbolic character. Love it or hate it, Tom will continue to sing his way The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, whether on-screen or off-screen.

Source: Vanity Fair