Created by British fantasy master J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings provides clues as to how Tom Bombadil is able to resist the One Ring. The novel dropped in a carefree character more mysterious than maybe anything else in the fantasy genre, provoking fandom obsession and debate for decades. Lord of the Rings’ Tom Bombadil puts on the One Ring at his home in the Old Forest and neither turns invisible nor feels irresistibly attracted to it, unlike virtually every other character that comes near it. This bizarre power seems to defy rationalization, but it can be explained.
The One Ring was made by Lord of the Rings’ Sauron, the Lord himself, the last of all of his Rings of Power. Made to control the wearers of the other rings, the One was essentially a remote control triggering the superpowered weapons that were the Ringwraiths. Things could have been much worse for the good citizens of Middle-earth had the Seven or the Three given to the Dwarves and made by the Elves, respectively, worked in Sauron’s favor. Meanwhile, Bombadil resisted this powerful magic through certain skills of his own.
The Main Reason Tom Bombadil Can Resist The One Ring Is His Carefree Nature
The One Ring Couldn’t Corrupt Tom Bombadil
Although there are many technical explanations that could be offered for why Tom Bombadil was able to resist the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings, the easiest and most correct is that he is too light-hearted and carefree for the Ring to overpower. This reason may seem simple and thematic, but it has technical backing according to the lore of Middle-earth. Bombadil is strikingly buoyant in the book, optimistic and jolly and singing to his heart’s content when all others fear Sauron’s rise glumly. The Ring latches onto a certain darkness in people to control them.
Tom wanted a fun, simple life and refused the glory and politics of the War of the Ring.
One of Morgoth’s worst crimes in Lord of the Rings was pouring his essence into the elements of Middle-earth to control them, and likewise, Sauron poured his essence into the One Ring. In following his old master’s example, Sauron ensured control of the Ring and its sub-rings, while imbuing the Ring’s power with his own Machiavellian thirst for domination. Those seeking to rule — for instance, Boromir — are vulnerable to the Ring. But Tom wanted a fun, simple life and refused the glory and politics of the War of the Ring.
Tom Bombadil’s Power May Have Negated The One Ring
Tom Bombadil Was More Powerful In The Old Forest
The One Ring grants invisibility in Lord of the Rings, but it can’t touch Tom Bombadil, and this may have been because it was functioning in his realm. While Tom’s whimsical joy is actually far more than just a thematically relevant character trait and helps him physically resist the Ring, the Old Forest is the epicenter of Tom’s power. Tom’s species remains a mystery, although it is often speculated that he is an Ainur, a primordial being, or some kind of embodiment of the Imperishable Flame itself. In his realm, his innate abilities could have been amplified.
The Maiar and Valar were both types of Ainur that could be invisible themselves, so Tom’s power over invisibility may be no surprise. Ainur claimed bodies at will, being innately spirit beings that didn’t need bodies. Sauron, like Tom, didn’t turn invisible when wearing the Ring and was a Maia. The Ring drags beings into Lord of the Rings’ Unseen Realm when they wear it, but Tom may be firmly situated in both realms anyway as an Ainur, a primordial being, or the Flame. And while his knowledge fades eastwards, Tom is in his element at home by the Withywindle.
Tom Bombadil’s Mysterious Resistance To The One Ring Is Why He’s Such A Fascinating Character
Lord Of The Rings Fans Can’t Pin Down Just Who Tom Bombadil Is
Tom’s total resistance to the One Ring is what reveals him as a unique character in the book and is partially what motivates fans to contemplate his true idenтιтy getting on for a century after the book’s release. Published in three parts between 1954 and 1955, The Lord of the Rings backs up all its characters with substantive lore in the posthumous The Silmarillion and its surrounding stories. But, miraculously, throughout the whole legendarium, Tolkien never gave Tom a specific backstory, pointedly leaving him a mystery. This left some to speculate that Tom could even be God himself, in Middle-earth’s terms.
Tom Bombadil can be seen played by Rory Kinnear in Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The One Eru Ilúvatar ruled over Middle-earth, with the Ainur his second-created and second in command. But since even powerful warriors and Wizards like Aragorn and Gandalf couldn’t hope to resist the temptation of the One Ring, fans comparing them to Bombadil were left baffled as to the level of Bombadil’s power. Gandalf doesn’t seem like the sort to crave power, but even he would have been corrupted by the Ring. Tom always manifests a remarkable amount of Estel — faith in Eru’s plan — perhaps because he was Eru all along.
The One Ring had no foothold in Tom, who managed his realm as a caretaker, not a king.
Only Tolkien could create a story of such sprawling scale and magnitude that a marginal supporting character could treat the story’s central weapon like a toy. But Tom has layers — more than just a jolly and powerful spirit, he is a pacifist to a fault. He couldn’t have withstood Sauron, so probably isn’t Eru, which highlights pacifism’s issues. But the One Ring had no foothold in Tom, who managed his realm as a caretaker, not a king. Tom has genuine faith in the future in The Lord of the Rings, and that is the source of his power.
