Tom Bombadil, often overlooked, is an immensely powerful figure in The Lord of the Rings with an enigmatic domain of staggering power. Bombadil is more connected to Middle-earth than Gandalf, Saruman, and the other powerful beings, and his deep connection to the world gives him immense strength.
Abilities. Proclaimed to be "the oldest in existence," Tom Bombadil was apparently immortal and possesses a range of enigmatic powers able to give full control over his domains, seen by Goldberry that described Tom as being "Master of wood, water and hill".
Understanding the mystery, however, does require at least comprehending what we can. As Johnston summarizes: What we know about Bombadil is that he is a powerful and ancient being, older than Gandalf and older than the elves, and he has no interest in “trinkets” that are used to dominate others.
Tom Bombadil's strength lies not in physical prowess but in his unwavering goodness and connection to nature. He is a creature of immense antiquity, predating even the likes of Sauron. His power is unobtrusive, but it distinguishes Tolkien's understanding of strength versus might.
Given these bits of information, it seems like within his realm, Bombadil would have been able to defeat the Nazgûl or at least banish them. Outside his realm, however, he wouldn't have been quite as effective in a fight against them.
Perhaps Tom Bombadil was not really alive, but rather a spirit. Some Tolkien fans speculate that Tom Bombadil was in fact a Maia or even a Vala who had originated in the Far West. Tom was a being of intense age; he had been in Middle-Earth before the trees and the rivers.
The Ring has no effect on him because the Ring has nothing to offer him; time is already immortal, and neither good nor evil. He has no real concern because his existence will still be around whether or not Sauron gets the Ring back.
Tom Bombadil or Iarwain as the elves called him was neither a Valar or a Maiar. He was a mystery wrapped up in a conundrum. He is Tom Bombadil. There are many theories about who he was, Eru Illuvtar, an unspecified Vala or a Maia.
The most common theory is, therefore, that Bombadil is just a "rogue" Maia who perhaps stayed behind and did not follow the other Ainur at the Breaking of the World. In contrast to the seven Valar, the Maiar are an unknown number, so it's easy to associate Tom with them.
The Hobbits spend two nights in Tom Bombadil's house, which serves as one of Frodo's five Homely Houses. Here it is seen that the One Ring has no power over Bombadil; he can see Frodo when the Ring makes him invisible to others and can wear it himself with no effect.
She also resisted being offered the ring of power by Frodo following his vision in the mirror of Galadriel, an immense test given the ring's seductive powers. Yet Gandalf's power level exceeds even that of Galadriel, as shown by his rebirth in the Two Towers.
But there's actually a long-standing fan theory of the original books, which, if true, quietly means Tom Bombadil was in the movies all along — in his true form as the Witch-king of the Nazgûl. The twist seems outlandish, especially considering Bombadil's overtly benevolent nature in Tolkien's work.
Who is the most powerful character in the Tolkien universe?
There's no question that Sauron is among the strongest beings in Middle-earth, so powerful that even when defeated, he lay dormant and gathered strength in non-corporeal form. Sauron poured his power and will into the One Ring so that as long as it existed, he could never be truly defeated.
Gandalf stated: “I am going to have a long talk with Bombadil: such a talk as I have not had in all my time. He is a moss-gatherer, and I have been a stone doomed to rolling. But my rolling days are ending, and now we shall have much to say to one another. '”.
Sauron with the Ring would have been able to defeat Tom. “In the end he will fall, Last as he was First, and then Night will come.” They decided that Bombadil would be “a most unsafe guardian, likely to lose it or throw it away.” The Ring had so little effect on him. He WAS a bit of a space case, after all.
He wanted to have a long talk with Tom, since he'd never get another chance once he left the Havens. Goldberry, Tom Bombadil and Gandalf. For 2000 years, Gandalf had wandered Middle Earth, and hadn't had a chance to stay in one place for long. Now he had the time and couldn't think of a better way to spend some time.
For one thing, Gandalf tells us there are only five wizards in Middle Earth: the Brown Wizard, Radagast, who is definitely not Tom; Saruman the White who shows up elsewhere in Lord of the Rings; the two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando, who went into the east and have not been heard from again; and, of course, Gandalf ...
Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo! By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow, By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us! Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!
In Tolkien's Middle Earth, Eru Ilúvatar is the Creator — basically, he is God. Some readers speculate that Tom Bombadil is Ilúvatar in the flesh. This would explain why Tom is immune to the evil effects of the One Ring. And Tolkien was a Catholic, so the idea of God becoming man was not foreign to his sensibilities.
Though neither is someone you'd wish to annoy, Galadriel is generally considered more powerful than Elrond in Lord of the Rings. Not only is she older than her Rivendell counterpart, but Galadriel witnessed the light from Valinor's Two Trees, giving her a mystic quality.
