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If I only had a Bombadil... - Page 7

© Michael Martinez

Well, that hardly makes the case for including Bombadil in a DvD. It's easier to make a case for including Bombadil in the whole story. After all, Tolkien included him. And Bombadil's resonances are felt throughout the book, all the way to "The Grey Havens". The story would have to be substantially altered to get rid of Bombadil. Let's recap the key scenes where his influence is felt:

1. The barrow-blades. These are the most obvious impact that Bombadil has on the storyline itself. The barrow-blades are significant in scenes at Weathertop, the Ford of Bruinen, the Chamber of Mazarbul, Parth Galen, the Hornburg, Minas Tirith, Cirith Ungol, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and the Battle of the Morannon.
   
2. The Ents. People seem to forget completely that part of Treebeard's conversations with Merry and Pippin concerned Bombadil and the Old Forest. In fact, Merry and Pippin discuss the Old Forest with Treebeard as he takes them to Wellinghall.
   
3. Aragorn. Aragorn doesn't just overhear Bombadil's last conversation with Frodo and the lads, he fulfills Bombadil's prophecy. Bombadil is the bridge between Gandalf's all-too-brief history lesson and Bilbo's verse in Gandalf's letter, which ends with "the crownless again shall be king." The clues are there for the reader to put together. Bombadil is staying abreast of events. And his knowledge of the Ring matches Gildor's. It seems everyone knows about the Ring, but no one bothered to mention that fact to Frodo.
   
4. Gandalf. Bombadil and Gandalf have a history, and when Gandalf brings the Hobbits home he turns off to visit Bombadil. It's a convenient means of getting rid of the Wizard so that the Hobbits can take care of their own problems at home.
   
5. The Grey Havens. Frodo is given a glimpse of what lies before him in Bombadil's house. Bombadil represents hope in the darkness.
   
6. The Barrow-wight. Although the Wight never returns to trouble Frodo, it is his first serious exercise in asserting his own will. Frodo gradually becomes a different person because of his resistance to the Ring, but his development in that respect begins with the Wight.
   
7. The ponies. This is the least important part of the story, but Bombadil eventually hears about the problems in Bree and he sends the ponies to Barliman Butterburr. (Out of curiosity: from whom did Bombadil get the news about events in Bree?)
   
8. The Old Forest and the Barrow-downs. When I began writing this piece, I mentioned that including the Old Forest and the Barrow-downs would afford Peter Jackson an opportunity to show more of Middle-earth. Why not show us the Old Forest? It isn't just about trees that move around, you know. It's a piece of Hobbit culture. In particular, it's part of what makes the Buckland the Buckland. Hobbits in the Shire don't have to maintain a High Hay to keep the trees out. Shirefolk say the Bucklanders are strange, different. And to a Hobbiton Hobbit, the Bucklanders are different. And then there are the Barrow-downs. This is the only region of Eriador where Aragorn's people once lived that we actually get to see any Numenorean ruins. Weathertop doesn't count. That's supposed to be just a ring of stones on a hill-top, an old fortress.

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