Tom Bombadil is one of the most mysterious characters created by Tolkien. Although many events and characters about Middle-earth are explained in depth in the books, Bombadil still maintains his secret.
We don't have much information about who he is or what his purpose is. For this very reason, the most controversial character among Tolkien's creations is Tom Bombadil. Anyone interested in Middle Earth may be wondering: "Who is Tom Bombadil?" Why? Is it Maia? He tampered with the questions. There are lots of theories and debates about what might happen.
Tom Bombadil is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He first appeared in print in a 1934 poem called "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", which also included The Lord of the Rings characters Goldberry (his wife), Old Man Willow (an evil tree in his forest) and the Barrow-wight, from whom he rescues the hobbits. They were not then explicitly part of the older legends that became The Silmarillion, and are not mentioned in The Hobbit.
Tom appeared before the Hobbits in the form of an old, red-faced creature with bright blue eyes and a bushy brown beard. It was tall for a hobbit, short for a man; It is estimated to be 5 feet (about 150 cm) long. Tom had a blue coat and yellow boots, and he also had a feather on his hat. He used to have a swan feather in his hat, but before he met Frodo and his friends, he used a kingfisher feather instead of a swan. Inside his house, he wore a crown made of autumn leaves. This could perhaps be interpreted as meaning that the hats and crowns he uses may be more than just accessories. Frodo and his friends wondered who Tom Bombadil was, just like us.
Was Tom Bombadil Tolkien himself?
This is one of the common views. There are many people who claim that Tom is a character who does not affect anything and is a reflection of Tolkien's Middle Earth. Tolkien identified himself with several characters in Middle Earth. Like Bilbo, Faramir, Beren. Tom may be one of them. But even so, Tom must still have a counterpart in Middle Earth. Tolkien is definitely not a writer who creates a character and leaves it as "just a reflection of me".
“Who are you, Sir?”
The only reason for all these discussions surrounding Bombadil is this: Bombadil is not affected by the power of the Ring.
According to the novel, while Frodo and the hobbits are chatting, after a while Bombadil wants to look at the Ring. Frodo takes out the Ring with an ease that surprises even himself and gives it to Bombadil:
It seems that Bombadil is not affected by the Ring's power. After a while, Tom gives the Ring back to Frodo. But Frodo has a doubt about whether the Ring is the same Ring. He puts on the Ring to try it. When Merry turns towards him, he lets out a little scream. Frodo has become invisible. The Ring is the same Ring.
Ironically, the Ring, which the whole of Middle Earth trembles with fear in front of and which even Gandalf hesitates to hold, turns into a plain, plain, ordinary ring when it comes to Tom Bombadil. Look at this! Who is this Tom Bombadil?