Information about previous chapter discussions you will find at
http://parasha.maoltuile.org/ . Take the once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity
to volunteer for a chapter yourself! Of Book I Chapter 9
"At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" (due in 2 weeks) and Chapter 11 "A
Knife in the Dark" have as yet not been accounted for.
Summary (with thanks to Troels for the concept of the lay-out).
Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin enter Tom Bombadil's stone house, which
is
described in detail throughout the chapter [1]. They are welcomed [2]
by
the fair and merry Goldberry [3], Daughter of the River, who deeply
moves
them to happiness, especially Frodo.[4] She invites them to sit down
and wait
for the "Master of the house". Frodo asks Goldberry who Tom Bombadil
is,
which she explains [5] Washed and refreshed, the hobbits have supper
with Tom and Goldberry [6], during which they become aware that they
sing merrily.[7] When Goldberry wishes them goodnight and peace until
the
morning [8], Frodo asks the question which also haunts many an
AFT/RABT-poster: if Tom heard him call when he cried
for help in the Old Forest, or if chance brought him. Tom answers
that he did not hear him calling: "Just chance brought me then, if
chance you call it" [9], although he had been waiting for the hobbits.
He sings about the errand he had there: gathering water-lilies, and
about
how he met Goldberry. The question about the Willow-Man he leaves
unanswered for the moment at the explicit wish of Merry and Pippin. He
wishes them goodnight in rhyme and also tells them not to be afraid
during the night.
Frodo dreams of a pinnacle/tower of stone, surrounded by a
plain where the crying of fell voices is heard and the howling of
wolves. On the pinnacle a figure stands. His staff flashes light and
he
is carried away by an eagle.[10] Frodo hears the sound of galloping
hoofs and wakes up, thinking: "Black Riders!" Pippins pleasant dreams
are
disturbed by noises of branches fretting in the wind, scraping
twig-fingers and the remembrance of Old Man Willow, but both he and
Merry (who in his dreams fears he is drowning) are uplifted by the
comforting words Tom and Goldberry spoke before they went to sleep.
In the morning they are woken by a whistling, singing and clapping Tom
[11], who says he has already walked wide and wakened
Goldberry. "In the night little folk wake up in the darkness, and
sleep
after light has come", he says mysteriously, after Frodo has
checked for footprints around the house and Pippin for signs of Old
Man
Willow. They only see a well tended garden[12], the grey
sky, fog and the Valley of the Withywindle.When the hobbits have their
breakfast by themselves, they hear the clattering and singing
of Tom about the house and the singing of Goldberry, which to them
seems clearly a rain-song, to which they listen with delight.
Frodo sees Tom come home, warding off the rain by waving his arms and
indeed he seems quite dry, except for his boots. Tom tells,
this is Goldberry's washing day and her autumn-cleaning: "Too wet for
hobbit-folk", so he tells them remarkable stories: about the
Old Forest, the dangerous Old man Willow[13], nature, the history of
the
Barrow-wights of Barrow-downs and then more ancient
history. He tells and tells, sings, dances, jumps about and sometimes
nods as if falling asleep. Frodo cannot tell if one day or many
days have passed when he finally asks: "Who are you, Master? " Tom
answers: "Don't you know my name yet? That's the only
answer". But he ads: "Eldest, that's what I am", and he gives an
indication of just how long he's been around: for millenia.
Goldberry enters[14], and she and Tom set the table: "(...)in some
fashion they seemed to weave a single dance". They eat and sing.
After Goldberry has wished them goodnight, Tom tells about his
dealings
with Farmer Maggot and the Elves, and that he knew
about Frodo's flight. He asks them many questions and Frodo opens up
to
him more than he ever has before to anyone. When Tom asks for the
"precious Ring", Frodo hands it at once. When Tom puts it on, it
does not make him disappear, instead he makes the Ring
disappear. Frodo, slightly annoyed by Tom's making light of this
dangerous Ring and to make sure it still is *his* Ring, silently puts
it
on and creeps away. Merry stares blankly at his chair, but Tom calls
him
back with most seeing (blue) eyes. Tom advices them to
leave early next day, tells them which way to take and teaches them to
sing a rhyme in case they should fall into any danger or
difficulty the next day.
Points, comments, questions, remarks, trivia and wild speculations:
[1a] Note for barb: The candles are first described as being yellow,
later as
white and yellow. But we do not know if Tom, like Beorn, kept bees.
Actually
no "domestic" animals are mentioned at all, in spite of all the cream
and honey.
[2] Obviously JRRT thought of hospitality as a virtue, the way it
traditionally used to be as we know from literature/opera: e.g.
Ernani, Die Walküre. Many hobbits, a bear, elves, men, Ents, etc., and
here Tom and Goldberry, try their best to be hospitable and make the
hobbits very comfortable.
[3]Another mentioning of the mysterious: "You are an elf-friend", by
Goldberry to Frodo: "the light in your eyes and the ring in your
voice tells it". (Should that not be: tell it?)
[4] Prof. Tolkien really must have had a high EQ: Frodo, when he first
meets
Goldberry he feels his heart "moved with a joy that he did not
understand. He stood as he had at times stood enchanted by fair
elven-voices; but the spell that was now laid upon him was different:
less keen and lofty was the delight, but deeper and nearer to mortal
heart; marvellous and yet not strange". I really have to concentrate
hard to be able to grasp this.
[5a] According to all the threads dedicated to the subject, not at all
satisfactorily. Steuard Jensen has written extensively and
interestingly about Tom:
http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/Bombadil.html ,
but after dealing with the likelihood of several explanations of Tom,
draws the conclusion that Tom remains an enigma. I think Tom is an
Enlightened being. He is Eldest on a larger scale than the softrat,
but not on such a large scale as Eru. I like Goldberry's Zen-like
answer: "He Is", and Tom's answer later:
"Don't you know my name yet? That is the only answer".
I am very fond of Tom and Goldberry, and I deliberately planned to
volunteer for this chapter well in advance, for fear it would fall
into the hands of the Tom-haters, of which quite a few are around. Why
do posters dislike Tom and call him e.g."the Unspeakable
Idiot with the yellow bootsies" (Taemon, and then there is Count
Menelvagor)?
Are they envious because he is happy, tells stories enchantingly, has
thick brown hair, because he can ward off the rain, because he is a
good partner to one of the most beautiful (and sensuous, says Raven)
women of Middle-Earth, or because he has no fear and gives us a
glimpse of what Real Power is? Or
are they just annoyed because he dances and sings continually? Or
because he likes colourful clothes and is playful enough to stick a
feather in his hat? To the people who are annoyed by his style of
clothing I dedicate this
quote from the musical Hair: "There is a peculiar notion that elegant
plumage/ and fine feathers/ are not proper for the male/ when
actually/ that is the way things are /in most species.
[5b]Why has "Who is Tom Bombadil" become a standard question, and not
"Who is Goldberry?". The River-Daughter? Found by Tom? How clear is
that? Did anyone else think of "Wagner's" Rhine-daughters? What do we
know of the relationship of Tom and Goldberry? Are they "even"
married? Isn't it wonderful the way Tom is courteous towards
Goldberry, takes care she has fresh
waterlilies ("incidently" my favorite flowers), and helps out (without
reminding) with the household duties?
[5c] I like this remark by Goldberry: "The trees and the grasses and
all
things growing or living in the land belong each to themselves".
[6] *Yellow* cream? I only know white cream.
[7a] "The drink in their drinking-bowls seemed to be clear cold water,
yet it went to their hearts like wine and set free their voices". It
reminds one of the ent-draughts.
[7b] Did anyone ever wonder what type of singing-voice Tom, Goldberry
and the hobbits have? I would say:
Tom-bass-baritone, Goldberry-lyric soprano, Frodo and Pipin-lyric
tenor,
Sam and Merry: lyric baritone.
[7c] Isn't it wonderful the way in which the importance of singing is
stressed in this chapter: Old Grey Man Willow is a mighty singer,
Goldberry sings a rain-song, and everyone sings a lot. I do not think
it so strange. There is a theory that singing is more "natural" than
talking, and there are stories about how everyone sung in the
pre-TV/radio times.
[8] Moment of literary awe: "The sound of her footsteps was like a
stream falling gently away downhill over cool stones in the quiet of
night".
[9] Call it Chance, call it God, Providence, Fate, Destiny,
Synchronicity or Clearsightedness, as you will. You will have to make
another choice when Tom says later: "In the night little folk wake up
in the darkness" (In TH Beorn is also aware of the hobbits dreams) and
yet another choice
when it is said: "it seemed as if, under the spell of his words, the
wind had gone, and the clouds had dried up (...)".
[10] Ofcourse Frodo has a (clairvoyant) dream about Gandald here. I
forgot wether it had already happened at that point in time or is
still bound to happen, but on the dream-level time is not important.
[11] Why does Tom wake the hobbits (and Goldberry) so mercilessly,
just
because he appears to need very little sleep himself? When a few hours
later he says: "Let them rest while they are able".....
[12] Kitchen-garden: what is that? In any case, Tom and/or Goldberry
(I
put my money on Tom) work the garden, as they grow beans, have a
flower-garden, a clipped hedge and shaven grass (and berries).
[13a] Old Man Willow seems to be the Dark Lord on a small scale. Frodo
now "learns enough to content him". So do I, but AC and other posters
apparently don't. Maybe now is the time to exchange ideas. I don't
think
OMW has anything to do with Ents/Huorns, but what *do* we know: a
descendant of the fathers of the fathers of trees, dangerous and
powerful, a strongwilled and mighty singer.
[13b] Surprising, that a tree-lover like JRRT speaks about trees
filled
with malice and OMW even has a "rotten heart".
[14] Twice JRRT gives a detailed account of the pretty clothes
Goldberry
is wearing. Some designer! Were they ever really made, I
wonder? How about her shoes "like fishes'mail"? He also describes
Tom's
clothes repeatedly. In bright colours, like those of most
hobbits and dwarves. He must have liked bright and colourful clothes,
which he may have seen in South Africa (this is an example of a wild
speculation).
When you have a sense of humour, and are not overly sensitive to
JRRT's
works being parodised, do have a look at one of the
*funniest* chapters of the LOTR E-text. It is written by Aris
Katsaris:
http://flyingmoose.org/tolksarc/book/book1_07.htm
Here are two exerpts which may give you an idea:
1)The four hobbits stepped over the threshold and stood
still, gaping. In a chair sat a woman; she wore nothing more
than a bathrobe, her long yellow hair tangled in an unruly
mess. It was obvious from her tired look that this lady had
listened to more silly songs than was bearable. It was also
obvious that Tom had good taste where women were concerned.
The opposite wasn't certain at all.
2)and still Tom went singing out into such times
as only ancient myths described, when people left the
doors unlocked at night, and even further back, when
those damn kids knew some proper respect for their
parents. Then suddenly he stopped, and they saw that
he nodded as if he had bored even himself to sleep.
With all his parody, Aris drew my attention to what I hadn't noticed
previously: that Goldberry is absent during most of the
conversation between Tom and the hobbits. In the end though, she "sang
many songs with them".
Please feel free to add your own points, and do share your insights
and maybe wild speculations!
Henriette
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A tenor, perhaps?