Tolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]

Lotho Sackville-Baggins

2012-01-28T20:58:43Z

2.102.41.133: /* History */ or -> and eating him would kill him.

{{Rewrite}}
{{hobbit
|image=[[File:Lotho viv lotr.JPG|250px]]
|name=Lotho Sackville-Baggins
|othernames=Pimple
|birth={{SR|1364}}
|death={{SR|1419}}
|parentage= [[Otho Sackville-Baggins]] + [[Lobelia Sackville-Baggins|Lobelia Bracegirdle]]
|location=[[Hobbiton]]
|race=[[Hobbit]]
|gender=Male
|hair=Sandy
|}}
'''Lotho Sackville-Baggins''' ([[Third Age|T.A.]] 2964 - 3019, died aged 55) was the only child of [[Otho Sackville-Baggins|Otho]] and [[Lobelia Sackville-Baggins|Lobelia]] [[Sackville-Baggins Family|Sackville-Baggins]].

==History==
Lotho was an unpopular hobbit, he was widely known by the mocking name '''''Pimple''''', due to his complexion. When his father, Otho, died in [[Shire Reckoning|S.R.]] 1412, Lotho inherited [[pipe-weed]] plantations in the [[Southfarthing]], selling the pipe-weed to people away south.

After [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] sold [[Bag End]] to Lobelia in September 3018 and left [[the Shire]], Lotho continued to sell pipe-weed to the [[Wizard]] [[Saruman]], becoming richer and more powerful, and using the proceeds to buy land and property all over the Shire in order to control it.

[[Men]] ("[[ruffians]]") from [[Isengard]] began coming into the Shire to help Lotho control and supress the people. With their help, he desposed of the rightful [[Mayor of the Shire]], [[Will Whitfoot]], and imprisoned him in the "[[Lockholes]]," naming himself Chief [[Shirriffs|Shirriff]], or simply '''[[Chief]]'''.

Lotho continued ordering, industrialising and controlling the Shire's life until Saruman (called "[[Sharkey]]") arrived in the Shire, in September 3019, and took over direct power. Lotho was held prisoner in Bag End for a short while until [[Gríma Wormtongue]] killed him in his sleep (and possibly ate him). Thus, the hobbit who tried to take over the Shire, met a very untimely end.

==Etymology==
The name ''Lotho'' was meaningless in contemporary [[Hobbitish]] [[Westron]]. It represented an original name ''Lotha''.<ref>{{App|Translation}}</ref>

==Portrayal in Adaptations==
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)]]'':'''
:Lotho walks around in Bywater.

{{references}}

[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Sackville-Baggins]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Lotho Sackheim-Beutlin]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/hobbits/sacquet_de_besace/lotho_sacquet_de_besace]]
[[fi:Lotho Säkinheimo-Reppuli]]

Talk:Bilbo Baggins

2012-01-28T20:52:50Z

2.102.41.133: /* Final Journey */ new section

==Bilbo's resistance to corruption==

Did Tolkien ever explain what about Bilbo was so special that he could resist the power of the Ring for so many years? --[[User:Ebakunin|Ebakunin]] 13:40, 24 April 2006 (EDT)

Quite a few characters throughout LotR stated that hobbits in general are very resistant to the Dark Powers. In an early draft of the Fellowship, Boromir asks Frodo if maybe the power one yields while wearing the ring only reflects their own minds. This could explain why Isildur, Smeagol/Gollum, Bilbo, etc. disappear, hiding from their enemies, instead of imbuing them with superhuman strength. That conversation betweem Boromir and Frodo is The History of Middle Earth, the exact one escapes me, sorry.--[[User:Quidon88|Quidon88]] 14:20, 8 February 2007 (EST)

:Frodo fell under the Ring's sway quicker primarily because (1) The power of Sauron had grown greater, (2) He came near to and entered the Land of the Dark Lord, and (3) He was mentally and physically exhausted. The Ring did not work so strongly on him or Bilbo during those years in Hobbiton. Bilbo received it in an honorable way (as opposed to Sméagol's murder), he kept it far from the reach of the Dark Lord, and he did not comprehend its power. I hope that explains it thoroughly enough. I believe I could find texts to back up these statements, if you wish. --[[User:Narfil Palùrfalas|Narfil Palùrfalas]] 17:45, 8 February 2007 (EST)

:: Among the physical stresses was the injury by the poisoned blade of the Witch-king (touching it made Glorfindel shudder) and the bite by Shelob along the way. That he managed to resist the lure of the ring until the very end is actually quite remarkable-- as stated above he was bearing the ring INSIDE Mordor within visible range of Sauron and his minions. Remember, part of Sauron existed within the ring and it had a 'life of its own'-- as such there was not much it could do within the Shire.-- Cheers. [[User:Glorfindel Mk. II|Glorfindel Mk. II]] 14:41, 19 October 2007 (EDT)

==The forthcoming The Hobbit Motion Picture==

Perhaps it would be clever to try and improve this article, now that PJ's plans for the films are moving forth quickly and people in general will be more and more curious about Bilbo. How about making it into an improvement drive article? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 20:04, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

==Main image==

I really liked that we changed the main pic of [[Glaurung]] to Tolkien's own vision of the dragon. Perhaps we should do the same with the Bilbo article? It's a little sad, tough, that his illustrations of Bilbo weren't that good, at least not in my opinion. What do you think? I'll upload two suggestions, so we can try ("Show preview"). In any case, I think we shouldn't use Ian Holm as the main picture of the article. --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 20:04, 22 October 2010 (UTC)
:I agree that the main picture should first be something Tolkien drew himself, then something drawn by an artist and lastly a representation from an adaptation. --[[User:Pinkkeith|Pinkkeith]] 20:08, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

::Here is what I did: [[User:Morgan/Sandbox3]], to make everyone easily see my suggestion (although we might be able to find pictures of better quality than the ones I was able to track). --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 20:23, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

:::To be honest, I think it's a bit plain. Could we use the colourised version instead? --{{User:Mith/sig}} 12:31, 23 October 2010 (UTC)

==Gandalf and Radagast Section==
I'm not sure what the story of Gandalf and Radagast's meeting has to do with Bilbo Baggins? Could this 4 April 2011 addition be explained?

Gamling 04:18, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

:Gamling, you can just remove such strange additions at sight (press "undo revision"). --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 07:53, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

== Final Journey ==

Bilbo and Frodo did not go to [[Valinor]] did they? As mortals they where not permitted to enter the undying lands, it is my understanding that they went instead to [[Tol Eressëa]] [[Special:Contributions/2.102.41.133|2.102.41.133]] 20:52, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Tom Bombadil

2012-01-28T20:46:02Z

2.102.41.133: /* Origins */ remove excess |

{{disambig-more|Tom|[[Tom (disambiguation)]]}}<center>{{quote|Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.|Tom Bombadil, ''[[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]''.}}</center>
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|250px|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[Brothers Hildebrandt]].]]
'''Tom Bombadil''' was an enigmatic figure that lived throughout the history of [[Arda]]. Living in the depths of the [[Old Forest]], he seemed to possess unequaled power in the land around his dwelling. Although seemingly benevolent, he was not allied to the [[Free peoples]].

His existence passed into Hobbit lore and was referenced in poems such as ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''.

==History==
===Origins===
[[Image:John Howe - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|left|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[John Howe]].]]
{{quote|He is a strange creature.|[[Elrond]], ''[[The Council of Elrond]]''}}
The origins and [[Tom Bombadil/Nature|nature of Tom Bombadil]] are unknown; however, he already existed when the [[Morgoth|Dark Lord]] came to [[Arda]],<ref name="house">{{FR|Bombadil}}</ref> signifying he was alive even before the coming of the [[Valar]].

His role and nature in the [[Elder Days]] is unknown, but he must have witnessed most of the major events and battles. He also witnessed the reducing of the great forests that covered all [[Middle-earth]], and perhaps of his powers.<ref name="CoE"/>

The level of his interactions with the outside world is also unclear; however, he seemed to have a name among many peoples and perhaps became a folkloric figure in the traditions and legends of Elves, Dwarves and Men.<ref name="CoE"/><ref name="Adv">{{AB|Preface}}</ref>

During the [[Third Age]], Tom Bombadil lived in a little house by the river [[Withywindle]] in the [[Old Forest]], together with his lovely wife [[Goldberry]]. He had contact with the [[Bucklanders]]<ref name="Adv"/> and [[Farmer Maggot]], and perhaps it was this to which he owed his jolly and whimsical attitude.

However, since he was merry and benevolent, some of the Free Peoples considered him a potential ally (for example, [[Elrond]] and [[Erestor]] considered that he should be present at the [[Council of Elrond]]). However, according to [[Gandalf]], Tom Bombadil was perhaps not fully aware of the struggle of Light and Darkness and could not prove useful to their causes.<ref name="CoE"/>

===War of the Ring===
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Willow Man is Tamed.jpg|thumb|Bombadil rescues the hobbits from the [[Old Man Willow]].]]
On [[26 September|September 26]], [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]], he encountered [[travellers|four hobbits]] while he was searching for water-lilies for his wife. Two of those Hobbits, [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]], had been captured by [[Old Man Willow]]. Tom, who was the master of the Old Forest, rescued them, and took all four of them to his house.<ref name="OldF">{{FR|Forest}}</ref>

The four hobbits stayed two nights, and he told them many tales and songs. Apparently, [[Gildor Inglorion]] had been to Tom's house, as he knew the hobbits were fleeing [[the Shire]]. With cunning questions, he made [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] tell him of the [[The One Ring|Ring]]. When Tom tried it on nothing happened but he then took it off and flipped it in the air and made the ring itself disappear showing that indeed within his realm Tom was master. However, when Frodo put the ring on Tom could still see him. He bade the Hobbit to come back and sit down; his hand was fairer without the ring.

The following morning, Tom warned his guests of the [[Barrow-downs]], and advised them to pass any barrow on the western side. He also taught them a song, should they come to peril.<ref name="house"/>

And they did come to peril. Tom chased off a [[Barrow-wights|wight]] with song, and broke the spells on the barrow in which the four hobbits were captured. While he sent the Hobbits into calm down, he went for provisions. He also brought the ponies that had belonged to Merry. After that, he broke the spells of the barrow. From the barrow's mighty hoard, he took a brooch for Goldberry, and gave a [[Daggers of Westernesse|dagger]] to each of the hobbits. He then advised them to make for ''[[The Prancing Pony]]'' in [[Bree]].<ref>{{FR|Barrow}}</ref>

The peril of the hobbits was not over; an attack on their lives was carried out, and their ponies were set loose. The ponies apparently remembered the care they were given in the house of Tom Bombadil, and returned to stay beside Tom's own pony, [[Fatty Lumpkin]]. He returned them to [[Barliman Butterbur]], the proprietor of ''The Prancing Pony''. Since he had paid eighteen pence as compensation for the loss, he was now the owner of five fine ponies.<ref>{{FR|Knife}}</ref>

==Inspiration==
Tom Bombadil was inspired primarily from a doll Tolkien's son, Michael, toyed with; it also may have been inspired by the character Väinämöinen (spelt 'Wainamoinen' in English) in the Finnish national epic [[Kalevala]], or Father [[Francis Xavier Morgan]] at the [[Birmingham Oratory]]:
{{quote|... Father Francis Xavier Morgan, then aged forty-three, who shortly after the Tolkiens moved into the district [Edgbaston] took over the duties of parish priest and came to call. In him Mabel soon found not only a sympathetic priest but a valuable friend. Half Welsh and half Anglo-Spanish (his mother’s family were prominent in the sherry trade), Francis Morgan was '''not a man of great intellect, but he had an immense fund of kindness and humour and a flamboyance''' that was often attributed to his Spanish connections. Indeed '''he was a very noisy man, loud and affectionate, embarrassing to small children at first but hugely lovable when they got to know him.'''|[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]}}

==Etymology and other names==
Tom Bombadil went by many names:
* To the [[Elves]] and [[Dúnedain]], he was known as '''''Iarwain''''' '''''[[penadar|Ben-adar]]''''', which translated to "oldest and fatherless".<ref name="CoE">{{FR|Council}}</ref>
* To [[Men]] of the [[Vales of Anduin]] and [[Rohan]], he was known as '''''Orald'''''.<ref name="CoE"/> This is an [[Old English]] word meaning "very ancient.<ref name="nomen">{{HM|N}}, p, 761</ref>
* The Dwarves knew him as '''''Forn'''''. This too is a reference to his age: it is [[North Germanic languages|Old Norse]] for "(belonging to) ancient (days)".<ref name="nomen"/> In some imprints of ''[[The History of Middle-earth Index]]'', this name was accidentally spelled with a "P" as the first letter.<ref>{{HM|IX}}, "Tom Bombadil (VII)", p. 435</ref>
* ''Tom Bombadil'' is said to be a [[Buckland|Bucklandish]] name, added by Hobbit chroniclers to his many older ones. It is, like many names of the Bucklanders, untranslatable.<ref name="Adv"/>

==Portrayal in Adaptions==

Because he is left out of the three major adaptations ([[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|Ralph Bakshi]], [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC's 1981 series]] and [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|Peter Jackson's]]), Tom Bombadil's main role (providing the [[Daggers of Westernesse|Barrow-blades]]) is omitted. He does have several appearances in other adaptations, though.

<center><gallery>
File:WiMe-Bombadil-1-.png|<center>''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth]]''
Image:Tom Bombadil viv lotr.JPG|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)]]''
Image:BFME2 - Tom Bombadil 03.jpg|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''
Image:Tom Bombadil LOTRO.jpg|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
</gallery></center>

'''1955: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:[[Norman Shelley]] voiced Bombadil, and Tolkien thought his portrayal "dreadful". [[Goldberry]] was portrayed as his daughter, rather than his wife<ref>{{L|175}}</ref>.

'''1979: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|Mind's Eye's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:In this series, Tom was voiced by [[Bernard Mayes]]. Like Norman Shelley before him, he also voiced [[Gandalf]].

'''1988: ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth]]'':'''
:Tom Bombadil can be found outside his house in the Old Forest.

'''1992: ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|BBC Radio's Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'':'''
:When he adapted the 1981 [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|radio series]], [[Brian Sibley]] deeply regretted cutting Bombadil from the radio series.<ref>[[Brian Sibley]], ''[http://briansibleytheworks.blogspot.com/2008/01/this-page-is-still-under-construction_23.html The Ring Goes Ever On]''</ref> When he made ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'' into a radio series, he decided to change the section "[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]". Rather than several (unadaptable) Hobbitish poems, Sibley adapted the chapters from ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. Bombadil is voiced by [[Ian Hogg]].

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:[[Daran Norris]] portrayed Bombadil with a Scottish accent. His role is much like that in the book, and as one of the few characters in this video game, he keeps most of his songs.

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''
:In the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended DVD Edition|extended edition]], some of Bombadil's poems are transferred to [[Treebeard]], and so is his encounter with [[Old Man Willow]].

'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Bombadil is a summonable power. Once summoned, he can plow through enemy lines. His most powerful weapon is a "Sonic Song". As soon as [[Electronic Arts|EA]] secured the rights to the books, it was decided that Tom Bombadil should be in it; his appearance is kept close to his description in the book.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/battleformiddleearth2/news.html?sid=6139678 The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Q&A - Enter Tom Bombadil], [http://www.gamespot.com/ GameSpot.com]</ref>

===Collectibles===
In [[April]] [[2008]], [[Gentle Giant]] released the Tom Bombadil Mini Bust.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of Tom Bombadil|Images of Tom Bombadil]]
*[[Tom Bombadil/Nature||The Nature of Tom Bombadil]]

{{references}}
== External Links ==
* [http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/t/tombombadil.html Entry in the Encyclopedia of Arda] (a concise overview of the discussion)
* [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/4786/76065 Count, Count, Weigh, Divide] discusses Tom Bombadil's moral aspects at length

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Tom Bombadil]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/tom_bombadil]]
[[fi:Tom Bombadil]]