Any Lord of the Rings fans who have read Tolkien’s famous trilogy will know who Tom Bombadil is, and what a key part he plays in the hobbits' safe journey from The Shire to the Prancing Pony. Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam, the four hobbits who later become members of the fellowship, have to face many perils, including the pursuit of the Black Riders, the ring-wraiths who serve Sauron, and the Old Forest, a dark and bewitched wood that has become the enemy of the hobbits who try to pass through it. They only manage to survive their trip because they find refuge in the home of Tom Bombadil and his wife Gold-berry, the river daughter.
But as soon as they meet this strange and remarkable spirit, they quickly learn that all is not as it seems. He immediately has a strange dominion over them and all of the other things in his forest. He can control them at will, making them sleep when he wishes, wake when he wishes, and bring forth information that they would otherwise be unwilling to share. He is seemingly as old as time itself, having been around since before the days of the trees and the rivers, and many think he was the first-ever creature of Middle Earth, even older than Treebeard the Ent who resides in Fangorn Forest. But not only is he very old and very wise, he is also considered one of the most powerful beings around.
There is a passage in the book in which Frodo, under the command of Bombadil, brings forth the One Ring of power, and releases it into the old man’s hand without question. Not only does this go against the ring’s seductive voice of making its master not want to let go of it, it also goes against every warning that has been given to Frodo, not to use the ring and not to let anyone know he has it.
Tom puts the ring around the end of his little finger, and it doesn’t make him disappear as it does for all of the other characters who have ever worn it, who seem to pass through some sort of vail into a shadowy realm when they don the ring. He simply cackled, and then ‘spun the ring in the air- and it vanished with a flash. Frodo gave a cry - and Tom leaned forward and handed it back to him with a smile.’ Bombadil shows absolutely no signs of desire towards the powerful object, (one of many that exist in Middle Earth, including the Palantiri, Galadriel's Mirror, and the Silmarils to name a few) taking it merely as a joke and a fun excuse to play a little trick on his new companions.
But if Tom is indeed unphased by the allure of the ring of power, and can also seemingly disappear and reappear somewhere else whenever he fancies, why doesn’t he just magic himself to the fire of Mount Doom and drop the evil thing inside it? The answer lies in the next chapter in the book ‘Fog on the Barrow-downs’.
During this section of the story, the hobbits are captured and nearly killed by evil creatures that live in the hills of the Old Forest, called Barrow-wights. They are the re-animated corpses of kings who were once buried in mounds under the ground with all of their treasure. They are deadly, and the hobbits are only able to escape because Tom Bombadil taught them a song or poem to sing to summon him to their aid when they are in danger. Frodo calls for him, and he protects them from the creatures, and agrees to escort them the rest of the way to somewhere safe, so that they are unable to get themselves into any more trouble.
However, he only goes with them to the Bree-road, which with lead them down the path to the Prancing Pony, where they will meet their dear friend Strider (Aragorn) and their faithful steed Bill The Pony, who will help them on the rest of their journey to Rivendell They are also hoping to be reunited with Gandalf the Grey at the inn, but this is prevented as he is currently trapped on the tower of Orthanc, unbeknownst to them.
When Tom Bombadill departs from them, he tells them ‘Tom’s country ends here: he will not pass the borders’. Many Lord of the Rings fans have developed an interesting theory that his spirit is in fact trapped within his lands, and that he cannot leave the borders. As he is an ancient spirit tied to the woodland and the acorns and the leaves, it would make sense that he is only able to exist when he is near them. It also explains why he can’t take the ring to Mordor and destroy it himself, because he is encased within his borders, and cannot step outside them.