J.R.R. Tolkien's Tom Bombadil
An essay by Blake Bolinger
As the title suggests, this is an examination of J.R.R. Tolkien's character Tom Bombadil.  Having always been intrigued by the appearance of Tom Bombadil in The Lord of the Rings, I sought to learn as much as I could about this mysterious character.   This in turn has prompted me to reexamine some of the theories that have been offered to explain the character within the framework of Tolkien's Middle Earth mythology.
One thing I believe everyone can agree on is that there is ample disagreement over who Tom Bombadil is and what he represents.  Many scholars and fans have addressed the subject.  As a springboard into my discussion, I will refer to one of the more recent and exhaustive treatments accessible over the Internet: an essay by Gene Hargrove entitled "Who is Tom Bombadil?".  It is a useful source for general background information about the character, and it provides links to various Internet sites dealing with Tom Bombadil.  (A list of works cited with full bibliographic information appears at the end of this essay.  Quotations without citations are drawn primarily from Book I, chapters 6-8 and Book II, chapter 2 of The Fellowship of the Ring.)
Upon a first reading, I found Hargrove's essay on Tom Bombadil persuasive and, suspecting that Tolkien had more in mind for Bombadil than the character's happy-go-lucky manner might otherwise betray, I found Hargrove's conclusion that Tom Bombadil is actually one of the Valar, Aule, enticing.  Hoping to confirm this, I read everything I could find that Tolkien wrote about Tom Bombadil.  But the more I read, the more my opinion began to sway.  I grew less and less sure that Bombadil was a Vala, or that there even exists a category from Tolkien's published mythology in which Bombadil fits--other than, of course, the character first portrayed in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil."  As it turns out, this is a character with a history larger than The Lord of the Rings--one who has undergone an evolution, at least in purpose, to arrive at the state in which he finally appears.
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Tolkien once wrote that he included Tom Bombadil in The Lord of the Rings to serve a specific purpose: as an enigma, and also as a comment.  (Tolkien, Letters, 174, 178)  Ever since publication of The Lord of the Rings, people have struggled to unravel that enigma.
The character pre-dates The Lord of the Rings.  Bombadil first appears in print as the main character of a 1934 poem entitled "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," which was published some three years before Tolkien commenced work on The Lord of the Rings.  The character was devised not with The Lord of the Rings trilogy in mind, but rather as entertainment for Tolkien's children.  Tolkien reportedly created many such stories for his children during this period, some of which were never reduced to writing.  (Carpenter, Tolkien: A Biography, 180, hereafter "Carpenter")
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Shortly after publishing "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," Tolkien described his character as "the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside."  (Letters, 26)  Many years later, after Bombadil had made his way into The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien described him  as "an 'allegory', or an exemplar, a particular embodying of pure (real) natural science. . ."  (Letters, 192)  One of the more common views held by readers is that Bombadil is some kind of nature spirit.
Some commentators consider Tom Bombadil an enigma, an oddity, a momentary aside out of synch with the main story line.  In a related camp are those who view Bombadil as some type of nature spirit outside of Tolkien's mythological hierarchy.  Putting aside for now Tolkien's own analyses, there are some clues in the trilogy that might support this view.
Both in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and The Lord of the Rings, there is a strong link between Tom Bombadil and nature.  For instance, Tolkien seems to suggest a connection between Bombadil and the Old Forest.  Having once spanned Middle Earth, the great woods of which the Old Forest belonged receded over the ages into only two relatively small and disconnected remnants.  The northern branch lies within Bombadil's lands.  Gandalf tells us that Bombadil has confined himself to a small territory that includes the Old Forest.  The nature spirit theory is consistent with Bombadil's apparent self-exile if one connects his power or association to the diminishing Old Forest.  Such boundaries are easily imaginable if he is a spirit linked to or derived from these woods.  What then of Fangorn, the southern branch?  Has Bombadil forsaken this second and larger relic of the great forest?  Perhaps the presence of the Ents in Fangorn is somehow relevant.  Or perhaps Bombadil was simply cut off from the southern branch over time.  (Gandalf only adds to the mystery when, in Book VI, he guesses that Bombadil would probably be uninterested in the adventures with the ring, except perhaps for the encounter with the Ents.)  Also, it is interesting that Bombadil does not actually live in the forest, though he lives near it.  Part of his lands include the Barrow Downs, which have no apparent connection with the Old Forest; and Goldberry is not particularly associated with the forest.  So while Bombadil may have a special connection with the Old Forest, it would seem that it is not an integral or exclusive relationship, and that it does not encompass all of the former great woods.  (Thus his representation of a particular countryside, rather than just the forest.)
There are, though, indications suggesting there is more to Bombadil than a strict manifestation of nature.  For instance, there is Bombadil's interaction with various Middle-earth inhabitants (elves, men, hobbits).  Aside from his known dealings with such folk, Bombadil shows more than a casual knowledge of their affairs and history.  For instance, in the Barrow Downs, Tom spoke specifically about the Men of Westernesse and their downfall under the evil king of Carn Dum.  He then alludes to Aragorn and his people when he tells of sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness and guarding against evil.  He also shows familiarity with the Black Riders when Frodo tells him about the Ring ("Tom wagged his head up and down, and there was a glint in his eyes when he heard of Riders"), and later, when Tom reassures Pippin that they would not be followed by the Riders the night they traveled into Bree; although, curiously, he also warned them not to trust his guess, as "out east" his knowledge failed (buttressing his connection with the Old Forest environs?).  And though Bombadil had acquired more recent information from Farmer Maggot, he already knew "much of all the history and doings of the Shire down from days hardly remembered among the hobbits themselves."  The fact that Bombadil had dealings with the likes of Gildor, a High-elf, is suggestive of some role beyond that of a mere walking and talking forest spirit.
Bombadil shows a sympathy for the sufferings of men that is arguably out of character for a pure nature spirit.  After freeing Frodo and company from the Barrow Wight's mound, Bombadil selected for himself a brooch, which he regarded "as if stirred by some memory, shaking his head. . ."  He also observed:  "Fair was she who long ago wore this on her shoulder."  Such sentimentality seems at odds with the role of a primeval nature spirit, who would likely show less of an interest in "humanly" affairs (to the extent one can divine the traits of such a being).
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There are many who view Tom Bombadil as something more than a nature spirit or allegorical device--as something possibly rooted in Tolkien's highly structured and meticulously crafted folklore.  The two more common theories suggest that Bombadil is either a Maia (Gandalf's order) or a Vala. 
I have trouble grouping Bombadil with the Maiar.  A number of considerations suggest that he is of a different level or nature than the Maiar.  Bombadil, unlike Maiar appearing in The Lord of the Rings (notably, Gandalf, Sauron and Sauroman), is unaffected and untempted by the ring.  Likewise, Radagast exhibits trepidation over Sauron and the Riders when he meets Gandalf near Bree.  Also, I have the sense that Gandalf regards Bombadil as superior, or at least of a higher order.  Note Tom's ability to draw more information out of Frodo than even Gandalf had, and the uncharacteristic ease with which Frodo handed the ring over to him.  Then there is Gandalf's statement at the end of the trilogy, that he desires a long talk with Bombadil because he has been a rolling stone while Bombadil was a moss-gatherer, "and now we shall have much to say to one another."  In an earlier draft of the Council meeting at Rivendell, published in Christopher Tolkien's History of The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf says of Bombadil: "He belongs to a much older generation, and my ways are not his."  (Treason of Isengard, 158)
In The Silmarillion, all of the prominent Maiar appearing in The Lord of the Rings are identified as such; yet there is no such connection made with Bombadil.  Sauron, Gandalf, Sauroman, Radagast, the Balrogs--Tolkien identifies them all as Maiar in The Silmarillion.   In fact, the role of nature lover among the Maiar appears already to have been assigned to Radagast, making Bombadil's inclusion in the club redundant.
Proponents of the Maiar theory might point to indications of Bombadil's potential mortality.  Tolkien was known to kill off a Maia now and then (Sauroman, the Balrog of Moria).  The Valar, on the other hand, appear less prone to this infirmity.  Even the fallen Melkor was not killed, at least in those terms,  but was rather banished into the Void.  (Whether this is a distinction with any meaning I'll leave to others.)  While, at the Council of Elrond, Gandalf and Galdor both believe that Bombadil would fall under a concentrated assault by Sauron, they seemingly equate Bombadil's downfall with destruction of the earth itself. (According to Galdor: "Power to defy our Enemy is not in him, unless such power is to the earth itself.  And yet we see that Sauron can torture and destroy the very hills."  And Gandalf's observation: "I think that in the end, if all else is conquered, Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First; and then Night will come.")  There are a couple of ways that one might read these statements.  It could mean that Bombadil cannot be destroyed by Sauron, but that if the very earth was destroyed around him, there would be nothing left in the material sense: Bombadil might live on as whatever entity he is (perhaps joining Melkor in the eternal Void), but he would not be able to stop the destruction of Middle Earth.  Another interpretation is that Bombadil is so intertwined with the lands and forests--to the point that he may be the very embodiment of these things as a nature spirit or otherwise--that by destroying the "nature" in which he resides, Sauron would in effect be destroying Bombadil.  This would suggest that Bombadil's life, energy, power, or whatever it is that empowers him, comes directly from the lands, and without that there could be no Tom Bombadil.
The question of Bombadil's mortality is addressed by Tolkien in a letter to his publisher's proof-reader: "Ultimately only the victory of the West will allow Bombadil to continue, or even to survive.  Nothing would be left for him in the world of Sauron."  (Letters, 179)  By implicating Bombadil's very survival, Tolkien seems to be attributing to him mortality or a certain finiteness--as a being, force of nature, spirit, or whatever.
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Since publication of The Silmarillion, speculation that Bombadil is one of the Valar has taken root among some readers.  Hargrove in particular theorizes that Bombadil is Aulë and Goldberry is his wife Yavanna.  While Hargrove makes an eloquent argument, I have a number of reservations with this theory.
Aulë the Smith was lord of all earth substances and master of all crafts.  Bombadil, on the other hand, seems to possess narrower interests.  One encounters nothing of minerals, gems, metals, or smithery when reading about Bombadil.  Aulë created the dwarves at the grave risk of angering Iluvatar, yet there is no mention of dwarves and Bombadil in the same breath.  It is nearly impossible to imagine that Tolkien could have introduced Aulë into the story without having alluded to these essential character traits featured so prominently in The Silmarillion.
In The Silmarillion, Aulë stands out as an active crusader against Melkor in order to protect the children of Iluvatar.  By contrast, Tom Bombadil's interest in matters outside his realm is limited to a mild curiosity.  While displaying some interest in the ring itself, he seems unimpressed with its overall significance, even in light of Sauron's deadly ambitions.   Tom does perhaps show a bit more interest in outside affairs than Gandalf would credit him with.  His interaction with elves and hobbits demonstrates otherwise, as does his probing interrogation of Frodo about his adventures with the Ring.  Nonetheless, Bombadil is unwilling (if not unable) to become involved.  According to Gandalf, Bombadil would not understand the need to safeguard the Ring should he be asked to do so.  While it is possible to conceive of Aulë declining such a request for whatever reason, it is hard to imagine that he might not understand the significance of his decision.  Likewise, it as hard to imagine Yavanna remaining in such a passive role in light of the threat not only to men and elves and dwarves, but also to her beloved trees and plants.  Assuming Aulë and Yavanna had chosen for some reason to reside in Middle-earth, their passivity seems uncharacteristic.  Pulling Aulë and Yavanna out of Valinor to explain the roles of Tom and Goldberry is both awkward and unsatisfactory.  If anything, this unlikely stretch tends more to force Aulë and Yavanna out of character than it does to provide an explanation for Tom and Goldberry.
Hargrove explains Bombadil's passivity as stemming probably from limitations in the song that Aulë is locked into as a Valar.  This could conceivably serve as an explanation, but in the end I think it is an unsuccessful attempt to stretch certain facts around a foregone conclusion.  Hargrove finds a vow of poverty consistent with Aulë's exemplification of his attitude toward his work and the work of others--his lack of excessive pride, jealousy, and possessiveness.  Yes, Bombadil does possess these qualities, but I think this is another strained attempt to make the Valar glove fit.
Of the three other names Elrond says Bombadil has been called (Irwain Ben-adar, Forn, and Orald), none appear elsewhere in Tolkien's writings.  On the one hand, this would seem unusual, given all of the material that has been published since Tolkien's death.  On the other, it is not so odd if those names originated at the time Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings.  It would have been characteristic for Tolkien to have created various names according to each of the languages of Middle-earth, thus adding dimension to his world of sub-creation.  It would also explain the prior absence of these names from Tolkien's writings.
Another inconsistency involves Elrond's limited knowledge of Bombadil at the Council Meeting.  It seems odd that Elrond would have forgotten of Bombadil's existence if, in fact, Bombadil was Aulë.  Elrond was familiar enough with the various names by which Bombadil had been called.  If one of those names happened to be Aulë, Elrond, if anyone, would almost certainly have known that and said as much at the council.  It is almost impossible to think that someone as versed in the lore of the Elder Days as was Elrond could have forgotten, even temporarily, the existence of a Vala so associated in Eldar history with the creation and shaping of Arda itself.  (Aulë was a favorite of the Eldar; and "the Noldor learned most of him, and he was ever their friend."  Valaquenta)  And no less important among the Valar was Yavanna, Giver of Fruits, grower of the Two Trees of Valinor ("about their fate all the tales of the Elder Days are woven" Silmarillion, chapter 1).  Could Elrond have forgotten about the living presence of no less than two of the four or five most significant Valar living practically in his very own back yard?  And yet Goldberry is all but ignored at the council.
During the council, Glorfindel demonstrates his familiarity with Bombadil, speculating that if all else were conquered by Sauron, Bombadil would fall.  Though we don't know the extent of Glorfindel's knowledge, it would seem that if Bombadil was Aulë, such a remarkable fact would be known by him.  And it is hard to believe Aulë's assistance would not have been solicited with much more vigor than the consideration given to Bombadil, considering Aulë's history of warfare with Melkor.  It is true that after the Eldar's return to Middle-earth, the Valar ceased taking an active role in the affairs of Middle-earth.  But they also remained across the ocean in Valinor, as far as we know (except perhaps Ulmo, who resides beneath the waters).  The living presence of a Vala in Middle-earth would signify a Vala who had chosen to become active once again in Middle-earth. The limited knowledge of Bombadil revealed at the council meeting suggests a different conclusion.  For what it is worth, in an earlier draft version of the Council Meeting, Elrond had never heard of Bombadil, and Gandalf only knew of him.  (Treason of Isengard, 152)  In this and the final versions, the discussion surrounding Bombadil suggests that Gandalf and the council members viewed Bombadil more as a being tied somehow to nature or to his self-contained environs, with a more limited interest and understanding, than as an all-knowing, all-powerful deity.
The council discussion also harkens back to the mortal or finite aspect of Bombadil as implied by Tolkien when he wrote that Sauron must be defeated in order for him to survive.  Since it would appear that only Iluvatar can destroy a Vala, it is hard to reconcile that with any Vala's survival being dependent on Sauron's defeat.  Certainly there is no precedent to be found in The Silmarillion for such an outcome.  As will be discussed later, this aspect of Bombadil may have more to do with Tolkien's fear of urban sprawl than questions of mortality or divine existence.
One factor pointing in favor of the Valar theory is the prominent singing of Bombadil and Goldberry.  Beginning with the Old Man Willow encounter, singing is a pervasive theme.  On one level, there are Bombadil's light-hearted lyrics; but on a deeper level, this singing seems to be associated with something much more significant and powerful: it is used as a means of force against Old Man Willow and against the Barrow Wight; he uses it to awaken Frodo's companions after liberating them from the Wight; and while staying at Bombadil's house, Frodo has a dream where he hears a song "like pale light behind a grey rain-curtain, and growing stronger to turn the veil all to glass and silver, until at last it was rolled back, and a far green country opened before him under a swift sunrise."
One is left with an impression that this singing is somehow tied in to the very workings of nature itself, at least within Tom and Goldberry's lands.  That impression, though, evokes a picture suggestive more of pure nature than of the Valar.  This is one among a number of allusions associating Bombadil more closely with the natural world than with the role-playing world of the Valar.  Each of the Valar is typically associated with a certain role: Ulmo, governor of all seas lakes, rivers, fountains and springs; Oromë the hunter; Tulkas the warrior; Yavanna, the Giver of Fruits; Aulë, craftsman and lord of the substances of which the earth is made.
Tom and Goldberry, on the other hand, seem more intertwined with various elements of nature, more so than with the roles attributed to the Valar.  Goldberry does indeed refer to Tom as "master" of the wood, water, and hill, but he and Goldberry come across more as an embodiment of these elements.  This is not the case with the Valar, who existed prior to the earthly coalition of such elements, and who appear as shapers and creators who use the elements to build rather than embodying them.  With Tom is associated primarily with the forest and the earth.  Goldberry is associated with water (River-woman's daughter, River-daughter), dew, rain, the seasons (Goldberry's "washing day" and her "autumn-cleaning"), plants and flowers.  Tom's clothing also reflects the elements of nature: blue (sky, water), green (growing things) and brown (earth); as does Goldberry's: shoes "like fishes mail", gown "green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew", belt "like a chain of flag- lilies".
Though singing plays a large roll throughout both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, it is chiefly used as a means of story-telling.  For the Valar, though, song was a source of power or divinity associated with creation, or at least with the creation of visions that were to become blue prints for what would later be created.  However, once the Valar entered Arda, the physical world of Iluvatar's creation, their singing as in "The Music of the Ainur" (Ainulindalë) had ceased.  From that point forward, singing no longer serves as the primary basis for the Valar's actions.  The powers associated with Bombadil and Goldberry's singing is indeed exceptional among the inhabitants of Middle-earth.  But one possible explanation is that Tolkien merely retained this singing characteristic of Tom and Goldberry as they appeared in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil."  As will be discussed below, Bombadil was transplanted into The Lord of the Ringsalmost unchanged from his first appearance in verse.
Tolkien describes Bombadil as "primeval."  (Letters, 91) In the same letter, he explained of Tom
He is master in a peculiar way: he has no fear, and no desire of possession or domination at all.  He merely knows and understands about such things as concern him in his natural little realm.  He hardly even judges, and as far as can be seen makes no effort to reform or remove even the Willow.
Bombadil comes off more as a caretaker, master of his realm, than a craftsman or creator of things, as was Aulë.  Aulë was greatly enamored with crafted objects and gems, and in fact the elves' first knowledge of crafting came from Aulë.  Bombadil shows little interest in man-made things, other than the brooch he found in the Barrow Wight's mound, which he selected as a present for Goldberry, and his fleeting curiosity over the ring.  While entertaining Frodo and company, Bombadil talks much of the forest, flowers, bees, "the ways of trees," so that his listeners "began to understand the lives of the Forest, apart from themselves."  Thus is Tom's association with and "mastery" over (or of) the forest and its inhabitants emphasized.
While Tom is master of his world, he does not exercise dominion over it in the more traditional human sense as a controller and ruler.  As Goldberry explains: "The trees and the grasses and all things growing or living in the land belong to themselves."   Thus, Tom the master does not prevent the likes of Old Man Willow from spreading his sinister influence throughout the forest, as he does not interfere with the doings of the Barrow Wights.  Yet this does not mean that he cannot take more active control should he choose, as he demonstrates when confronting Old Man Willow and the Barrow Wight, or when he assures the hobbits that no harm can come to them while under his protection.  Protagonists of the nature spirit theory would point to this occasional activism as an inconsistency--a deviation from nature's supposed unconcern for mankind; and they may be right, unless Bombadil's significance goes beyond the mere embodiment of certain natural elements.  Tolkien had something to say of this, as will be discussed later.
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It is the apparent inconsistencies, vague clues, and overall amorphous nature of Bombadil that have fueled the debate and disagreement over his nature and origin.  Almost every other reference to Bombadil can support more than one conclusion and add another uncertainty.  For instance, what about Bombadil's origin?  He is said to have been around before the trees and the rivers.  If Bombadil is but an embodiment of nature, what would he have been doing before nature in its manifested form was around?  Did he take a part in creating these things?  That sounds more like the work of the Valar.
Elrond mentions the elven name for Bombadil, Irwain Ben-adar: oldest and fatherless. What, then, would that make Bombadil?  It is said that Bombadil was around before the river and the trees, that he was the first and fatherless.  Is he something that existed in the void before Iluvatar created the Earth?  Does he embody the very stuff that the Earth is made of?  Did he somehow come into being as a result of the Earth's creation, though not directly created by Iluvatar?  Or does fatherless simply mean that Bombadil has no biological father?  If Bombadil is truly an enigma, there may be no answer to these questions.  And where would Goldberry fit into the equation?
Goldberry is indeed another complication.  Hargrove concludes that Goldberry is Yavanna.  It is easier for me to see Goldberry as Yavanna than it is to see Bombadil as Aulë.  The descriptions of Yavanna in The Silmarillion are similar to those of Goldberry, and given that much less is written about Goldberry, there are not so many apparent contradictions vis a vis the Valar theory.  Both Yavanna and Goldberry are associated with the changing seasons.  In the Silmarillion, Yavanna is said to have set times for the flowering and ripening of all growing things in Valinor.  Tolkien once wrote that Goldberry represents the actual seasonal changes in the river-lands wherein she resides.  (Letters, 272) This explanation is consistent with Goldberry's association with the rain, and her autumn-cleaning.  One major contradiction, though, is Tom's characterization of Goldberry as the River-woman's daughter.  Yavanna can claim only Iluvatar as a "father," if such a familial relationship is implied by River-woman.  In The Tolkien Companion, J.E.A. Tyler equates "river-woman" as a poetic term for the river Withywindle. Goldberry's link to the River-woman originates in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," and therefore she was probably not contemplated originally within the context of the mythology to which The Lord of the Ringsbelongs.  This independent origin, in fact, provides probably the only logical explanation of Goldberry: having already existed as a character when Tolkien was writing The Lord of the Rings, she simply found her way into the story line following on the heels of Tom Bombadil. 
So while there exists this "seasonal" connection between Yavanna and Goldberry, their roles are not necessarily the same.  Though Yavanna set the growing seasons in Valinor, Yavanna's role in The Silmarillion is more expansive than that.  Her setting of the seasons would appear to be linked to her role as Giver of Fruits and lover of all things that grow.  (Valaquenta) Tolkien wrote of Goldberry: "We are. . .in real river-lands in autumn.  Goldberry represents the actual seasonal changes in such lands."  (Letters, 272)  Thus, Tolkien describes a seemingly different and more limited role for Goldberry than he does for Yavanna.
Yavanna is featured in The Silmarillion at least as prominently as is Aulë.  Goldberry, on the other hand, is all but ignored in the story except during Frodo's stay at her and Tom's house.  Other than that, Bombadil receives all of the spotlight.  Nobody at the Council of Elrond even suggests calling upon Goldberry for assistance.  In this manner, Tolkien's treatment of Goldberry is not at all consistent with his treatment of Yavanna.
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Though Tolkien had relatively little to say about Bombadil, his few extraneous comments are telling.  Of the character, Tolkien once wrote
. . .he is then an "allegory," or an exemplar, a particular embodying of pure (real) natural science: the spirit that desires knowledge of other things, their history and nature, because they are "other" and wholly independent of the enquiring mind, a spirit coeval with the rational mind, and entirely unconcerned with "doing" anything with the knowledge: Zoology and Botany not Cattle-breeding or Agriculture.  (Letters, 192)
Along with Tolkien's own words, a closer look at the development of his writing offers some insight.  In his authorized biography of Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter makes the following observation about Tolkien's writing during the period in which Tom Bombadil was created:
So it was that during the nineteen-twenties and thirties Tolkien's imagination was running along two distinct courses that did not meet.  On one side were the stories composed for mere  amusement, often specifically for the entertainment of his children. On the other were the grander themes, sometimes Arthurian or Celtic, but usually associated with his own legends.  (Carpenter, 192)
Sometimes, it appears, these two courses converged, even if only fleetingly.  Nonetheless, given the differing motivations behind these two courses, one must be careful when trying to interconnect them.
Whatever Bombadil's final role may have become, I think it probable that Tolkien's original intent was to insert him more or less unchanged as the character he created in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil."  As Tolkien wrote: "In historical fact I put him in because I had already 'invented' him independently...and wanted an 'adventure' on the way.  But I kept him in, and as he was, because he represents certain things otherwise left out."  (Letters, 192)
Tolkien's notes and correspondence indicate that he started The Lord of the Rings with no clear plot or character development in mind.  (For a detailed account of the evolution of Tolkien's manuscript, see Christopher Tolkien's multivolume History of the Lord of the Rings.)  Frodo's character started out as Bilbo's son, Bingo, which Tolkien eventually changed to Frodo.  Tom Bombadil was added during the earliest phases of the manuscript, when there was no clear overall plot or purpose beyond writing a sequel to The Hobbit.  (See Carpenter, 208-213)  Tolkien created the character Aragorn without knowing who he was or what his role would take.  (Carpenter, 211)  It is just as likely that he had no overall concept or purpose for Bombadil within the trilogy.  Tolkien eventually developed a specific role and background for Aragon.  However, there is no indication that Tolkien went back and developed or changed Bombadil's character to any significant degree.  To the contrary, Tolkien "kept him in, and as he was."  (Letters, 216) Though much of Book I was extensively rewritten as Tolkien's manuscript evolved, Bombadil's character remained virtually as he was first written.  (See Treason of Isengard, chapters II, VI and VII)  In fact, in earlier drafts of the manuscript, Tolkien flirted with casting Farmer Maggot not as a hobbit but as something akin to Tom Bombadil.  (The Return of the Shadow, 117)  If Tolkien had any such notion at the time, it renders the possibility that he also envisioned Bombadil as a Maia or Vala untenable, since Farmer Maggot would also had to have been of a similar order.  Although Tolkien changed his mind as to Maggot, there is no evidence from the manuscripts that he ever revised the fundamental nature of Bombadil.  There is evidence that Tolkien was unsure as to what role Bombadil would play in the overall plot, and that early on he flirted with having Bombadil play a larger part.  In an early draft of "The Council of Elrond" (Book II, chapter 2), Gandalf has the following to say about Bombadil:  "But I fancy somehow that we shall all need his help in the end--and that he may have to take an interest in things outside his own country."  (Treason of Isengard, 158 n. 19)
Since Bombadil was already an established character when he found his way into The Lord of the Rings, it is less likely Tolkien found there a need to tinker about with him.  Rather, the appearance is that Bombadil was inserted as a combination enigma and side-adventure and that, having fulfilled that role, there simply was not much more to say on the matter.  Had Tolkien began The Lord of the Rings with its final form more clearly in mind, perhaps he would have foregone Bombadil altogether, or perhaps chosen another subject for a side-adventure.
The overall tone of the first few chapters of The Lord of the Rings is similar to that of The Hobbit.  The story is squarely centered around hobbits and the Shire in the beginning, and in fact, the story originally started out as another  there-and-back  adventure in the vein of The Hobbit.  Tolkien intentionally wrote the later chapters in a darker tone, while acknowledging: "The first volume is really very different to the rest."  (Carpenter, 217)  With that background in mind, it is not surprising light-hearted characters like Farmer Maggot and Tom Bombadil are more common at the beginning than throughout the remainder of the story.
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I have come to conclude that the most probable answer is that Bombadil was created as a separate character, not originally intended to be anything other than the character presented in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" in his persona, though he came to fulfill a specific purpose.  And who is that Bombadil?  An enigma of sorts, but also something representing Tolkien's values.  To an extent, I think that Tolkien's own preferences are expressed through Bombadil: Botany and Zoology (appreciation of growing things), nature in its primeval form.  If it were not for these sentiments on Tolkien's part, it is less probable that the likes of Bombadil, Old Man Willow, Fangorn and the Ents would have featured so prominently where otherwise they were far from essential elements of the plot.
By the time he appears in The Lord of the Rings, the character may have been enhanced and harmonized to a degree: spirit of the vanishing Oxford and Berkshire countryside (1937); embodiment of pure natural science, a spirit coeval with the natural mind (1954).  Though Bombadil began as an amusing children's tale, Tolkien later criticized a proposed movie story-line that he felt "lower[ed] the tone towards that of a more childish fairy-tale."  (Letters, 272)
Bombadil serves an allegorical purpose, but he does not exist solely as an allegory.  Exactly what or who he is, though, perhaps even Tolkien himself did not know.  Earlier drafts of Tolkien's manuscript recently published by his son suggest a larger role may have originally been intended for Bombadil.  I think Tolkien summed up the essence of this character well in the following passage:
Tom Bombadil is not an important person--to the narrative.  I suppose he has some importance as a "comment".  I mean, I do not really write like that: he is just an invention...and he represents something that I feel important, though I would not be prepared to analyze the feeling precisely.  I would not, however, have left him in, if he did not have some kind of function.  (Letters, 178)
It seems apparent that Tolkien intended Bombadil to be "real," and not just something in the abstract.  Hence, Bombadil is conversant in history, interacts with hobbits and elves, and wears a feather in his cap.  He arouses Gandalf's interest enough to warrant a special visit at the end of the story.  So what exactly it is that Bombadil represents beyond the enigma or allegory we don't know: Tolkien has left that question open (intentionally).
In a sense, Bombadil's powers and apparent limitations are comparable to the scheme of nature, where various roles and functions are allotted.  There are forces of nature that are extremely powerful and timeless, while at the same time powerless against certain other forces, or the interventions of man.  And if, for instance, mankind were to destroy the very earth, then the forests and seas, etc., would cease to exist except in their elemental form.   Bombadil may have absolute power within the role he has been allotted, but it is a limited role that is not unaffected by other forces, just as in the natural world.  It would not be too far afield to suggest that Tolkien's consternation over human encroachments into the English countryside is evident here.  Bombadil's waning earthly role is similar to Tolkien's view of the dwindling countryside and forests of England; and in effect, his fear of a certain natural mortality over which the affected forests and valleys, unconcerned as they are over the daily lives of humans, have no control.
While it might be tempting to theorize over the possible deeper literary implications over Bombadil, given the modest child's story origin, it is more likely that one would be reading things into the character that were never contemplated by the author.  We know the origin.  Later building on this character, Tolkien attributed certain characteristics to him over time--so really we have something that is an evolution of Tolkien's creation, not something we can view as having been borrowed from some specific literary source.  I think the explanation that logically fits the best is the one provided by Tolkien himself: he is just an invention.  It is the one that best accounts for both Goldberry and Tom, while addressing the apparent contradictions of a nature spirit who involves himself, to a limited extent, in human affairs ("the spirit that desires knowledge of other things").  It is an answer unsatisfactory in some ways, because it does not fully reveal what Tolkien had in mind for Bombadil, the extent of his powers, or what exactly is his role in the scheme of things.
I suspect that many readers want something more concrete, that they are not comfortable with the idea of a character as amorphous as is suggested in this essay, or the dissatisfaction of a character in Tolkien's otherwise historic-minded saga who is intended as enigma or allegory.  While Tolkien was a master of when it came to creating detailed and complex mythologies and languages, he was also a poet.  It probably helps if Bombadil is viewed not as a mythological creation, but as that of a poet (which is in fact how the character first came to life).  From this aspect, it is easier to see the mood and the images that Tolkien attempts to create.  It is when we take things to literally that we get into trouble trying to analyze Bombadil.  In a make believe land where eagles speak, men can change into bears, and trees try to eat hobbits, we just have to accept things for what they are--and accept that we often just won't know what they are.
Works Cited
(Note: List does not include works authored by J.R.R. Tolkien.)
-Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.  New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
-Carpenter, Humphrey. Tolkien: A Biography. New York: Ballantine Books, 1978.
-Hargrove, Gene.  "Who is Tom Bombadil?"http://www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html       (19 Aug. 1997)
-Tolkien, Christopher. The Return of the Shadow: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part      One.  New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.
-Tolkien, Christopher. The Treason of Isengard: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part Two.   New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
-Tyler, J.E.A. The Tolkien Companion.  New York: Avon Books, 1976.
The above is copyright 1997, 1998 and 2003 by Blake Bolinger.  All rights reserved.