The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of poetry written by J. R. R. Tolkien
and published in 1962. The book contains 16 poems, only two of which deal with Tom Bombadil
, a character who is most famous for his encounter with Frodo Baggins
in The Fellowship of the Ring
(the first volume in Tolkien's best-selling The Lord of the Rings
). The rest of the poems are an assortment of bestiary
verse and fairy tale
rhyme. Two of the poems appear in The Lord of the Rings as well. The book is part of Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium
and the Middle-earth canon
.
The volume includes what W. H. Auden
considered Tolkien's best poem, The Sea-Bell
, subtitled Frodos Dreme. It is a piece of great metrical and rhythmical complexity that recounts a journey to a strange land beyond the sea. Drawing on medieval 'dream vision
' poetry and Irish 'immram
' poems the piece is markedly melancholic and the final note is one of alienation and disillusion.
The book was originally illustrated by Pauline Baynes
and later by Roger Garland.
The book, like the first edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, is presented as if it is an actual translation from the Red Book of Westmarch
, and contains some background information on the world of Middle-earth
which is not found elsewhere: e.g. the name of the tower at Dol Amroth
and the names of the Seven Rivers of Gondor. There is also some fictional 'background' information of those poems, linking them to the Hobbit
folklore and literature as well as their actual writers (some of them were written by Samwise Gamgee
).
The book is also notable because it uses the letter "K" instead of "C" for the /k/ sound in Sindarin
, a spelling variant Tolkien alternated many times in his writings.
* Poems featured in Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
and published in 1962. The book contains 16 poems, only two of which deal with Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil is a supporting character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in Tolkien's high fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, published in 1954 and 1955. In the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo Baggins and company meet Bombadil in the Old Forest...
, a character who is most famous for his encounter with Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
in The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...
(the first volume in Tolkien's best-selling The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
). The rest of the poems are an assortment of bestiary
Bestiary
A bestiary, or Bestiarum vocabulum is a compendium of beasts. Bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals, birds and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson...
verse and fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
rhyme. Two of the poems appear in The Lord of the Rings as well. The book is part of Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
and the Middle-earth canon
Middle-earth canon
The term Middle-earth canon, also called Tolkien's canon, is used to loosely define the published writings of J. R. R. Tolkien regarding Middle-earth as a whole...
.
The volume includes what W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
considered Tolkien's best poem, The Sea-Bell
The Sea-Bell
The Sea-Bell or Frodos Dreme is a poem by J.R.R. Tolkien included in his 1962 collection of verse The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.-Background:...
, subtitled Frodos Dreme. It is a piece of great metrical and rhythmical complexity that recounts a journey to a strange land beyond the sea. Drawing on medieval 'dream vision
Dream vision
A dream vision is a literary device in which a dream is recounted for a specific purpose. While dreams occur frequently throughout the history of literature, the dream vision emerged as a poetic genre in its own right, and was particularly popular in the Middle Ages. This genre typically follows a...
' poetry and Irish 'immram
Immram
An immram is a class of Old Irish tales concerning a hero's sea journey to the Otherworld . Written in the Christian era and essentially Christian in aspect, they preserve elements of Irish mythology....
' poems the piece is markedly melancholic and the final note is one of alienation and disillusion.
The book was originally illustrated by Pauline Baynes
Pauline Baynes
Pauline Diana Baynes was an English book illustrator, whose work encompassed more than 100 books, notably those by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. She was born in Hove, Sussex....
and later by Roger Garland.
The book, like the first edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, is presented as if it is an actual translation from the Red Book of Westmarch
Red Book of Westmarch
The Red Book of Westmarch is a fictional manuscript written by hobbits, a conceit of author J. R. R...
, and contains some background information on the world of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
which is not found elsewhere: e.g. the name of the tower at Dol Amroth
Dol Amroth
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Dol Amroth was a hill along the coast of Gondor, on a peninsula on the Bay of Belfalas; and also the city that grew up there, mainly in the Third Age as the seat of the principality of the same name. The Prince of Dol Amroth was one of the principal subjects of...
and the names of the Seven Rivers of Gondor. There is also some fictional 'background' information of those poems, linking them to the Hobbit
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...
folklore and literature as well as their actual writers (some of them were written by Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...
).
The book is also notable because it uses the letter "K" instead of "C" for the /k/ sound in Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
, a spelling variant Tolkien alternated many times in his writings.
Contents
- The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
- Bombadil Goes Boating
- ErrantryErrantryErrantry is a three-page long poem by J.R.R. Tolkien, first published in 1933. It was included in Tolkien's short poetry collection The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ....
- Princess Mee
- The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too LateThe Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too LateThe Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late is the imagined original ditty that is recorded in 'our time' as the simplified nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle". The supposed original was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien...
* - The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon
- The Stone Troll
- Perry-the-Winkle
- The MewlipsThe MewlipsThe Mewlips is a hobbit poem, appearing in the work The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J.R.R. Tolkien. It concerns the Mewlips, an imaginary race of evil creatures that feed on passers by, collecting their bones in a sack...
- Oliphaunt*
- FastitocalonFastitocalon (poem)"Fastitocalon" is a poem by J. R. R. Tolkien about a beast of the same name. The setting is Middle-earth. It is included in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and told a similar story to that of The Whale...
- Cat http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1008.html
- Shadow-bride
- The Hoard http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/I%C3%BAmonna_Gold_Galdre_Bewunden
- The Sea-BellThe Sea-BellThe Sea-Bell or Frodos Dreme is a poem by J.R.R. Tolkien included in his 1962 collection of verse The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.-Background:...
- The Last Ship