Tom Bombadil failed to appear in The Rings of Power season 1, but is definitely lurking somewhere during Amazon's Middle-earth series. In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, the four journeying Hobbits meet a strange fellow by the name of Tom Bombadil before reaching Bree, enjoying a brief break from their adventure in the company of Tom and his equally enigmatic wife, Goldberry. Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies cut Bombadil for pacing purposes, but perhaps also because Tolkien revealed virtually nothing about the character. Through all of Tolkien's extensive legendarium, the nature, purpose, and history of Tom Bombadil remains almost entirely unknown.Nevertheless, the mysterious Tom Bombadil is one of few characters from The Lord of the Rings old enough to appear in The Rings of Power. According to The Fellowship of the Ring, Bombadil has existed since the very beginning of Middle-earth's creation, predating the arrival of Morgoth and the awakening of the Elves. The Rings of Power has hardly been shy in introducing familiar characters, bending canon to introduce Isildur, Elendil, and a wizard heavily hinted to be Gandalf, but Tom Bombadil makes no appearance in The Rings of Power season 1. Fortunately, the door remains open for the bearded curiosity to feature in season 2.
Where Tom Bombadil Is During The Rings Of Power
During The Lord of the Rings, Tom Bombadil lives in the Old Forest, and although Tolkien never explicitly reveals when he settled there, it was almost certainly before Amazon's Second Age timeline, when the woodland spanned a far greater area. Indeed, The Fellowship of the Ring explains how Bombadil possesses near limitless power within his forest domain, and very rarely ventures outside his own borders. Given the scant details available, Tom Bombadil is very likely relaxing by the Old Forest's Withywindle with Goldberry while The Rings of Power is happening, and that makes him an easy character to include in season 2.
In The Lord of the Rings, Tom Bombadil's woodland realm sits east of the Shire - an area not yet established in The Rings of Power. On a Second Age map, Bombadil's land would sit almost directly between Lindon, Gil-galad's province on the western shore, and Eregion, east toward Moria, and this is a journey the likes of Elrond, Durin IV and Gil-galad made repeatedly throughout The Rings of Power season 1. These treks have happened off-screen and suspiciously quickly thus far, but just as Frodo's company bumped into Tom Bombadil quite accidentally during their quest, the same could happen to the Elves and Dwarves of The Rings of Power.
Tom Bombadil In The Rings Of Power Can Explain A LOTR Mystery
Due to his lengthy tenure in Middle-earth, Tom Bombadil is a figure of folk legend among most species, but a select few know him more personally. One soul familiar with the Old Forest's "strange creature" is Elrond, who claims to know Tom Bombadil from long before The Lord of the Rings. Predictably, Tolkien never explains exactly when Elrond came to know Bombadil, nor how the circumstances of their encounter came about. The Rings of Power takes place in the right era to show this potential meeting, revealing how Elrond knows so much - or more than most, at least - about Tom Bombadil in The Lord of the Rings.
The Rings of Power's biggest challenge will be weaving Tom Bombadil into its narrative, since even in Tolkien's original story, Frodo's time with Bombadil and Goldberry bears little relevance to The Lord of the Rings' plot - another reason the sequence was omitted from Peter Jackson's movies. Similar to his introduction with Frodo, Bombadil could save Elrond from an enemy. With Sauron back in business, sorties on the Elves will increase, and Elrond coming under attack between Lindon and Eregion is entirely plausible. To give Tom further relevance, the mythical forest-dweller could even provide the spark of inspiration for Elrond to found Rivendell in The Rings of Power.