Tom Bombadil was a mysterious being that lived for much of the history of the world , being known in the Third Age to dwell in the valley of the Withywindle in the depths of the Old Forest , east of Buckland , and close to the dangerous Barrow-downs. His domain was of modest size, but he seemed to possess an unequaled power over the land around his dwelling.
He lived in a small house [2] with his wife, Goldberry , between the Barrow-downs and the Dingle of the Old Forest , far from any other settlement. Although seemingly benevolent, he took no open stance against the Dark Lords. The origin and nature of Tom Bombadil are unknown; however, he claimed already existed before the Dark Lord came to Arda , [3] signifying he may have been alive even before the coming of the Valar.
It is unclear whether he refers to Melkor 's first or second entry into the world. In any case, Tom is insinuated to have been the first living creature to inhabit Arda. Tom eventually "left" where he had come from, and arrived in Middle-earth , which he wandered through and explored, having witnessed the emergence of the forests and the rain. While his role and nature in the First and Second ages are unknown, he may have witnessed most major events and battles. He also witnessed the reducing of the great forests that covered all Middle-earth, and perhaps of his powers.
At the end of his wanderings, Tom focused his exploration only on Eriador , making him the first to reside in the west even before the Elves moved there and the tides were folded. In this period, on his journey down the Withywindle to the Brandywine River , several of the valley's mysterious residents, including the River-spirit Goldberry also known as the " River-woman 's daughter" , the malevolent tree-spirit Old Man Willow , and the Badger-folk attempted to capture Bombadil for their own ends, but quailed at the power of Tom's voice, which defeated their enchantments and commanded them to return to their natural existence.
Ultimately, Bombadil was captured and married Goldberry when she pulled Tom by his beard under the water-lilies out of mischief, but he ordered her to set him free. The next day he came to the River-woman and asked Goldberry to be his wife, and the creatures of the Old Forest the badger-folk and other animals attended their wedding. Sam and Frodo with Tom, by Roger Garland. It is untold at what time Tom settled into his domain outside the Old Forest, but it is known that he dwelt there when the Third Age began, seeing the rise and fall of Angmar and its wars that led to the Barrow-downs being inhabited by the Barrow-wights.
