Comment on parallels between Tom Bombadil’s and Sir Bertilak’s houses in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:
In both cases, the protagonist only finds it when they are in great need, and it appears by magic.
There is a feeling of leaving the wild and finding civilization and welcome.
Both Tom Bombadil and Sir Bertilak are known for their constant laughing.
The parallel breaks down in the formality of Sir Bertilak’s court.
Note: It is important not to make too much of the connection between Tolkien’s work and possible source material. We must ask why this connection matters to the story and if it adds to our knowledge. We must also acknowledge that some things are original creations of Tolkien’s and have no original source.
To analyze the connection between these two sources, we have to look at the reactions of the protagonists upon finding these hidden places.
Comment on the connection between willow trees and sleep in Tolkien’s works:
In the original poem “Errantry”, Tolkien connects willows with sleeping, as he does with Old Man Willow and his sleeping spell.
There is a third example of this connection, as when the willow-meads of Tasarinan are referenced by Treebeard later.
These lands were more important in earlier versions of the Tuor story.
In these versions, it is in the land of willows where Tuor lingers prior to meeting with Ulmo.
Tuor does not actually fall asleep, but he does become lazy and loses his way.
There is no folk tradition regarding sleep and willow trees; there is a fairy-tale tradition of active, hostile willow trees, like Old Man Willow, but not of willows and drowsiness.
There is a reference in Virgil’s writings about being lured to sleep by willows.
Tolkien may have translated Virgil at school while learning Latin.
Old Man Willow’s particular brand of malice is an original Tolkien creation.
Associating trees with sleepiness does not necessarily equate to them being evil. This might be benevolent or merely magical.
Entering the house of Tom Bombadil:
The chapter begins with the hobbits literally crossing the threshold of the house.
This is the opposite of Bilbo’s simile of stepping out into the road being like being swept away on a stream. This is like coming back onto land.
The house is interestingly like a hobbit-hole; the first home they encounter after being in the wild is very familiar to them. The only unfamiliar things are Tom and Goldberry themselves.
Tom seems to be accommodating himself to his neighbors, in the form of his house, his choice of Tom as a name, and his use of the Westron tongue.
Tom has many other names, but he chooses to use this hobbitish one with the hobbits.
Even the low chairs seem to be especially for the use of the hobbits.
The amount of light from the many lamps and candles is emphasized here. The hobbits are temporarily blinded by the light after coming in from the dark.
The four hobbits have probably never met any of the Big-folk other than Gandalf.
It seems as if the arrival of the hobbits was planned for in advance.
Tom doesn’t seem to need to go ahead to prepare the house in a mundane way. It’s possible that he’s accommodated the house to them magically.
The house is very familiar and friendly, but not totally hobbitish.
The familiarity and strangeness of Goldberry:
Her hair is described like a flowing stream. This is just the first of water imagery used.
The lilies, forget-me-nots, and the reeds are all familiar riverside plants.
All of her descriptions support the idea that she is the River-woman’s daughter.
She is familiar and homey in many ways, but in other ways she is regal and seems outdoors.
The exact meaning of “the River-woman’s daughter” is unclear, but the function of the spousal and parental relationships among the Ainur seem to work metaphorically.
The River-woman seems to be the spirit of the Withywindle River.
Goldberry seems to be a water spirit, and it’s possible that she is not the only daughter of the River-woman.
Note: Though this description may remind us of Greek nymphs, it’s not an exact equivalent.
Tolkien seems to have thought about the world of Middle-earth in this way, assigning spirits to the lands and their features. This is evidenced again later when Legolas communicates with the earth spirits of Hollin, though they are strange to him compared to the woodland spirits.
Note: This is also similar to the spirits referenced in The Kalevala.
The spirit of Caradhras is not directly connected to the spirits of Hollin, but of a similar type.
In earlier versions of the Quenta Silmarillion, the Valar had children among the Maiar. This was still true when Tolkien wrote the original Tom Bombadil poem.
Goldberry was not conceived as part of the Silmarillion world, when she was created alongside Tom Bombadil. Both were retconned into that world through The Lord of the Rings.
Note: The use of the terms naiad and dryads can be misleading, though the concepts are similar.
It’s interesting that Goldberry has a fruit-related name and not a water-related name.
Did Tom give her the name Goldberry? It’s possible, as it fits his song about her.
Going against the fairy tale traditions:
Note: In Celtic stories, one must retain something belonging to a fairy-woman to keep them there through the winter. This is parallel to Tom’s collection of the water-lilies, though in this case, he keeps the flowers to make a home for her, rather than preventing her from returning home.
Goldberry is glorious and splendid, but in a familiar way to the hobbits.
Note: The description of Tom’s humble home is in contrast to the extreme, yet alien wealth and splendor that is often associated with meeting fairy queens in the wilderness.
The fact that Tom’s house is a place of comfort and safety is also in contrast to the fairy tale tradition of encountering magical abodes in the woods, as these are usually owned by evil-witches and the like. This is an inversion of this trope.
In the early notes on the plot, Tolkien had the idea for them to encounter a “witch-house” as one of their first adventures after leaving the Shire.
There is nothing in Tom himself that would set of alarms off an evil being, but Tom is still very strange, and seeing a pool with flowers in the house is also strange.
Goldberry’s first actions of leaping to her feet and closing the door could be seen as threatening, in the witch house tradition of fairytales, but in this case, she reassures their fears.
In other stories, this is the beginning of evil, such as Jonathan Harker’s arrival at Castle Dracula.
Tolkien seems to be using this old trope in order to emphasize the inversion of it.
The hobbits have already had several experiences of encountering things that look appealing but lead to trouble for them, such as the welcoming glade of Old Man Willow.
Goldberry emphasizes that she is not locking them in the house, but rather locking out the bad things outside where they cannot reach them. This is an act of intervention.
Note: In much traditional folklore, welcoming someone into a house is a big deal, which is why the tradition of witches betraying one’s trust after taking them in is such a breach.
The strangest simile:
The use of the simile of the elf-queen emphasizes the ineffable nature of Goldberry.
Similes are usually used to relate something unfamiliar to something familiar, but in this case, it relates it something also strange and wondrous.
The simile is used to describe the feeling of their surprise and awkwardness, rather than Goldberry herself.
The use of this simile does not help us by making this unfamiliar experience familiar, but rather by asking us to tap into our imaginations.
This juxtaposition of a humble cottage and an elf-queen emphasizes the surprise.
The description of her being clad in living flowers shows the alien nature of this experience. The fact that flowers are living would mean that they have not been picked.
The elves are the only experience that the hobbits have of the strange so far, but this simile is directed to the readers in order for us to understand how the hobbits felt.
All of this inverts the usual use of simile and pushes us further into the strangeness of Faerie.
It also leads us to feeling the surprise and awkwardness that Frodo and the hobbits experience.
Ultimately, this is Tolkien trying to use words to describe the indescribable.
This is the feeling that the observer has, not the literal description of what they are observing.
Frodo’s eloquence in the face of Faerie:
Frodo’s reaction to Goldberry is very familiar to Gimli’s reaction to Galadriel later.
This use of simile relating to Frodo’s experience of elves, which we know he has had, is now used to contrast this experience of hearing Goldberry’s voice and his delight.
Both experiences generate delight, but the flavor of that delight is different.
The first contrast is altitude based, described as lofty vs. deep.
The second contrast is material, as in keen (sharpness) vs. the comfort of familiarity.
The delight of elves is often related to swords and wounding.
The familiarity of Goldberry seems to be a contradiction to her marvelousness.
The experience of elves is very beautiful but is fundamentally alien to a mortal.
Goldberry is not strange to mortals, such as the hobbits, though still wondrous.
This is related to the delight of enjoying the beauty of natural phenomenon, so, in Goldberry, they seem to be encountering the source or essence of that beauty.
Frodo’s song expresses his new understanding of his joy in natural beauty that he didn’t have before.
Frodo’s spontaneous song:
The song is in Tom Bombadil’s meter and form, being in trochaic heptameter.
There are some significant differences between Tom’s version and Frodo’s version.
Frodo leaves out the Oh’s and other extra syllables at the beginnings line. This makes the lines more regular, like hobbit meter usually is.
While Tom’s speech is unclear if it is talking about Goldberry or to her directly, Frodo’s is clearly directed to her specifically.
There seems to be a parallel between Frodo’s use of “O” to address Goldberry and the way the High Elves use it to address Elbereth.
The first two lines are full of simile and metaphor and use some of the same ones that both Tom used about Goldberry, and using the word “clear”, like the elves did of Elbereth.
While the word “clear” was used in a starlight comparison with Elbereth, here Frodo uses it in a comparison with water.
Frodo seems to be saying that Goldberry’s presence does not include autumn and winter. Only the fair-weather seasons of spring and summer are part of her influence.
The metaphor become more abstract as the song continues, such as “leaves’ laughter”.
We have just recently heard the laughter of leaves in the encounter with Old Man Willow, but this is now in a new context.
The wind on the waterfall seems to be an attempt to convey the essence of Goldberry’s presence.
Frodo’s embarrassment:
Frodo is not surprised to spontaneously speak in verse, but rather to be saying such things to a lady like Goldberry, who is also married.
Frodo only senses the impropriety after having spoken the song; at the time he was not aware of it. This is a spontaneous reaction, and Goldberry’s laughter shows that she understands.
Note: This may be related to the medieval romance and courtly love tradition, in which a man may spontaneously speak verse in praise of a lady who is left in a house alone.
Goldberry not only excuses the impropriety, she praises it, because Frodo has fallen under the enchantment, and is doing what both Tom and Goldberry has asked: to sing with them.
Frodo is now caught up in the joy that Tom felt when he met Goldberry.
This is also a moment of non-sexual reverence being shown a lady, much like Gimli later.
Frodo’s embarrassment shows his Hobbit humility and that he has not lost himself.
It seems as though this is exactly the correct way to greet Goldberry.
The nature of an Elf-friend:
Goldberry’s recognition of Frodo’s status shows that Frodo has been changed somehow by being named and elf-friend by Gildor.
This shows that the naming is more than just words; it produces a discernable effect.
The light in the eyes and ringing voice are always associated with elves, in some way, being named an elf-friend makes you a bit elvish.
Even Faramir will later say that Frodo has an elvish air about him.
The blessing given by being named an elf-friend is an elvish enchantment.
There is an irony in the use of the word “ring” to describe the sound in his voice; this is a coincidence and is more akin to the ringing of a bell.
