The Omission Of The Bombadil Chapters
Written March 11, 2003

When rumours began hinting at a cinematic production of the universally acclaimed and heralded fantasy series The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterwork and template for an entire genre, many fans were sceptical. After all, how could a tale of such depth and complexity possibly be squeezed into a trio of three hour films? In late 2001 the New Line Cinema version of Fellowship of the Ring finally hit theatres amidst a massive swell of hype and expectation, and the sheer beauty and magnitude of the film silenced most critics. However, there were still those who took exception to certain alterations of the text, namely the complete omission of the entire Old Forest, Tom Bombadil and Barrow-Downs episode which outlines the adventures of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin between their flight from the Shire and arrival at the town of Bree. Perhaps this section of the book seemed a clear cut choice for necessary deletion; after all, Tolkien himself had stated that the episode was “an odd and discordant ingredient. In historical fact I put [Bombadil] in because I had already invented him … and wanted an ‘adventure’ on the way” (Tokien: Letters, p. 192). At a simple glance, the Bombadil chapters do appear to be disjointed from the rest of The Lord of the Rings in terms of plot relevance, initially appearing to take the role of a simple side story capable of being removed without causing much damage to the overarching trilogy. However, upon closer inspection the episode is shown to contain narrative and thematic elements which are important, both directly and indirectly linked to the rest of The Lord of the Rings. By assessing the importance of narrative functions that have bearing on the character development and plot within the trilogy, aspects of the episode which are connected with other omitted parts in the films, and additional elements which can be linked with the rest of the epic, the significance of the Bombadil chapters and the consequences of their removal from the film become much more visible.

The most obvious drawback to the removal of the Bombadil episode is the subsequent erasure of plot aspects and character development which have direct links to the progression or evolution of elements prominent within the rest of the Lord of the Rings. Foremost among these is the treasure obtained from the barrow which Tom Bombadil saves the party of hobbits from, or more specifically the daggers, or “blades seemed untouched in time, unrusted, sharp, glittering in the sun” (Tolkien, LotR: p. 142) which he bestows upon each hobbit before leaving. Although the nature of these daggers appears to be inconsequential for the majority of the trilogy, the blade owned by Meriadoc eventually plays a pivotal role in the battle of the Pelennor Fields outside of Gondor, when he frantically stabs the Black Captain in the back of the knee with his dagger and assists Eowyn in defeating him. The importance of this particular blade is stated by the narrative claim that “No other blade, not though mightier hands had wielded it, would have dealt that foe a wound so bitter, cleaving the undead flesh, breaking the spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will” (Ibid, p. 826). It is clear that the acquisition of this dagger at the Barrow-Downs was a momentous event in the progression of plot within the Lord of the Rings and the removal of the knife’s origins from the film is a significant plot omission.

An important example of character development which occurs within the Bombadil chapters and has bearing on the rest of the trilogy is Frodo’s steadily strengthening relationship with the One Ring. There are two points during the episode where the Ring is mentioned with any significance. The first takes place at Tom Bombadil’s house, where Frodo becomes annoyed with Tom’s trivial nature when handling and discussing the Ring and puts it on with the intent to steal away. Tom can somehow see through the Ring’s power and cries “Take off your golden ring! Your hand’s more fair without it. Come back!” (Ibid, p. 131). This scene shows both Frodo’s attraction to the use of the Ring and Bombadil’s disapproval of its use, slightly foreshadowing the allure which the Ring will eventually prove to have to mortals and indicating, through Bombadil’s light-hearted rebuking, the foolishness of putting the Ring on. The second time the Ring comes into play during this section of the story is when Frodo is trapped in the Barrow and has a temporary thought of putting the Ring on in order to escape, abandoning his friends, before he steels himself (Ibid, p. 138). While the association between the Ring and cowardly self-preservation is not explicitly stated, Frodo’s consideration of using the Ring for his own benefit rather than aiding his friends insinuates a connection between the Ring and selfishness, a concept which is developed much more strongly through Gollum and his intense desire to possess the ring later in the trilogy. The developing comprehension of the Ring’s nature and the near-beginning of Frodo’s relationship with the Ring within the Bombadil chapters are integral to the overall shaping of the basic story of the Lord of the Rings. However, in the film version of The Fellowship of the Ring, these concepts are developed elsewhere and effectively fill the hole left by the Bombadil episode removal. In addition, the introduction to the film takes place in a much shorter time span than that of the original novel and Frodo’s attraction to the Ring’s power would have seemed greatly accelerated, even to an unbelievable degree, if the Bombadil events had taken place in the film’s beginning sequences.

The Bombadil chapters also have a bearing on Sam’s character development. At two points during the episode, Samwise shows himself to be a stronger character in certain aspects than the rest of the hobbits. The first of these takes place when the party encounters Old Man Willow and promptly falls asleep. Sam is the only hobbit who remains awake, thinking to himself “’I don’t like this great big tree. I don’t trust it. Hark at it singing about sleep now! This won’t do at all!’” (Ibid p. 115). Sam’s resistance to the Willow’s sleeping spell shows a degree of fortitude and strength in his personality. The second time in which Sam shows distinction from the rest of the hobbits occurs during the first night at Tom Bombadil’s house, where each of the other three has a fearful dream while Sam sleeps like a log (Ibid pp. 125-126). While Sam’s lack of nightmare certainly doesn’t equate him with bravery, it serves to separate him from the other hobbits as having a more simplistic, uncomplicated character. Sam’s steadfastness during the Bombadil episode is never really recreated during any other part during the film, leaving him as a much less interesting, developed and likeable character in the cinematic rendition of Fellowship of the Ring. While the removal of the Bombadil episode does not single-handedly cripple Sam’s development as numerous other scenes displaying his character are also chopped, the inclusion of these scenes in the film would definitely have served the purpose of more accurately recreating Samwise as a distinctive member of the Fellowship.

Besides straightforward elements of character development and plot cohesion which accompany the removal of the Bombadil chapters, there are several important themes within the section which correspond with other omitted material within the Lord of the Rings films. The first of these is the theme of nature and trees as a sentient, malicious force. Within the novel, there is no mistaking that the trees of the Old Forest are hostile and conscious of the hobbits’ intrusion into their woods. Merry talks of their historical failed attack on the Shire, and as the party travels through the forest they all feel the oppressive force of the trees: “Now stronger than ever they felt the ill will of the wood pressing on them” (Ibid, p. 110). When Old Man Willow takes decisive steps to murder the hobbits it becomes obvious beyond a shadow of a doubt that, in Tolkien’s world, nature does have the power to shape events and take action. This is seen in The Two Towers as well; specifically at the siege of Helm’s Deep where an entire forest displaces itself in order to block the retreat of Saruman’s besieging army. Merry tells other members of the Fellowship that the Huorns were responsible – shadow-wreathed, angry, fast moving, wild Ent-like creatures (Ibid, p. 551). These conscious trees, who can communicate with the Ents but are a separate type of being according to Treebeard, end up maliciously murdering an entire army of orcs. However, the role of the Huorns is entirely removed in the film version of The Two Towers, replaced instead with an army of deliverance led by Gandalf. It appears as though the film writers actively chose to remove or drastically downplay the role of nature as a sentient force within their production, including the Ents only because of their integral role in the downfall of Isengard. Removing the theme of conscious, aware forests and woods from Lord of the Rings serves to simplify Tolkien’s world to a point where it can be effectively fit into a film medium, and the omission of the Huorns and the Bombadil chapters, which rely heavily upon the sentience of the Old Forest, is a natural result of this cinematic simplification.

A second major theme within Lord of the Rings which is exemplified within the Bombadil episode is that of song and its power. As Old Man Willow puts a sleeping spell on the group of hobbits, Frodo notices “Only a gentle noise on the edge of hearing, a soft fluttering as of a song half whispered, seemed to stir in the boughs above” (Ibid, p. 114). Samwise makes the same association with song, saying to himself, “’Hark at it singing about sleep now!’” (Ibid, p. 115). Old Man Willow has exerted power over the party through song, and they are similarly freed from his will by Tom Bombadil, who “put his mouth to the crack [in the tree] and began singing into it in a low voice” (Ibid, p. 118). Singing and tunes appear to have a great deal of power, at least within the realm of Bombadil. The hobbits are later frozen in fear by a cold, horrible song within the Wight’s barrow, but are once again rescued by Bombadil and his retaliatory rhyming. Bombadil sings “…he is the master: His songs are stronger songs” (Ibid, p. 139) in reference to himself, and indeed it does seem as though strength of song is an important aspect of the power hierarchy in the area surrounding Bombadil’s home. Although song never again appears to have the level of sway that it commands within this episode of the trilogy, it nonetheless remains an extremely important aspect of the Lord of the Rings as a means to convey history and lore and display knowledge and wit, especially amongst the elven. However, this element of the story is entirely missing within the action-oriented film version of Fellowship of the Ring, most noticeably at the elven establishments of Rivendell and Lothlorien. As the Bombadil chapters serve to introduce and immediately emphasize the theme of song and its importance, it is not surprising that they are missing from the film version of Fellowship of the Ring along with the rest of Tolkien’s usage of songs within the trilogy. The Bombadil episode heavily relies upon two main themes within the Lord of the Rings which were sadly omitted from the film, severely crippling its role within a cinematic context.

The character of Tom Bombadil himself is somewhat of an enigma. He appears to hold reign wherever he travels but limits himself to the specific region around the Barrow-Downs and Old Forest, singing “Tom’s country ends here: he will not pass the borders” (Ibid, p. 144) when asked to travel further by the hobbits. He claims to be very old, stating that “He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside” (Ibid, p. 129). Tom recognizes ancient boundaries and trinkets of the Men of Westernesse and is married to Goldberry, daughter of the River. Most importantly, the power of the Ring appears to hold no sway over him as he puts it on his finger to no effect, and can easily see Frodo even when all others cannot (Ibid, p. 131). Even Gandalf and Galadriel are vulnerable to the Ring’s power, making the suggestion that Tom is somehow more powerful than either of them. However, as a force in the world Tom is limited. Gandalf notes this at the council of Elrond, stating “…the Ring has no power over him. He is his own master. But he cannot alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others” (Ibid, p. 259). Bombadil’s enigmatic nature serves to handicap his usefulness within a film version of Lord of the Rings. Presented as limitlessly powerful and simultaneously carefree, Bombadil becomes more of a neutral force than one dedicated to good, almost existing in a separate world and unconcerned with the struggle for Middle-Earth. The film version of Lord of the Rings, aimed at an audience raised on cookie-cutter plots, could not possibly introduce a character who has no long-term bearing on the plot and undisclosed intentions and origins. Tom Bombadil, while an intriguing denizen of Middle-Earth, has no place in the central battle between good and evil and his omission from the film is consequentially unsurprising.

A final element which prevalently appears within the Bombadil chapters is that of blindness and confusion associated with evil and clear sight linked with good. When the hobbits are travelling through the Old Forest, they quickly become lost and confused in the haze as they are led down towards Old Man Willow. After being rescued by Tom Bombadil and sent on their way again, the landscape looked “as clear and far-seen as it had been veiled and misty when they stood upon the knoll in the Forest…” (Ibid, p. 132). When the party next encounters evil in the Barrow-Downs, they are wreathed in a fog – once again blindly stumbling without sight. This theme appears throughout the rest of the Lord of the Rings, most noticeably when Galadriel points out the blindness of evil in saying “I perceive the Dark Lord and know his mind ... and he gropes ever to see me and my thought. But the door is closed!” (Ibid, p. 355). Sauron’s frequent groping attempts to perceive Frodo as he carries the Ring also reinforces the association between blindness and evil – he cannot see Frodo at all but only look in a general direction, similar to the hobbits picking their way through the Old Forest and mist of the Barrow-Downs. Without the Bombadil chapters, this reoccurring theme is a much less pronounced aspect of the story and almost completely neglected by the films.

In conclusion, the choice to omit the Old Forest, Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-Wights may initially appear to be a simple pruning of a barely relevant side-story, but in actuality involves the deletion of numerous opportunities for character and plot development, the removal of numerous important themes present within the original work but pointedly missing in the film, and disposal of elements which are not integral to the core tale but greatly enhance the world of Middle-Earth through their presence. However, many key themes within the Bombadil chapters are greatly diminished or removed entirely within the film, rendering the episode much less integral to the overall telling of the Lord of the Rings. Given this, the omission of the Bombadil section of Fellowship of the Ring is a justifiable cut although the importance of these three chapters to the original work in terms of narrative function and thematic content should not be understated.

Works Cited

Carpenter, Humphrey & Christopher Tolkien. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. HM: 1981.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. London, HarperCollins: 1995.