The SHOCKING Reason Gandalf Feared Tom Bombadil's Power | LOTR Lore

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Tom Bombadil and Gandalf are two of Middle-earth’s most mysterious and powerful figures, but what would happen if they ever faced off? In this video, we dive deep into Tolkien's lore to explore the strengths, weaknesses, and nature of both beings. Could Gandalf, a Maia of unmatched wisdom and strength, match the enigmatic power of Tom Bombadil, the unshakable Master of the Old Forest? From Tom’s immunity to the One Ring to Gandalf’s epic battles with Balrogs and Nazgûl, we break down the key factors in this hypothetical showdown.

Who do you think would win? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more Tolkien lore and Middle-earth theories!

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[MythologicalStories-qz]

Honestly, the idea of Tom Bombadil and Gandalf fighting completely misses the point of their characters. Bombadil exists beyond the struggle for power—he's untouched by the Ring because he simply doesn't care about control. Gandalf, on the other hand, is bound by duty to oppose evil. Comparing them in a fight feels like forcing a clash where none should exist. Tolkien designed them for entirely different purposes, and turning it into a power contest oversimplifies the depth of his storytelling.

[lehilehi]

Tom is a Good Guy. Gandalf said he wanted to chew the fat with Tom. I don't think Gandalf had any thought that Tom was an enemy.

[LMinem]

OK. So this turns out to be a click-bait title. There is no indication that Gandalf feared Tom.

[kineahora]

Not only was Tom not an enemy or a potential enemy— many people feel that Tom was a manifestation of Eru Ilúvatar himself…

[WilliamOwyong]

The idea that Gandalf would attack Bombadil would be a warning in itself that Gandalf has been corrupted somehow, in which Gandalf's friends would be asking Tom for help with an intervention.

[dayaautum]

Imagining Tom Bombadil and Gandalf fighting is like imagining the Munsters and the Adams in a family feud.

[Requiemslove]

Why is Tom Bombadil depicted as a wizard in this video?

He's nothing like a Gandalf or Saruman and he's also no Maia. He's a thick set ruddy guy with the stoutness of a dwarf only he's too tall to be one and yet not quite tall enough to pass for a regular man. He treks about in yellow boots, has a thick blue coat and has a thick bushy brown beard and curly brown hair. And his eyes are very blue. If you were to meet him you wouldn't be able to place him as either young or old, and yet you would be amazed by his unquenchable vigour and immutable spirit.

As for the premise of the video, well simply, no.

He is no threat to any of the free peoples or to any agents for good seeking to keep them free. He is however completely unreliable as an ally. He won't broach evil within his presence, and will come to the aid of those as need it should they call for help within his lands, and yet will not directly involve himself with the troubles of the third age. [or any age, he's fatherless and was first, after all] That is why he saw Frodo's ring as a mere trifle. To him it was. Created by the dark lord or not, no dark lords hold power over Bombadil, not unless all other things are conquered. Even then it would probably be "dicy" for Sauron, trying to deal with Bombadil.

[fredg.sanford]

Was Tom Bombadil powerful enough to force AI image generators to give human hands only 5 fingers?

[kytyrx]

Gandalf and Tom are on the same side. Tom just has decided to stay out of the mess while Gandalf was destined to fix the mess.

[joedaly]

There's 22 minutes I'll never get back.

[brockjazz]

Tom B. is like a biblical Adam. He is something like a figure out of fairy lore, or perhaps in tune with Nature, and his wife is a river nymph. So, he 's a mythological being, but he's not a being of power. He's actually a free person who is immune to the temptation of power. Maybe Tolkien wrote him to show what it would be like to have an egoless, humble person who the desire for power has no influence. He's the opposite of the Nazgul and Sauron who desire power above all other desires. Tom seems to have no attachment to the world's concerns, and he is free of attachments.
This is one of Tolkien's enigmatic and genius characters.

[BigJonB]

Tom Bombadil is the antithesis to ambition, so he's fairly harmless regardless of his power

[merrickying]

For years, I've been wondering if Tom & Goldberry are the Secret Fire, or the Flame Imperishable; the source of all life which Eru sent into Arda. I've always understood the Secret Fire / Flame Imperishable to be Tolkien's re-imangined name for what his Roman Catholic faith has termed the Holy Spirit. Maybe Tom and Goldberry together represent the sources of all masculine and female energy of Eru's life-giving nature? It might make sense because only Eru had the power to create life. I see Tom and Goldberry as the life sources, the yin and yang, or anima/animus of Tolkien's cosmos. Picking a fight with a Cosmic Entity like Tom would have been stupid. Gandalf was NEVER, EVER stupid.

[Afterthehunt]

Tom doesn’t even really give two shits, but if he were challenged He could take out all of the Maiar at once

[yankeepapa]

Tom is not a power player. Gandalf said that if you somehow talked Tom into taking the Ring of Power...he'd soon forget about it or lose it. His mind just doesn't work outside of his very real specialization... YP

[terywoodsr.]

Okay this is drivel. One, Tom Bombadil was a character from a different set of stories that Tolkien was writing at the time, that were popular. It was at the insistence of his publisher that he was included in LOTR. Tom predated Middle earth in story form, so he predated Middle Earth in the story. He put that in his telling of Tom in the Fellowship and why is named oldest and fatherless. Two, Elrond and the wise knew of Tom, and knew he would as always be unworried about the troubles of Middle Earth. Three, all this conjecture is silly. He put Tom in because he was told to put Tom in LOTR because the stories of Tom Bombadil were already popular. End of story. Tom Bombadil was in LOTR as a selling device against the authors wishes. Just like he hated they named the third volume Return of the King, since it gave it away. If you actually know Tolkien, you know the main thrust of the stories was a setting for the Hobbits to do what they needed to do. The four Hobbits are the Main characters. Everything else is just a backdrop for them do have their adventure.

[Mentallect]

Gandalf wanted only to talk to a being like himself, tens of thousands of years old. Even 600+ year old Legolas was young to Gandalf. Gandalf spoke to Galadriel many times, and Treebeard wasn't worldly, so only Tom was very old and very wise for Gandalf to converse with in Middle Earth.

[knoxvilletz]

I truly believe that Tom Bombadil is Tolkien's avatar in Middle-earth.

[RustMonsterMilk]

Tom Bombadil is a Galactus. He's a survivor from a previous creation.

[ErrrorWayz]

Bombadli is a literary insert. He's a meta character from other Tolkien work.