XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: joedoe3@gmail.com   
      
   Hi Steuard,   
      
   nice argument; I find it hard to believe how anybody would adopt the   
   Aule=Bombadil theory.   
      
   two small point staht came to mi mind when reading your essay:   
      
   * One of the most intriguing statements by Bombadil is (imho)   
   "Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... he knew the   
   dark under the stars when it was fearless -- before the Dark Lord came   
   from Outside."   
   and I think it is also evidence against the Aule theory.   
   the first part seems pretty weak (for Aule who had been here before even   
   the soil was made in which the acorns were to grow) while the second   
   would (if spoken by someone as knowledgeable as Aule) mean that he had   
   to have been here *before* the Valar.   
   While I had assumed this to be the case for some time (Bombadil=Flame   
   Imperishable theory) I now think that the quoted statement rather   
   indicates that Bombadil is of much lesser stature, and likely does not   
   know (or care) about the true chain of events as related in the   
   Ainulindale: IIRC the stars were a later addition to Arda made by Varda,   
   so the as "the first raindrop" and "the first acorn" also "the dark   
   under the stars when it was fearless" is not an indicator of the   
   beginning of time or of Ea -- just very early in the reckoning of the   
   beings of Arda.   
      
   * To counter your argument that Bombadil's use of the name "Riverwoman's   
   Daughter" is evidence that she can't be Yavanna (or, I would say, any   
   other Maia, since apart from Melian the Maiar did not procreate), one   
   could suggest, that the two have adopted fake identities and are simply   
   playing their roles here. However, all your other arguments make it   
   clear that Aule would never chose the role of Bombadil (unless he was   
   having a severe midlife crisis and was trying a fresh start).   
      
      
   * minor typos:   
      
   - there's a "toy" missing in the quote from LotR on Bombadil's comment   
   about the brooch: "Here is a pretty for Tom"   
      
   - penultimate paragraph:   
     "inconsistant" -> "inconsistent"   
     "understand" -> "understanding"   
      
   regards   
    Geza   
      
   Steuard Jensen schrieb am 02/20/2012 05:51 AM:   
   > It's been more or less ten years since I posted my essay "What is Tom   
   > Bombadil?" here and on the web, but there are still lots of people out   
   > there who read Gene Hargrove's "Who is Tom Bombadil?" and come away   
   > convinced that Bombadil must be Aule (and Goldberry, Yavanna). It's   
   > even common for those people to then read my essay and think that I'm   
   > too dismissive of the Aule theory, and I can sympathize to a degree:   
   > Hargrove's article is well-written, and I don't devote nearly the same   
   > amount of time to shooting down his theory that he spends building it   
   > up. This is frustrating to me: good, correct information is right   
   > there for them to see, but they don't recognize it.   
   >   
   > So I've written an addendum to my main essay to directly refute the   
   > Aule theory. It feels like beating a dead horse to me, but apparently   
   > Hargrove's essay is strong enough that some folks won't be satisfied   
   > with anything less. I thought I'd share my first draft here before   
   > linking to it more widely, just in case anyone can spot flaws in my   
   > arguments or additional evidence that I've left out. Let me know if   
   > you think it will change any minds! Here's the link:   
   >   
   > http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/BombadilIsNotAule.html   
   >   
   > 						Steuard Jensen   
      
      
   --   
                               Now come ye all,   
   who have courage and hope!  My call harken   
   to flight, to freedom       in far places!   
                                         Lays of Beleriand   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)