Part III – The Gospel According to Tom
Unexplored Religious Facets
The average rational person will rightfully be wary of conspiracy theories, hidden agendas and so called cryptic secrets. Yet remarkably the evidence gathered so far points to a plausible basis for some organized trickery within The Lord of the Rings. However, once everything is exposed readers will realize it really is not trickery; instead lying before us is a hitherto invisible framework built on solid foundations. But to draw such a conclusion with reasonable certainty, we still have a ways to go.
Unlocking the safe holding Tolkien’s innermost concealments requires knowledge of a specialist kind. Unfortunately, mythology and fairy-stories are simply not everybody’s cup of tea. Thus, the Forest of Days in which the Tree of Tales resides has often been avoided as the foliage is dense. Besides, it is full of bewildering paths which have led even the inquisitive astray. Moreover, the undergrowth of garbled and stunted mythology narrowing our route is not easily slashed aside. For most – the machete is, in any case, missing from the toolbox due to a general lack of schooling and education in European mythologies and legends. Or it has rusted away in some forgotten corner consonant with recessed memories of childhood fairy tales adults can now only dimly recall.
So the task is a tough one. Indeed, daunting for the less scholastically inclined. To approach the inner nave where the Tree is located requires the sharpest of blades to clear away the last brush. Because the researcher then has to scrutinize The Lord of the Rings text for signs of the subtlest of pertinent insertions.
Upon nearing the Tree, it soon dawns that Bombadil and his various names are not inscribed on just one of the leaves carpeting the forest floor – but many. And as we get even closer, the branches are seen to have not just mythologies/legends/fairy tales carved in the bark, but also stories with a religious tinge. Whether we like it or not – to reveal more of the underlying matter and mystique surrounding angelic Tom – a probing of the religious kind is deserved. Especially as his affiliation to the archangel Michael has hurtled to the forefront of this investigation.
The good news is that though mythology over time has become interwoven with religion, the latter is closer to many peoples’ hearts. Even those not accordant with Christianity – many understand and are familiar with the stories forming the cornerstones behind the Old and New Testament’s. Which conveniently leads us back to Tolkien, his faith and The Lord of the Rings.
Though many articles have been written concerning what has been perceived to reflect Tolkien’s statement:
“The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; …”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #142 – 2 December 1953, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
– few of them consider or even touch upon Tom or Goldberry. And those that do barely scratch the surface. Indeed, what researchers have failed to keenly look for is practical working applications to that confessed embedded theology. My intent is not to rehash matters already well-discussed among seasoned scholars where nested Christian symbolism within the novel is strongly suspected. Instead, the intent is to break new ground. Indeed, that has been my primary aim all along. To bring to your attention unrealized academic apparatus underpinning the Bombadil episode. For I have taken the approach of the entire affair involving Tom and Goldberry simply being a research exercise. In doing so, I have imagined myself as one of the Professors’ students and The Lord of the Rings as a text book. Because not to be forgotten is the elephant in the room – namely Tolkien the scholar, tutor, lecturer and examiner. What he chose to include in The Lord of the Rings has already been established to be based very much on academic material. So might not the Bombadil’s have been part of this plan?
Tolkien’s vast array of knowledge in terms of in-depth detail was not just confined to specialist medieval works, languages and philology. There were other areas of expertise. We have already seen how his personal infatuation with botany has been adeptly entwined in the characterization of Goldberry. So how can we possibly neglect to look at our merry couple through a lens of religion? Especially since an almost lifelong bond to Christianity meant a vast reservoir of accumulated information was his to tap at whim. Such depth of comprehension is readily reflected in the Professor being tasked to translate Jonah for The Jerusalem Bible.
Acknowledgements for ‘The Jerusalem Bible’ included J.R.R. Tolkien
The Professor was also an expert on The Ancrene Riwle1 – a medieval book for aspiring nuns. Because of this professional interest – the Ashmolean Museum’s Pre-Raphaelite painting Convent Thoughts, is quite likely to have been picked out and pored over closely. Here again we see a connection of regional native water-flora to the Christian religion; both Oxfordshire’s yellow and white water-lily are symbolically2 present.
‘Convent Thoughts’, Charles Allston Collins, c. 1850
There is virtually no scholar of any repute who will claim Tolkien’s expertise was lacking in the realm of biblical knowledge. So included in a scrutiny of the text involving Tom and Goldberry ought to be a search for Christianity. It’s a quest that I wholly acknowledge Tolkien would have frowned on. For in the end, he preferred us to view his opus as a work of art. Not for us to peel away the paint to reveal the foundational outlines below – but instead to enjoy and revel in the finished portrait. Impertinently then on my part – I’m once again going to dive into dangerous waters. When it comes to the Bombadil episode – I’m going to show how a variety of dexterously devised script vilifies the Professors’ stance that:
“… the Christian religion … is far the most powerful ultimate source.”
– Tolkien Letter to L.M. Cutts, 26 October 1958
Yet before I begin to relate new interpretations – a few comments on Tolkien’s style and technique are necessary.
Critics do not dispute that certain Christian themes were nested into the text. One should heed that the method employed was one where:
“… the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #142 – 2 December 1953, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
However The Lord of the Rings constituting a grandiose yet ‘pure’ fairy tale meant that nothing was overt:
“Myth and fairy-story must, as all art, reflect and contain in solution elements of moral and religious truth (or error), but not explicit, …”.
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #131 – late 1951, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 (my emphasis)
Which means those Christian themes were subtly infused, no doubt with delicate finesse. Tolkien also took the tack of declining to embed subtle author-to-reader messages. Nor is it likely direct moralistic parables or Catholic preachings were allowed into the text. Indeed, he vociferously denied such presence. And of course – nothing should ever be pinpointed as directly allegorical. The Professor was too clever a man to consciously permit that to happen.
In voicing he was under no constraint to follow:
“… formalized Christian theology, …”,
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #269 – 12 May 1965, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
we must ask ourselves – how could he? For the inevitable result would have manifested itself as instantly recognizable allegory. So where does that leave us? How can we best parse: “the religious element is absorbed into the story”?
In pondering the matter, my own conclusion veers towards cleverly crafted substratal schema making The Lord of the Rings in his mind:
“… a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; …”.
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #142 – 2 December 1953, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
And Tolkien was so pleased that those of similar outlook saw:
“ ‘… a world in which some sort of faith seems to be everywhere without a visible source, like light from an invisible lamp’.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #328 – Autumn 1971, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
God’s Word as set down in the Christian Bible guided Tolkien’s Story-line
So in other words fragments and echoes are all that we can mine. Similarities but not outright copies. Parallels but not obvious mimicry. Another way of putting matters is – the best we can hope for is to observe points of tangency – and not directly match biblical events detail for detail. Thus, we should seek out situations and elements which are:
“… consonant with Christian thought and belief, …”.
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #269 – 12 May 1965, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
Undoubtedly such a search is on firm ground. The Lord of the Rings was described by Tolkien himself as a:
“… heroic-fairy-romance, …”.
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #131 – late 1951, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
While the Gospels, in a way, related a:
“… a fairy-story: the greatest.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #89 – 7-8 November 1944, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
Moreover, the mini tale of the side-adventure with Tom embraces all the essence of a fairy-story. Because it contains Tolkien’s essential elements of ‘fantasy, recovery, escape and consolation’ within. A ‘perfect fairy-story’ in itself and one that could almost stand alone. With a blend of religion and fairy tale in mind – the reader ought now to be forearmed to proceed.
Tom’s Religious Face: New Testament Parallels
(a) Monetary Betrayal
The first and perhaps the most obvious parallel I’m going to expose is one in which Tom is only a fringe player. If I asked the question of the reader:
‘What is the most infamous financial transaction in the history of our world?’, there will be I’m sure, some scratching of heads.
Some might think of the ‘give-away’ of Alaska by Russia. Others might muse upon the many unscrupulous Ponzi schemes which have robbed decent folk of their lifelong savings – leaving them destitute beyond any hope of recovery. But Tolkien, I contend, would have thought that personal wealth or even that of a country, no matter how many millions were involved, as relatively unimportant. Such monies were not even in the same league as the amount agreed to trade the life of Jesus Christ by one notorious man. For it was Judas Iscariot who betrayed the ‘Son of God’ for a mere 30 pieces of silver!
Do any of us seriously believe that Tolkien was unaware of the heinous amount, coinage or its significance? Of course he knew. And of course the working in of a theme of betrayal, silver coins as well as a matching quantity into his book was purposely done. It was Barliman Butterbur’s hospitality which was spurned (by one, or more, of his guests). With the price of treachery ultimately being 30 silver pennies!
“… thirty silver pennies was a sore blow to him, …”.
– The Fellowship of the Ring, A Knife in the Dark
‘Judas Repentant, Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver’, Rembrandt, 1629
This was the extent of Christian symbolism Tolkien decided to display: betrayal of the innocent and 30 pieces of silver. There were no disciples or Pharisees involved, nor a Christ like figure suffering crucifixion. But there was enough embedded that an unmistakable echo would resound in the hearts of those of like faith.
Tom’s part was only peripheral. He rectified the financial situation by sending the escaped ponies back as restitution for the innkeeper’s loss. In other words, putting aside the crime itself, from another standpoint some small good eventually came out of the original monetary transaction. In a way this parallels the biblical account where Judas’ 30 silver pieces were eventually used to buy a ‘potter’s field’ to bury the dead of foreign faith/origin.
So now that one Christian aspect involving Tom has been made plain3 – we can rightfully ponder whether there is more. What else is symbolized in these early chapters?
Unsurprisingly the rest is much more subtle. So subtle that verification is impossible without some sort of written admission coming to light. Yet nonetheless faint biblical resonances appear spread throughout the episode. Possibly included were these additional New Testament parallels:
(b) Jesus’ First Miracle
When water was turned to wine. Echoed in the hobbits’ first meal with Tom and Goldberry:
“The drink in their drinking-bowls seemed to be clear cold water, yet it went to their hearts like wine …”.
– The Fellowship of the Ring, In the House of Tom Bombadil
(c) Raising of the Dead
Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life. The opening of Lazarus’ tomb by rolling aside the entrance stone, and the miracle of him rising after death. Echoed by Tom’s opening of the Barrow tomb and spiritual recall of Sam, Merry and Pippin:
“There was a loud rumbling sound, as of stones rolling and falling, …”, and
“Wake and here me calling!”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
(d) Exorcism
Jesus on numerous occasions exorcising undesirable spirits. Echoed by the departure of a foreign spirit, in the presence of Tom, which appears to have cohabited with Merry4:
“ ‘… Ah! the spear in my heart! … What am I saying? …’ ”.
– The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
The Roman soldiers’ spear to check for Jesus’ death while nailed to the Cross is also reputed to have penetrated through to this vital organ.
(e) Baptism
Spiritual purification through the ritual of immersion in water. Echoed by Tom’s words outside the Barrow:
“ ‘You’ve found yourselves again, out of the deep water. …’ ”.
– The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
(f) Cock Crows
Though not directly involving Bombadil, it was just after Michaelmas Day closed that the attack on The Prancing Pony took place. The cock crow at dawn, heard in the inn quarters, signaled a sellout had already taken place:
“He opened his eyes, and heard a cock crowing lustily in the inn-yard.”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, A Knife in the Dark
Likewise, in a synchronized attack, the Black Riders waited for Michaelmas Day to pass before raiding Crickhollow. Again a cock crowed:
“… a cock crowed far away. The cold hour before dawn was passing.”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, A Knife in the Dark
The betrayal in this instance was probably unwitting or passive:
“ ‘… And it is possible that in the morning even a Black Rider that rode up and asked for Mr. Baggins would be let through. It is pretty generally known that you are coming back to live at Crickhollow.’ ”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, A Conspiracy Unmasked
A symbolic third cock crow in The Return of the King betokened Denethor’s desertion of stewardship duty had finally happened:
“Gandalf did not move. And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, …”.
– The Return of the King, The Siege of Gondor
The three cock crows and associated betrayals in The Lord of the Rings echo the prediction of Jesus when it came to his apostle Simon Peter:
“ ‘… this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ ”
– The Bible, New International Version, Matthew 26:34
‘Peter’s Denial’, Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1873
This is the way Tolkien mixed in the biblical message. Not a single rooster’s three crows – but three separate birds vocalizing; each signaling a specific betrayal had just occurred.
(g) Christ’s Ascension
The prediction of Christ’s resurrection – echoed on the day Bombadil defeated the demon – the revelation that one day:
“… The crownless again shall be king.”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, Strider
(h) A Tying-in of the Archangel Michael
Tied into the tale with flower symbolism was a Christian archangel. As exposed in Angel and Demon, Gospel and Fairy-story – Part I, Tom came with an archangel Michael connection. For us, further strengthening is achieved if we pay close attention to a rather unusual word in one of Tom’s songs:
“Light goes the weather-wind and the feathered starling.”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, The Old Forest (my emphasis)
At the same time we need to recall the description of Tom:
“… charging through grass and rushes like a cow going down to drink.”,
-The Fellowship of the Ring, The Old Forest (my emphasis)
as well as dwell on those bell sounds he sang:
“Ring a dong! … Tom Bom, …”.
– The Fellowship of the Ring, The Old Forest
No, ‘weather-wind’ had no direct correlation to ‘windy weather’ as most of us might presume. Once again exploited was:
“… a boundless store of knowledge about trees and plants.”
– Tolkien: A biography, Northmoor Road, pg. 160, H. Carpenter, 1977
Because it was commonly5 employed English plant names that Tolkien had in mind:
“Stachys Sylvatica6, … Archangel, … Cow’s Weatherwind, … Withywind (Cow’s).”
– A Dictionary of English Plant-names, Index – pg. 612, J. Britten & F. Holland, 1886 (my emphasis)
‘Stachys Sylvatica’
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
And the bindweed, after which the Withywindle river was named, also had alternate titles:
“Convolvulus arvensis, … Bell-bine, Bellwine, Bells … Withywind …”.
– A Dictionary of English Plant-names, Index – pg. 576, J. Britten & F. Holland, 1886
Nicely meshing with the white water-lily:
“Nymphæa Alba, … Water Bells, …”,
– A Dictionary of English Plant-names, Index – pg. 595, J. Britten & F. Holland, 1886
whilst tying-in those ‘water-blobs’ into Goldberry’s capering7 where bubbles were expelled and, no doubt, water droplets went flying:
“BELL … A bubble; a drop of water.”
– The English Dialect Dictionary: Volume I – pg. 235, J. Wright, 1898
“BLOB … 1 A bubble; … 2 A drop of moisture; a splash.”
– The English Dialect Dictionary: Volume I – pg. 303, J. Wright, 1898
“Blob … ‘Water-blobs are water-lilies.’ …”.
– A Dictionary of English Plant-names, Part I – pg. 51, J. Britten & F. Holland, 1878
So now can you see how cleverly Tolkien philologically knitted Bombadil to the Withywindle, to the archangel, to church8 bells, a dunking among lilies and then the cow9 of English fairy tale fame. Yes – all via flower nicknames10, lost lore and religious myth!
Then perhaps there were modes of transmission other than the ‘Red Book’ all the way to our Age. Perhaps traces of the legends surrounding Tom and Goldberry survived via dialect in the form of commonly termed plant-names!
Goldberry’s Religious Face: New Testament Parallels
(a) Angelic Floral Gift
The annual ritual of ‘angelic’ Tom delivering white water-lilies to Goldberry is somewhat akin to the depiction in famous religious art of the archangel Gabriel bringing white Madonna lilies to Mary at the time of the Annunciation (spring).
“I had an errand there: gathering water-lilies, green leaves and lilies white to please my pretty lady, …”.
– The Fellowship of the Ring, In the House of Tom Bombadil
Water-lilies they may have been in the case of Tom – but nevertheless the likeness is a close one. Perhaps Christian imagery was the true:
“Water-lily motive …”
– The Return of the Shadow, VI Tom Bombadil – pg. 117, 1988
Tolkien was so keen on developing. For though it was fall, Bombadil undoubtedly brought, what had been, the last Withywindle ‘lilies of spring’11 to Goldberry, Thus once again we are left with a form of veiled Christian symbolism!
‘Annunciation’, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472-1475
(b) The Shape of the Cross
Curiously the link of the white lily to religion went deep into English history:
“The Venerable Bede, writing in the early part of the eighth century, declares ‘the great white lily’ to be a fit emblem of the resurrection of the Virgin; the pure white petals signifying her body; the golden anthers her soul within, shining with celestial light.”
– The Floral Symbolism of the Great Masters – pgs. 51-52, E. Haig, 1913
That combination of yellow and white became part of Christian folklore:
“… it was said that the lily had been yellow until the day the Virgin Mary stooped to pick it.”
– Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees, Sacred Plants – pg. 33, E. & J. Lehner, 1960
While the term ‘lily-white’ eventually made it into our dictionaries:
“ ‘Lily-white’: innocent and pure; unsullied …”.
– Collins English Dictionary, Online Edition
But it was the three color combination of yellow, white and green, that we see prevalent in English water-lilies, that enabled Tolkien to mirror a similarly displayed Goldberry with a religious theme. A theme which entailed water-lilies rather than any other flora. Seemingly from his mythology stemmed the true source of today’s flower/religion motif. Because with utmost subtlety Goldberry was cleverly postured to reflect that ultimate of Christian symbols. To shut out the dark, fear of the wild and bring comfort to the four weary travelers, the shape Tolkien deliberately had her assume was that of the Holy Cross!
“… closing the door she turned her back to it, with her white arms spread out across it.”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, In the House of Tom Bombadil
‘Lily Crucifixion’, Llanbeblig Book of Hours
(Courtesy of ‘A Clerk of Oxford’)
(c) The Way into Paradise
Juxtaposed in a rejection of the ‘dark’ by way of a ‘closed door’ and the symbolic crucifix shape, was her deliberate Christianized later appearance. In direct contrast she was depicted as ‘framed in ‘light’ within an ‘open door’ – a traditional portrayal of the path to salvation. And Goldberry was given more divine undertones than I’ve already alluded to; for there she was – holding a lit candle to ‘show the way’!
“Goldberry stood in the door behind, framed in light. She held a candle, …
– The Fellowship of the Ring, In the House of Tom Bombadil
(d) More Symbolism with Handheld Light
Perhaps most beguiling of all was Tolkien’s innovative employment of deceptive imagery. Once again, we must think with ‘Mooreeffoc’ in mind. Because then it is possible to visualize how the white fingers of Goldberry’s cupped hand veiling a yellow flame, symbolized a white water-lily’s petals within which lay its golden core. Once more, we should hearken to Bede’s body and soul linking analogy:
“… the pure white petals signifying her body; the golden anthers her soul within, shining with celestial light.”
– The Floral Symbolism of the Great Masters – pgs. 51-52, E. Haig, 1913
With supreme ingenuity is how Tolkien connected this queen of English flowering plants to holiness in an Age long ago. And though not a flower of the field, a devout Professor surely knew that this magnificent plant befitted the Savior’s words:
“ ‘Consider the lilies12 … I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.’ ”
– The Bible, King James Version, Luke 12:27
(e) A Hand Signal
Just as Tolkien provided symbolic imagery at our first meeting with Goldberry, there’s a good chance he followed suit at our last viewing. His knowledge of signaling13 is unquestionable. And so it’s the river-daughter’s hand movements that can be construed to artfully convey a discrete Christian message:
“… she was standing still watching them, and her hands were stretched out towards them. As they looked she gave a clear call, and lifting up her hand she turned and vanished behind the hill.”
– The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
The encoding was simple. Embrace the previous theme of the Cross and seek out His light, for the doorway was open to salvation. That was the purpose behind her outstretched arms. The ‘call was clear’ (to all who would heed it).
“But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”
– The Bible, King James Version, Romans 10:20-21
‘The Creation of Adam’, The Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo, c. 1508–1512
(Note how against the wind God’s right hand stretches to try and touch His creation, while Adam’s effort is lacking)
Ultimately by Goldberry raising her hand14 and having it point skywards – she symbolically indicated it was God in heaven that would take care of their souls. Since it was He who had gifted her with eternal life. At least that was the way of fairy-story.
Hardly perceptible then, was an embedding of core doctrine; an implicit Christian theme whose recognition has escaped us. Partly that has been down to a sizable separation of three powerful scenes, but mainly because we have failed to conceptualize with mixed motifs of salvation, flora and limb positioning in mind. Yet once we do – it all falls in place!
(f) Endowed Floral Wear
To underpin Christian axioms Tolkien relied on English folklore. In particular flower based folklore which had somehow wrapped itself around the Madonna. So it was with flowering plants named after ‘Our Lady’ that Tolkien symbolically endowed Tom’s partner. In both The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and The Fellowship of the Ring we have:
Yellow Flag Lily15: Mary as ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’.
Forget-me-not16: Known as the ‘Eyes of Mary’.
White Water-lily17: Mary as ‘Our Lady of the Lake’.
But how had these native English flowers become aligned with the Blessed Virgin? That’s what Tolkien must18 surely have wondered. Who had assigned these titles? Certainly they were absent in the Bible. Frustratingly – the answers lost in the mire of history could only be guessed at. But this could be turned to his advantage!
The River-woman’s Religious Face: Parallels to Mary
Tolkien’s respect for, devotion and awe of Mary in her earthly role, ran through his very core. With reverence he divulged it was:
“… Our Lady, upon which all my own small perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #142 – 2 December 1953, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
Of all mankind she remained:
“… the only unfallen person, …”.
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #212 – October 1958, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 (Tolkien’s italicized emphasis on ‘unfallen’)
Having decided to hold his own wedding in Her church:
“22 March 16 Tolkien and Edith are married by Father Murphy after early Mass, in the Church of St Mary the Immaculate in Warwick.”,
– The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide 2017 Edition, Chronology, 22 March 1916, C. Scull & W. Hammond
one might presume that Mary and Joseph remained Tolkien’s guiding light of:
“… the highest ideal of love between man and woman.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #43, – 6-8 March 1941, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
‘St Mary Immaculate’, Roman Catholic Church, Warwick
Such marital perfection was, I deem, carried through to the novel – but not as direct allegory. There was subtlety and genuine invention involved. A virginal river-maiden endowed with a perfect new fairy tale soul underwent such shaping with Christian principles in mind. A matter that didn’t escape the attention of Father Murray:
“… the female characters each in their way seem like reflections of Our Lady.”
Tolkien Studies 16, A Letter from Father Murray – pg. 135, R. West, 2019
In reply, Tolkien appeared to agree:
“I think I know exactly what you mean by … your references to Our Lady, …”.
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #142 – 2 December 1953, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
Then given his personal attachment to Mary and a hint there were reflections of her in some female characters – we ought not to neglect the River-woman. Yes, having already touched upon (per Goldberry’s Religious Face: New Testament Parallels, sub-heading (a) Angelic Floral Gift) an engineered affinity to Mary, mother of Jesus, there are yet more biblical undertones needing revelation. Left behind were some submerged clues of curiosity which require lateral thinking on our part. To extract and lay bare unrecognized artistry we will have to ruminate upon those two matters emphasized throughout in discussing the River-woman’s daughter. Those being ‘botany’ and ‘fairy tale’. Because I think Tolkien asked himself an interesting question. Could it be that in times long past – blooming flora had holiness attached to them. Yes, even in pre-Christian days? It seems quite possible Tolkien thought so:
“… I believe that legends and myths are largely made of ‘truth’, and indeed present aspects of it that can only be received in this mode; and long ago certain truths and modes of this kind were discovered and must always reappear.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #131 – late 1951, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 (my underlined emphasis)
(a) Anguish at the Loss of her Child
Even though we have only the scantest of information – it was the River-woman lamenting the loss of her ‘perfect’ child who equally-well mirrored Mary:
“… on the bank in the reeds River-woman sighing …”.
– The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, 1934 (& 1962) poem
Because it is possible that the ‘sighs’ of the River-woman was a foreshadowing echo of the Madonna’s anguish. The two Saint Mary Church’s associated to The University of Oxford lie reasonably close by to the Cherwell19 (University Church of St. Mary the Virgin & St. Mary Magdalen). At times, they too mourn the departure of the Child and the Saviour. In the Oxford poet Frederick Faber’s20 work – Mary’s loss is poignantly depicted:
“When the sound of the scourging went up to heaven, the smothered sighs of Mary’s bursting heart went up with it.”
– The Foot of the Cross; or, The Sorrows of Mary, The Compassion of Mary – pg. 423, F. Faber (my emphasis)
(b) Floral Folklore
It is significant that the River Withywindle was purposely yet enigmatically named after the ‘bindweed’:
“Withywindle. River-name in the Old Forest, … It was a winding river bordered by willows (withies). … (Withywindle was modelled on withywind, a name of the convolvulus or bindweed).”
– Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings, Place-names, J.R.R. Tolkien
‘Field bindweed: Convolvulus arvensis’
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Tolkien seemed to appreciate that ‘Withywindle’ included elements of ‘winding’ and ‘willows’ – an apt description of the river’s contoured path and tree-lined borders to his mind. But from what was said – it was really ‘bindweed’ which influenced his naming decision. Hmm … so a flower was his motive? Why was that we must ask ourselves?
Was it because the plant had the innate quality of Faërie in so far as it coiled around its host widershins21? Or was it because ‘withywind’ in his mentor’s monumental dialectal work22 made an allusive albeit broken referral to Goldberry? Thus, leaving us with a visually apt tie-in to the bindweed’s ripened berries:
“WITHYWIND … the field bindweed, C. arvensis … With a bunch of berries of the wythwind, VERNEY L. Lisle (1870) …”.
– The English Dialect Dictionary, Vol. IV, Joseph Wright, 1905 (my emphasis)
Gold Berry of the Field bindweed: Convolvulus arvensis (Wythwind)
(Courtesy of http://www.bugwood.org)
Maybe these matters are both true – but the real reason probably centers around a fairy-story. An intriguingly short tale that connects the lily-like flower produced by the bindweed to Mary. From a Grimm’s fairy tale, the bindweed is known as ‘Our Lady’s Little Glass’. The tale in its entirety is as follows:
“Once upon a time a waggoner’s cart which was heavily laden with wine had stuck so fast that in spite of all that he could do, he could not get it to move again. Then it chanced that Our Lady just happened to come by that way, and when she perceived the poor man’s distress, she said to him, ‘I am tired and thirsty, give me a glass of wine23, and I will set thy cart free for thee.’ ‘Willingly,’ answered the waggoner, ‘but I have no glass in which I can give thee the wine.’ Then Our Lady plucked a little white flower with red stripes, called field bindweed, which looks very like a glass, and gave it to the waggoner. He filled it with wine, and then Our Lady drank it, and in the self-same instant the cart was set free, and the waggoner could drive onwards. The little flower is still always called Our Lady’s Little Glass.”
– Grimm’s Household Tales, translated by Margaret Hunt, Legend 7 Our Lady’s Little Glass, 1884 (my emphasis)
This lowly and often inconspicuous weed, that many in our times consider a nuisance, was blessed. For if there is truth to the fairy tale – to Tolkien, it had a sacred connection to the most perfect mother of our history. With a beauty of its own: its fruit – matured gold berries, its flower – of lily shape, and its ‘withywind’ name, this hardy plant became a last trace reminder of a mythological river long ago. Waters where, ‘once upon a time’ – another mother dwelt with her child; a daughter destined to be hallowed with a ‘lily-white’ soul, foreshadowing the Savior to come. Once again:
“… I believe that legends and myths are largely made of ‘truth’, and … long ago certain truths … were discovered and must always reappear.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #131 – late 1951, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 (my underlined emphasis)
(c) The legend of the Morgan
Very loosely linked to Mary (as touched upon in Goldberry: The Enigmatic Mrs Bombadil – Part III) is a legendary Breton water-nymph: the Mary-Morgan. According to the French folklorist Paul Sébillot, she was the source of the mermaid; while other legends tell of her aiding Mary and the infant Jesus. Given a known attraction24 to tales from Brittany, there’s a distinct possibility this folklore was taken and then molded by Tolkien.
Hmm … so after assimilating (a), (b) and (c), parallels to Christianity, flower lore and mer-women folklore finally become lucid. The foreshadowing River-woman now meshes neatly with the rest of the biblical, floral and fairy tale framework upon which the character of Goldberry is founded!
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With these multiple examples – Tolkien made sure that core elements of The New Testament were symbolically represented in the chapters linked to Bombadil. One wouldn’t readily be able to identify the exact source. All that could be felt was the warmth of the Christian radiation.
Apart from the heartening background glow, we must also ask ourselves: why? What was the Professor’s purpose?
A cloaked inclusion of Christian elements was possibly effected to subconsciously reassure the reader (and perhaps himself) that even in pagan times a Christian God was not wholly absent. A remark by a reader in which Tolkien showed particular delight probably captures what he hoped the religiously astute would readily grasp. Once again:
“ ‘… but you’, he said, ‘create a world in which some sort of faith seems to be everywhere without a visible source, like light from an invisible lamp’.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #328 – Autumn 1971, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
‘The Light of the World’25, William Holman Hunt, c. 1851
In the translated words of St. Augustine of Hippo repeated by Max Müller in a publication Tolkien possessed26:
“ ‘What is now called the Christian religion, has existed among the ancients, and was not absent from the beginning of the human race, until Christ came in the flesh: from which time the true religion, which existed already, began to be called Christian.’ ”
– Chips from a German Workshop, Volume 1, Preface – pg. 3, F.M. Müller, 1867
In that mythic bygone Age, who was that conduit to pass along ‘the faith’ to mankind when the gods had forsaken Middle-earth? I think Tolkien assigned that role to an omnipresent wrinkly old fellow!
Am I done with religion and Tom? The answer to that is an emphatic: No! Because the last article in this series will explore yet more direct connections to St. Michael. My aim is to enlighten the reader on the building blocks behind the scene inside the Barrow. To be discussed among other subjects is Solomon’s ring, Sir Gawain’s pentangle and the animated imagery of the crawling hand!
For the next article in the series click below.
Part IV
Footnotes:
1 Tolkien started studying The Ancrene Riwle as part of his undergraduate curriculum as early as 1913 (see The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide 2006 Edition, Over the next seven terms – 1913, by Christina Scull & Wayne Hammond).
2 Note how the yellow water-lilies stand higher than their white companions. A symbolic reflection, perhaps, of Goldberry’s rank in her depicted pose at the hobbits’ first encounter. There, as postulated in Goldberry: The Enigmatic Mrs Bombadil – Part I, her representation as a ‘yellow water-lily queen’ was accentuated by towering over her ‘white lily subjects’.
‘Convent Thoughts’ – Zoom in on Water-lilies
3 The biblical analogy is made all the more obvious by the sheer scarcity of other mentions of money in The Lord of the Rings. Especially when it came to specific amounts.
A progressive rejection of the early Christian disciple names ‘Timothy Titus’ and ‘Barnabas’ for the innkeeper (see The Return of the Shadow, Arrival at Bree, Note 3 – pg. 140) also took place in drafting out the plot. From such naming, one can logically deduce that Tolkien was actively thinking along biblical lines.
4 Verlyn Flieger has expressed an opinion that:
“The episode of Merry’s dream at the Barrow remains, then, the most irregular, least explicable and least historically prepared for event in the entire book, singular in its mystery …”.
– Tolkien Studies, Volume IV – pg. 110, The Curious Incident of the Dream at the Barrow: Memory and Reincarnation in Middle-earth
However, Flieger has not considered a theme of Christianity and paralleling biblical occurrences underlying many of the hobbits’ experiences with Bombadil. If Tolkien had such intentions in mind, then what Merry endured is not so out of place!
Besides, there is an in-mythology possibility which Flieger has not considered. It is curious that the entity, whose thoughts Merry conveys, makes the impossible claim:
“ ‘… Ah! the spear in my heart! …’ ”.
– The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
No such utterance can be made by a living human undergoing such a trauma. But that, in Tolkien’s world, would not have been the case for someone ‘undead’. A wraith, Tolkien told us, would have been the fate of Frodo if the Morgul-knife splinter had touched Frodo’s heart. Likewise, one can deduce that if the spear tip in question, had a Morgul spell upon it – then it too would have reduced its victim to a wraith upon entering his heart. Perhaps the last Prince of Cardolan, whom Tolkien hinted occupied the Barrow, had been reduced to a wraith and refused to depart from its interred body. Tom Shippey gets close to the mark in suggesting Merry:
“… seems to have taken on the personality of the body in the barrow, …”.
– The Road to Middle-earth, A Cartographic Plot – pg. 110, T. Shippey, 2014
So, craving the warmth of the living, perhaps a disembodied entity had cohabited briefly with Merry, and infiltrated his mind. Through Merry, it had then relayed the manner of its death. One might deduce then, that the Barrow-wight shared his abode with another spirit – a result of, his master, the Witch-king of Angmar’s spell-bound weaponry.
5 Tolkien’s awareness that certain English plants had acquired regional ‘nicknames’ is evident from:
“Marigold. … Goldilocks (a name sometimes given to flowers of the buttercup kind) …”.
– Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings, Names of Persons and Peoples, J.R.R. Tolkien (‘Goldilocks’ italicized)
6 The scientific botanical naming of this plant is attributed to Carl Linnaeus. ‘Stachys’ most likely derives from ‘staxus’ – Greek for an ear of corn. Another possible source is ‘Stachys’ – a Roman Christian man’s name. The herb’s commonly used ‘archangel’ title stems from its revelation to Mattaeus ‘Sylvaticus’ (physician of Mantua, Lombardy, Italy, died 1342) of its medicinal virtues by an archangel.
7 See The Adventures of Tom Bombadil poem of 1934:
… In he went a-wallowing
under the water-lilies, bubbling and a-swallowing.
‘Hey, Tom Bombadil! Whither are you going?’
said fair Goldberry. ‘Bubbles you are blowing, …’.
8 The church connection will become clear in a future article: The Last Stage: Part I.
9 Milky-white of Jack and the Beanstalk.
10 Tolkien’s decision to include all of these exposed flower lore naming connections probably did not occur at outset. That might be gleaned from his idea of making-up stories where flower names were connected to fable. The ‘myth’ of Tom and Goldberry might have served as the inventive release of such a thought:
“It would be tempting to try and make some fables to fit the names.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #93 – 24 December 1944, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
11 The Fellowship of the Ring subtly emphasizes the lilies of the Withywindle “open first in spring and there they linger latest”. Discarded is any final text promoting Tom is collecting “the last lilies of summer” per a jotting in The Return of the Shadow, VI Tom Bombadil – pg. 117.
12 It is possible Jesus was indeed referring to the white water-lily:
“… it must be remembered that the only white lily known to the Jews was the water-lily. … From the time of the Crusaders pilgrims to Palestine have sought to find there the lily whose array was beyond that of ‘Solomon in all his glory.’ But the lily referred to by Christ has never been satisfactorily ascertained. The popular idea that it was the lily of the valley has been evolved from the simple and lowly character of Christ, but that lily, loving cold Norway best, is unknown in tropical regions.”
– Harpers New Monthly Magazine – Volume 42, The Sacred Flora – pg. 90, December 1870
13 Tolkien was an active Battalion Signal Officer during World War I.
14 Interpretative as also involving arm raising – as, for example, pupils being asked to raise hands by a class teacher.
15 Its sharp leaves like swords are an allusion to Christ’s Passion. The fluttering of the flowers was thought to resemble flags blowing in the breeze. But in Middle English, the word ‘flagge’ referred to a rush or reed. In discussing the plant (Letter #297, from the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981) the Professor only focused on Anglo-Saxon etymology. He acknowledged no connection to the French fleur-de-lys. Neither was he interested in touching on the Greek link to the goddess Iris. Although he might have been aware that this plant:
“… was dedicated to Juno queen of heaven”.
– The Magazine Flowers, Volume 1 – Issue 3, Irises in Romance and Garden – pg. 105, 1912 (my emphasis)
16 The Persian poet Shiraz relates the following tale regarding the origin of the forget-me-not. Echoes of Tom and Goldberry are found if one has followed the series of articles thus far:
“It was in the golden morning of the early world, when an angel sat weeping outside the closed gates of Eden. He had fallen from his high estate through loving a daughter of the earth, nor was he permitted to enter again until she whom he loved had planted the flowers of the forget-me-not in every corner of the world. He returned to earth and assisted her, and they went hand-in-hand over the world planting the forget-me-not. When their task was ended, they entered Paradise together; for the fair woman, without tasting the bitterness of death, became immortal like the angel, whose love her beauty had won, when she sat by the river twining the forget-me-not in her hair.”
– The Folk-lore of Plants, Chapter XXII, Plants and their Legendary History – pg. 308, T.F. Thiselton-Dyer, 1889
17 Among the numerous names given to the white water-lily (Nymphaea alba) are:
“… ‘The Lady of the Lake,’ … ‘The Naiad of the River’ …”.
– The Little English Flora, Water lily Nymphæa – pg. 73, G.W. Francis, 1839
18 A parallel exists in that we know Tolkien pondered on how animals had become attached to plant names. Having pontificated on the Harebell and Foxglove, the Professor’s research had led to a conclusion that:
“The causes of these ancient associations with animals are little known or understood. Perhaps they sometimes depend on lost beast-fables.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #93 – 24 December 1944, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
19 Tolkien may have been aware that the river Cherwell in Oxfordshire had some historic basis for a resident water-nymph. Thus, the Withywindle was a correspondingly suitable candidate from a mythological standpoint:
“… Where many a Water-Nymph her Streamlet leads …
… Sometimes, we from the Cherwell’s winding Stream, …”.
– Juvenile Poems on several occasions, Elegy – pg. 125, By a Gentleman of Oxford, 1764
According to A Thames Voyage by Thomas Noel of Merton College, Oxford:
“… The water-nymph’s delight !
Those milk-white cups with a golden-core, …”.
– The Flowering Plants of Great Britain, Vol. I, Nymphaeaceae – Water-lily Tribe – pg. 26, A. Pratt, 1855
And then poetry in mythical mode from the Poet Laureate Thomas Warton depicted rivalry between the Isis and Cherwell’s water-maidens:
“Proud Nymph, since late the Muse thy triumphs sung,
No more with mine thy scornful naiads play, …”.
– The Complaint of Cherwell, T. Warton, 1761
In Michael Drayton’s Poly-Olbion, many English rivers are depicted with their own water-nymph. The Cherwell too possesses one (see map center below).
Map extract from the ‘Poly-Olbion’, Michael Drayton, c. 1612
20 Now the Cherwell (upon which the Withywindle was likely based) and its white water-lilies had already been associated to the blessed Madonna. The Oxford poet Frederick Faber published a book of poetry in 1840 titled: The Cherwell Water-Lily and Other Poems. In it, the first poem (of the same name) directly linked Mary to the river’s water-lily. Three lines in particular stand out:)
“Deep rung St. Mary’s stately chime
…
Fair Lily! thou a type must be
Of virgin love and purity!
If Tolkien had ever read the verse – the last two lines would surely have a struck a chord with Goldberry:
“Thou art to him a very fairy,
A widowed father’s only daughter.”
Daughter of the river the water-lily was described to be – and synonymously for Tolkien’s tale it was Goldberry who was the fairy-like “river-daughter”. For one must recall she was cast as the very essence of a water-lily (see Goldberry: The Enigmatic Mrs Bombadil – Part I).
Tolkien had other connections to Frederick Faber. As one of the more important clergymen of the Birmingham Oratory, Faber was at one point second to Cardinal Newman* (the founder) himself. Tolkien was raised under the guardianship of Father Francis Morgan (after his mother died) who knew Cardinal Newman personally. The Oratory and the teachings of the resident priests were well known to Tolkien in early childhood. It was here that the ritual of taking the Blessed Sacrament became ingrained.
Religious study was most certainly part of the curriculum and Father Faber’s books were likely to have been read and studied. As well as The Cherwell Water-lily, other books written by Faber include The Blessed Sacrament and The Foot of the Cross; or, The Sorrows of Mary. Such material has been so well regarded that it is even in print today. Tolkien’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and Mary is recorded in his letters (Letters #43, #142 & #250 from The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981). In such respects he seems to have followed in the mindset and footsteps of Father Faber.
* The Newman Association was founded in 1942. During its early years, Tolkien was a Vice-President.
21 The plant winds counterclockwise around its host (see Wikipedia article on ‘Convolvulus arvensis’).
22 The English Dialect Dictionary which Tolkien himself obviously browsed:
“E.D.D. is certainly indispensable, … and I encourage people to browze in it.”
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #6 – 13 February 1923, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981
23 As well as ‘withywind’, the field bindweed Convolvulus arvensis is called the ‘withywine’ and ‘withwine’.
24 Tolkien wrote an English interpretation of a famous Breton tale calling it The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun. According to the scholar Dimitra Fimi per her website article: Tolkien’s “ ‘Celtic’ type of legends”: Merging Traditions, the Professors’ Celtic book collection include Barzas-Breiz: Chants Populaires de la Bretagne (Ballads of Brittany) by Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué and Lais by Marie de France, among other unnamed titles.
25 The Ashmolean University Museum in Oxford holds at least two early sketches of this Pre-Raphaelite painting (one is shown below). It is quite possible Tolkien had viewed them.
More likely is that he had seen the original hung in Keble College, University of Oxford. Tolkien was friends with Russell Meiggs (an editor of the Oxford Magazine) and Leonard Rice-Oxley. Both were Fellows of Keble College (see Letters #14, #15 & #67 from The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981). It would be surprising if Tolkien never toured this establishment.
One article in the painting that would likely have resonated with Tolkien is the ‘lamp’. Tolkien himself was taught to use a lamp as a signaling device – though of course, one dissimilar to that held by Jesus:
“August 1915 At some point during his training Tolkien specializes in signalling. By the beginning of 1916 he will study various ways of transmitting messages by flag, heliograph, and lamp, using codes such as Morse code.”
– The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide 2017 Edition, Chronology, August 1915, C. Scull & W. Hammond
26 See Tolkien On Fairy-stories, Works Consulted or Cited by J.R.R. Tolkien, 2014 by Verlyn Flieger & Douglas Anderson.
Revisions:
Grammatical, spelling and minor error corrections are not recorded. Neither are minor changes to phrasing that have little bearing as to the thrust of the message being conveyed by the author.
12/4/18 Added: ‘The Light of the World’ picture.
Added: “And then poetry … Cherwell’s water-maidens:”.
Added extract from The Complaint of Cherwell.
Added paragraph beginning: “The Professor was also an expert …”.
Added new footnote 1, reordered existing.
1/3/19 Added new footnotes 2 & 4, reordered existing.
1/26/19 Added from: “That combination of yellow …” to “… closing the door …” quote.
3/10/19 Added picture of Medieval Lily Crucifix.
4/6/19 Added: “Juxtaposed in this rejection …” to “… it all falls in place!”.
Added: “In the words of St. Augustine …” to “… wrinkly old man!”.
Added new footnote 7.
4/11/19 Added new footnote 8, reordered existing.
5/4/19 Added: “Thus we should seek out situations and elements which are: … consonant with Christian thought and belief.”.
Added: “When it comes to the Bombadil episode … Tolkien Letter to L.M. Cutts, 26 October 1958”.
12/11/19 Was: “compelled Tolkien to mirror Goldberry”, Is: “enabled Tolkien to mirror a similarly displayed Goldberry”.
Was: “as the way to salvation”, Is: “of the path to salvation”.
4/25/20 Added: “Yet perhaps most beguiling … King James Version, Luke 12:27”.
8/21/20 Added: “More likely is that he had seen the original hung in Keble College, University of Oxford.”.
Added: “* The Newman Association was founded in 1942. During its early years, Tolkien was a Vice-President.”.
9/11/20 Added sub-headings (i) & (j).
Added photo of St Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Church.
Added photos of Convolvulus arvensis and Stachys Sylvatica.
Added new footnotes 8 through 15, reordered existing.
10/7/20 Added: “Nicely meshing with the white water-lily:”.
Added quote from A Dictionary of English Plant-names: “Water Bells. Nymphaea Alba”.
Added new footnote 14, reordered existing.
10/22/20 Added: “One article in the painting … held by Jesus:”.
Added quote from The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide 2017 Edition: “August 1915 … Morse code.”.
Added: “Once again exploited was a:”.
Added quote from Tolkien: A biography: “… boundless store of knowledge about trees and plants.”.
11/22/20 Added: “Discarded is any final … per a jotting in The Return of the Shadow, VI Tom Bombadil.”.
12/08/20 Added new footnote 15, reordered existing.
12/11/20 Added new footnote 5, reordered existing.
Added: “Then perhaps there were modes of transmission … of commonly termed plant-names!”.
12/21/20 Added: “Lastly, just as Tolkien provided symbolic imagery … at least that was the way of fairy-story.”.
Was: “Tolkien’s two powerful scenes”, Is: “Tolkien’s three powerful scenes”.
Was: “failed to visualize with religion and flora in mind”, Is: “failed to visualize mixed motifs with religion, flora and limb positioning in mind”.
Added new footnotes 9 and 10, reordered existing.
1/11/21 Added: “direct author-to-reader”.
1/21/21 Added quote from The Bible, Romans 10:20-21.
Added picture from the Sistine Chapel.
4/8/21 Added new footnote 9, reordered existing.
4/15/21 Added: “Indeed, what researchers have failed to look for is practical applications to that confessed embedded theology.”.
Was: “And to underpin those axioms Tolkien”, Is: “A matter that didn’t escape the attention … to underpin Christian axioms Tolkien”.
10/13/21 Added: “And then linked to Mary … molded by Tolkien.”.
Added new footnote 18, reordered existing.
11/25/21 Added new footnote 17, reordered existing.
1/25/22 Added: “While tying-in those ‘water-blobs’ … Part I – pg. 51, J. Britten & F. Holland, 1878”.
Added new footnote 22, reordered existing.
2/7/22 Added new footnote 25, reordered existing.
6/2/22 Added: “Tolkien was friends with Russell … Tolkien never tour this establishment.”.
11/26/22 Major re-organization of material. Changes too numerous to list. Contact author if required.
4/12/23 Added: “Besides, there is an in-mythology possibility which Flieger … the Witch-king of Angmar’s spell-bound weaponry.”
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