Who is Tom Bombadil, the mystical new character in The Rings of Power Episode 204?

The fourth episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is out now on Prime Video, and this mid-season turning point brought in a bevy of exciting characters and creatures from across J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. But few were a bigger deal than Tom Bombadil, the quirky forest-spirit-guy whom the episode, "Eldest," is named after.

If you've read The Lord of the Rings, you'll be familiar with Old Tom. He appears early in the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring, and gives some respite and a helping hand to the Hobbits on their way out of the Shire. He's been living on Middle-earth since time immemorial, and communes with nature as he sings silly songs and spends time with his wife, Goldberry. Tom's section of the book is notorious for being kind of a whimsical aside that doesn't especially contribute to the overall story — which is why in most adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, he's left out.

Bombadil is an interesting Tolkien character. He actually predates even The Hobbit, having first appeared in the 1934 poem "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil." He's always given off the air of being the sort of character Tolkien loved for his connections to nature, who was plopped into The Lord of the Rings just kind of for the hell of it since the author enjoyed him so much.

But that's changed in The Rings of Power, which is making Tom a key part of the narrative this season. He's played in the Amazon series by veteran British actor Rory Kinnear, and from the set up in "Eldest," it seems Bombadil will play a fairly important role in the show as he offers guidance to the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), who may or may not be Gandalf.

"Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow."

- Tom Bombadil, singing about Tom Bombadil

What role will Tom Bombadil play in The Rings of Power?

Another part of the reason that Tom Bombadil is cut from most adaptations of The Lord of the Rings is that he's pretty insistent about keeping out of worldly conflicts, even ones as dire as Sauron's search for the One Ring during the Third Age. Bombadil shelters the Hobbits, but he takes the long view of history, having been around since before the very first forests took root. It's never confirmed exactly what sort of immortal being Tom is, but since he's seen kingdoms rise and fall and wars come and pass, he's usually pretty content to mind nature and not take part.

The Rings of Power is taking a different approach. In "Eldest," Tom reveals that the Stranger isn't the first of the Istar — wizard — who has come to him. The Dark Wizard, played by Game of Thrones veteran Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder), also made a pitstop at Tom's house when he first came to Rhûn. We don't know what they discussed yet, or how that visit might have contributed to him becoming the malevolent force he now seems to be, but there's obviously more to the story.

Hopefully, we'll find out more about Tom Bombadil's part in things in the coming weeks! The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres new episodes Thursdays on Prime Video.

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