Tom Bombadil

A mysterious and powerful being, called by the Elves Iarwain Ben-adar (‘Oldest and Fatherless‘), who dwelt in the valley of the Withywindle, east of the Shire. At some stage in the past, he had chosen to settle at the edge of the Old Forest, setting himself boundaries, but boundaries within which his power was extraordinary. Tom was a creature of contradictions, one-moment defeating ancient forces with hardly an effort, the next capering and singing nonsensical songs.