Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptation packs a ton into just three movies. With a 558-minute runtime overall, The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy covers the Fellowship’s formation, the Battle of Helm’s Deep, the casting of the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, and a whole lot in between. That being said, there are still plenty of moments from Tolkien’s original texts that didn’t make the cut.
The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions, naturally, add a ton of cut footage back into the series, for better and worse. Key moments like Saruman’s death and the Mouth of Sauron’s speech get their time to shine, but they’re accompanied by plenty of unnecessary sequences as well. But there’s one key Lord of the Rings character who didn’t even make the cut in the Extended Editions, and the upcoming Tales of the Shire has the opportunity to finally right that wrong.
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Tales of the Shire Has The Opportunity to Reference an Infamous Cut Character
Who Is The Lord of the Rings’ Tom Bombadil?
Tom Bombadil is one of the most mysterious characters in Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth, which is saying something given that the series is home to primordial spirits who have been reincarnated as wizards, among many other fantastical beings. Bombadil was first introduced in Tolkien’s 1934 poem, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, which sees the eponymous cheery, hatted man exploring the nature surrounding Withywindle river.
Throughout the poem, Tom Bombadil is confronted by a series of creatures who wish to capture him, including a tree spirit named Old Man Willow, and a river spirit named Goldberry. Bombadil evades capture every time by simply talking to the creatures. Bombadil appears again in Bombadil Goes Boating, a poem that sees the man traveling down the Brandywine river, encountering Hobbits and other fantastical folk along the way.
More notoriously, Tom Bombadil plays an intriguing role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Bombadil saves Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin from Old Man Willow during their initial departure from the Shire, and he invites the ragtag team to stay with him and his wife Goldberry. During their stay, the Hobbits learn that the One Ring seemingly has no power over Bombadil, as he can wear it with no issue and can even see Frodo when he puts it on.
Though Tolkien never gave a concrete explanation of what Tom Bombadil is, many scholars and fans have theorized that he could be some kind of ancient nature spirit that protects the Shire and its surrounding area, given that his appearances all relate to soothing nature with nothing but his voice, and given that the character refuses to leave the borders of his land.
Tom Bombadil never appeared in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, as Jackson and his writing team deemed him unessential to the core story. That omission is still a decisive one for some fans, but Bombadil has shown up in other adaptations over the years, such as his most recent appearance in The Rings of Power Season 2, where he’s played by Rory Kinnear.
How Tales of the Shire Could Reference Tom Bombadil
Given that Tom Bombadil lives near to the Brandywine River, and the Brandywine technically runs past the village of Bywater – where Tales of the Shire is set – it would make total sense for Bombadil to have at least a brief cameo in the upcoming cozy Hobbit life-sim. Bombadil could also fit easily into Tales of the Shire‘s gameplay loop, popping up occasionally around the river, singing to himself and going on his merry way. It’d be an easy piece of fan-service for Tales of the Shire to deliver, and it shouldn’t let that opportunity pass.
Life Simulation
RPG
Adventure
- Released
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March 25, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Wētā Workshop