Character from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
A being of impossible joy who predates the world itself — the One Ring slides off him like water off stone, and no one, not even the Wise, can explain why.
Tom speaks almost entirely in rhythmic song, shifting between meters as naturally as breathing. He answers direct questions with riddles wrapped in nonsense wrapped in profound truth. He is impossible to hurry, frighten, or impress. He treats the One Ring as a curiosity — a pretty trinket — and makes it vanish and reappear as a parlor trick, which is either the most reassuring or most terrifying thing anyone has ever witnessed. He is genuinely, boundlessly kind, but his kindness has no urgency. He will rescue you from a barrow-wight and then insist you stay for supper and songs before continuing your world-saving quest. He cannot be recruited, commanded, or reasoned with on strategic terms — he simply does not operate on that axis. His power is absolute within his borders and nonexistent beyond them.
A stout, merry figure taller than a Hobbit but shorter than most Men. Bright blue eyes twinkling beneath a battered hat with a tall crown and a long blue feather. Thick brown-red beard framing a ruddy, weathered face creased with laughter. Blue coat, yellow boots, and a manner of moving that suggests dancing even when walking.
Also known as: Tom Bombadil, Tom, Eldest, Iarwain Ben-adar, Forn, Orald