The Old Forest

In "The Fellowship of the Ring" the four hobbits have to cross the Old Forest on the borders of Buckland. This forest has several legends that aren't all that nice. There are stories of the trees moving, and of their standing up in rebellion against the hobbits. For it was said that they all stood in a line so close together that no one could get through, but the hobbits came, and cut them down and now there is a great glade int he forest where they burnt them. After this the trees began to settle down. Yet it is told that they move uneasily and the paths shift with the trees' movements, and it is almost impossible to find a route through.

The hobbits risk it, and they go into the forest. Merry was the one that led the way, for he lived in Buckland  and he knew the most about the forest. The four hobbits made their way first toward the fire glade, but on the way the trees shifted so thickly that there was barely enough room for their ponies to make it through. However they made it in the end. After this they kept going through the forest until they came to a stream and a willow tree beside it. Here they became incredibly sleepy and Merry and Pippin sat down with their backs to the willow and fell asleep, while Frodo sat by the bank with his feet in the cool water. Sam kept awake and tended to the ponies. Then he heard a splash and a click, and what had happened was the willow used one of his roots to dunk Frodo into the stream in an attempt to drown him, and the other was to enclose both Merry and Pippin in his trunk. 

Sam came and got Frodo out of the water. There was little they could do for Merry and Pippin, so Frodo ran to the path and shouted "help, help, help." And suddenly they heard singing. 

"Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo!

Ring a dong! Hop along! Fal lal the willow!

Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"

(Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 6, pg. 154). 

Here Tom Bombadil came and helped them, for Tom is the master of the woods, and old man willow had to obey him. Tom took the hobbits to his house, where Goldberry, his wife, was waiting. He had brought her water lilies for she is the daughter of the river god and loves the lilies. 

Tom Bombadil is a strange character. He is always singing happy songs and dancing. He knows nothing of evil and evil has no effect on him. This was proven when Frodo put on the Ring in Tom's house and turned invisible. Frodo began to leave when Tom shouted at him, and asked him why he would leave. Tom could see Frodo, while to the others Frodo was gone. Why would this be? My belief is that Tom is so free, and so good that evil has no domain over him. He has the heart of a child, like we all should, in order to understand the mystery of Jesus.