The Old Forest: The Places of Middle Earth

The Old Forest and the Barrow Downs are a school. They give the hobbits chances to fail, gain experience and wisdom, and to 'level up.' As such, they are important to the structure of the story.

What a truly wonderful way to spend 17 minutes 10 seconds. A beautiful location, breath taking analysis, narration AND singing. Perfect for a summer's evening. 🙂

There is some really important character development going on. The hobbits enter with a sense that fear is their main enemy, and they ignore the very real dangers The Old Forest has in store for them. When Frodo next encounters real danger in the barrow, he finds his courage, fights back, and remembers to call Tom for aid. Imagine if he had not had this development by Weathertop - he would have failed to fight back against the Nazgûl, and he likely would not have called on Elbereth for aid.

When I was young, I remember listening to the audiobook edition of Fellowship on a family trip , and complaining that Bombadil was annoying and bogged down the story. The terrible singing of the narrator was the biggest problem. My mom shot back with "Too bad! I like Tom Bombadil!"

Without the Old Forest and Bombadil, the hobbits would not have been in the barrow and Merry would not have gotten the Dunedein sword without which the Witch King would not have been slain. Very necessary.

Tom is one of the best side characters in the entire lore of Tolkien. I do love that Tolkien kept things like this in the books vs streamlining things for plots sake.

Chapters like the old forest evidence why those who compare Tolkien to GoT and similar stories only understand Tolkien’s work at surface level. Tolkien saw magic in small things, in every droplet, every tree’s memory. No big battles were more important than a second breakfast under the sub. No honour larger than peace. And a simpler world would always bring joy. Stay Tolkinian, folks. Love peace and laughter over anything else you won’tt regret it

Any video where Jess sings is a very good video. Thanks for standing up for the Old Forest and Tom as an essential part of the Hobbits arc from incompetent and fearful youths to powerful characters that saved the world. Until the Old Forest the hobbits had tried to be self-reliant, but afterwards (starting in Bree) they reached out for help. Also, no Bombadil, no barrow wight, no weapon to defeat the Nazgul lord on Pelennor Field in Merry's hand.

This was one of your most charming videos. Someone who has lived in or near a forest understands how the wind moving the leaves causes an ever changing dance of shadows. The passage of the sun across the sky and the occasional intervention of a cloud causes the mood of a forest to constantly shift. Then the sun goes down and in the darkness the forest transforms yet again. I feel you captured the living changeableness of nature delightfully.

I love the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil. It’s weird, yes, but absolutely its own beautiful thing. And I love the way that Tom is outside time (and pretty much everything else).

The Old Forest enhanced the looming threat of the Ringwraiths into a primordial choking energy. As a rite of passage to the innate naivety of the Hobbits. Yet Tom Bombadil shines through as a beacon of light as Arwen to Frodo in the Athelas scene. Tom Bombadil reminds our playful spirit that the Ongoing Battle and Existential Threat against Sauron & Company is not the real reason to live in Middle Earth... The true meaning is Laughter, Song, Cheer, Drink and Breakfast Second Breakfast Elevenses Luncheon Afternoon Tea Dinner Supper...and of course... Moss Gathering 😎

I love the chapters covering The Old Forest, Tom Bomadil's house and the Barrow Downs. They convey a unique sense of magic and wonder.

While it’s a HUGE venn diagram between the two, there are still book fans and movie fans. The old forest and Tom Bombadil are kind of special for book fans, for all the reasons you mentioned and more. Also, it’s pretty cool how Tom knows, and compliments, Farmer Maggot.

Today I learned Jess has a rather pleasant signing voice. That was a nice surprise.

Treebeard talks about the wake trees, saying the Fangorn forest has places much darker and that it once was part of the same forest

I love the chapter on The Old Forest! It's so creepy and spooky, the chapter would not be entirely out of place in a horror novel.

Why yes, I do love seeing a dark haired woman of elvish beauty sitting by a creek in the forest with a crown of flowers, gently singing the songs of old! Enjoyed every minute of this video, very Tolkien-esque!

One of my favorite activities as a kid was sitting under the shade of an old tree with a book, and I spent just as much time exploring the deep woods. So imagining the scenes of all the forests of Middle-Earth has always evoked good memories and a sense of being close to nature. Even the most ancient and gnarliest woods suit me just fine. It looks like you picked the perfect spot to spend a summer day - I hope you had fun making the video!

What a pretty singing voice you have!

Goldberrys pretty sister explains Tom Bombadil. What a pleasure.