Apr 13, 2021
Okay, hear me out. Tom Bombadil was one of the Vala.
He wore The Ring, and was completely unswayed by its power. Gandalf feared the influence of The Ring, to the point he would not carry it to Mordor.
I think Tom Bombadil may actually be Aulë, under an assumed name. Though it may not fit exactly. Though it does make sense that Mairon’s ring didn’t corrupt him, he taught him everything he knows.
He may have “fallen for” Yavanna, and possibly ran away with her to Middle Earth (conjecture, at best) causing him to take on the person of Tom Bombadil.
Of course, these are just the musings of a drunken madman.