Changes: Goldberry

Revision as of 15:04, 29 December 2019

Goldberry, the "River-daughter", was the wife of Tom Bombadil in the Old Forest at the edge of Buckland.

Biography

Origin

Little is known of the origin and nature of Goldberry except that it is speculated that she is a river-spirit of the river Withywindle, given she's River-woman's daughter.

Before Third Age

When Tom Bombadil ventured into the Eriador region, several of the valley's mysterious residents, including Goldberry, attempted to capture Bombadil for their own ends, but quail at the power of Tom's voice, which defeated their enchantments and commands them to return to their natural existence. However, according to a tale, Goldberry was in the Withywindle when she pulled Tom by his beard under the water-lilies out of mischief, but he ordered her to let him free. The next day he came to the River-woman and asked Goldberry to be his wife, and the creatures of the Old Forest (the badger-folk and other animals) attended their wedding.^[1]

Third Age

File:Goldberry-by-Hildebrandt.jpg

Goldberry in her home, by Hildebrandt

Apparently, Goldberry lived in a little house by the river Withywindle in the Old Forest, together with her lovely husband Tom Bombadil, since the beginning of the Third Age. Like Tom, she also interacted occasionally with Hobbits, specifically the Bucklanders, who lived in region what would become the Shire.

War of the Ring

In 3018 Tom Bombadil travelled to the lower reaches of the Withywindle to gather white water-lilies for her, and it was while returning from a lily-gathering expedition that he discovered Frodo and his companions, and rescued them from Old Man Willow. Goldberry seems to have used her lilies to recreate her original home in the river: when Tom brought the Hobbits back to his house, they found a seated Goldberry surrounded by water-lilies floating in pots of earthenware.^[2]

Goldberry hosted the Hobbits and they found her to be as mysterious as Tom, but were grateful for her kindness to them and were enchanted by her presence. She then explained a little about Tom to the group and then asked them to clean up to have dinner with them. The next day, while washing the house, she interrupted Bombadil when he told the Hobbits of their origin and called them to eat. The next morning she said goodbye to Frodo and the others when they left for Barrow-downs.^[3]

After rescuing the Hobbits from the Barrow-downs, Tom Bombadil selected a brooch with blue stones from the hoard of the Barrow-wights to give Goldberry.^[4]

Appearance

Goldberry had long, yellow hair and her voice was beautiful, "as young and as ancient as spring, like the song of a glad water flowing down into the night from a bright morning in the hills." When the Hobbits first saw her she was wearing a gown "green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew; and her belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue eyes of forget-me-nots." She was standing amid wide vessels of green and brown earthenware in which "white water-lilies were floating, so that she seemed to be enthroned in the midst of a pool.

Nature

Tolkien Goldberry by WF74 — Goldberry in the Old Forest surrounded by a pool of water-lilies, by Wouter

Although Goldberry's origins are uncertain, Bombadil clearly identifies her as having been found by him in the river and her title "River-woman's daughter" strongly suggests that she is not a mortal human being, but rather a spirit of the river Withywindle in the Old Forest. This is similar to the many named river spirits of traditional English folklore such as Jenny Greenteeth or Peg Powler of the River Tees,^[5] (though Goldberry is a noticeably gentler figure), or to the naiads of the Greeks. Otherwise, she and Bombadil are enigmas in Legendarium, not fitting easily into any of his definitions of sentient beings in his world.

One frequently proposed explanation is that she is a (minor) Maia associated with the element of water and in some way with the river Withywindle in particular, though that is by no means the only possible answer John D. Rateliff suggested that, at least in terms of Tolkien's early mythology, she should be seen as one of the wide category of fays, spirits, and elementals (including the Maia): "Thus Melian is a 'fay', (as, in all probability, are Goldberry and Bombadil; the one a nymph, the other a genius loci).^[6]

Inspiration

In The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Tolkien describes Goldberry as the seasonal changes in nature, and Tom Bombadil as the nature spirit of the English countryside.^[7]

Tolkien based his mythic personages on Eurasian myth and cosmology: The Great Goddess who is mother of all things was, before Time existed, the element of water, undifferentiated. Time begins when her first offspring is born, and, according to Tom Bombadil, he is the Eldest, or first-born. The River is the local manifestation of the primal Great Goddess, and Goldberry is her daughter, the spirit of all local waters existing in Time, alive and embodied. Both Tom and Goldberry are primal spirits of nature, he of the land and its produce and she of the water.^[8] In early Eurasian myth, the element of water is feminine and the land or earth is masculine; therefore, Goldberry represents the female principle of life while Tom represents the male.^[9] Together as husband and wife they are the totality of primal Nature, endlessly proceeding in an eternal circle from season to season forever.

Portrayal in adaptations

Radio

Goldberry is heard in The Lord of the Rings radio series and is possibly voiced by Nicolette Bernard. In the Tales from the Perilous Realm radio series, she is voiced by Sorcha Cusack.

Video games

She appears in the The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and is voiced by Kath Soucie.

Short film

Goldberry has recently been portrayed in a short film produced by fans at TheOneRing.net.

Trading Card Game

In The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, Goldberry is portrayed by Amanda Niel.

Gallery

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (video game) - Goldberry

Goldberry in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)

Goldberry as seen in The Lord of the Rings Online

The Lord of the Rings Online - Goldberry

Goldberry render in The Lord of the Rings Online

Miniatures of Tom Bombadil and Goldberry by Games Workshop.

Goldberry, by Nebulosa Dreams

Tom and Goldberry, by Mareishon.

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Afrikaans	Goudbessie
Albanian	Kokërr ari
Amharic	ወርቅ ቤሪ
Arabic	غولدبيري
Armenian	Ոսկյա հատապտուղ
Azerbaijani	Qızıl giləmeyvə
Belarusian Cyrillic	Залатая ягада
Bengali	গোল্ড বেরি
Bosnian	Zlatozrna
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Златоронка
Catalan	Orifraula
Chinese (Hong Kong)	金莓
Croatian	Zlatna bobica
Czech	Zlatěnka
Danish	Gyldenbær
Dutch	Goudbezie
Estonian	Kuldmari
Finnish	Kultamarja
French	Baie d'Or
Galician	Baga de ouro
Georgian	ოქროს კენკრა
German	Goldbeere
Greek	Χρυσό μούρο
Gujarati	ગોલ્ડબેરી
Hebrew	גולדברי
Hindi	गोल्डबेरी
Hungarian	Aranymag
Icelandic	Gullbrá
Italian	Baccador
Japanese	ゴールドベリー
Kannada	ಗೋಲ್ಡ್ ಬೆರ್ರಿ
Kazakh	Алтын жидек (Cyrillic) Altın jïdek (Latin)
Korean	금 베리
Latin	Aurum baca
Latvian	Zelta ogu
Lithuanian	Auksauogė
Macedonian Cyrillic	Златна Бери
Maltese	Frotta tad-deheb
Marathi	गोल्डबरी
Mongolian Cyrillic	Алт жимс
Nepalese	सुनको बेरी
Norwegian	Gullbær
Persian	توت طلایی
Polish	Złota Jagoda
Portuguese (Brazil)	Fruta d'Ouro
Punjabi	ਗੋਲਡਬੈਰੀ
Romanian	Bacă de aur
Russian	Златеника
Serbian	Златна бобица (Cyrillic) Zlatna bobica (Latin)
Sinhalese	රන් බෙරී
Slovak	Zlaté bobule
Slovenian	Zlato jagodami
Spanish (Spain and Latin America)	Baya de Oro
Swedish	Guldbär
Tamil	தங்கம் பெர்ரி
Telugu	గోల్డ్ బెర్రీ
Thai	โกลด์เบอร์รี่
Turkish	Altınyemiş
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Золотинка
Urdu	گولڈ بیری
Welsh	Aeron aur
Yiddish	גאָלדבעררי

References

↑ The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter VI: "The Old Forest"
↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter VII: "In the House of Tom Bombadil"
↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter VIII: "Fog on the Barrow-downs"
↑ J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century (London 2001) p. 60
↑ J. Rateliff, Mr Baggins (London 2007), p. 59 and p. 50
↑ The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien
↑ In The Fellowship of the Ring Sourcebook for the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, Goldberry is listed as a nature-spirit and is closely connected to the weather of the Old Forest. "She is the rain and snows that arise from the waters and replenish them again."
↑ In The Lord of the Rings, Tom Bombadil describes the rain as Goldberry's washing day and her autumn cleaning.

[1] The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

[2] The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter VI: "The Old Forest"

[3] The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter VII: "In the House of Tom Bombadil"

[4] The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter VIII: "Fog on the Barrow-downs"

[5] J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century (London 2001) p. 60

[6] J. Rateliff, Mr Baggins (London 2007), p. 59 and p. 50

[7] The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien

[8] In The Fellowship of the Ring Sourcebook for the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, Goldberry is listed as a nature-spirit and is closely connected to the weather of the Old Forest. "She is the rain and snows that arise from the waters and replenish them again."

[9] In The Lord of the Rings, Tom Bombadil describes the rain as Goldberry's washing day and her autumn cleaning.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Infobox Person
-| image = Goldberrytcg.jpg
+| image = Goldberry_Amanda_Niel.jpg
+| caption = Goldberry as she appears in [[The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game]]
-| caption =
 | name = Goldberry
 | othernames = The River-daughter
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 | spouse = [[Tom Bombadil]]
 | weapon =
-| race = Unknown
+| race = Unknown, possibly River-spirit
 | culture =
-| gender = Female
+| gender =
-| height = Average
+| height =
 | hair = Golden
 | eyes =
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 | voice =
 | character =
+}}'''Goldberry''', the "River-daughter", was the wife of [[Tom Bombadil]] in the [[Old Forest]] at the edge of [[Buckland]].
-}}
-'''Goldberry''', also called '''The River-daughter''', was the wife of [[Tom Bombadil]] in the [[Old Forest]] at the edge of [[Buckland]].
 == Biography ==
+=== Origin ===
+Little is known of the origin and nature of Goldberry except that it is speculated that she is a river-spirit of the river [[Withywindle]], given she's [[River-woman]]'s daughter.
+=== Before Third Age ===
-The character Goldberry, like [[Tom Bombadil]], is a kind of nature-spirit personified. Tom Bombadil would refer to her often as the ''River-daughter,'' saying she was the "River-woman's daughter," and that he had found her long ago by the pool where he gathered water-lilies from the [[Withywindle]] river. She had long, yellow hair and her voice was beautiful, "as young and as ancient as spring, like the song of a glad water flowing down into the night from a bright morning in the hills."
+[[File:The_River_daughter.jpg|thumb|left|The River daughter.]]
+When [[Tom Bombadil]] ventured into the [[Eriador]] region, several of the valley's mysterious residents, including Goldberry, attempted to capture Bombadil for their own ends, but quail at the power of Tom's voice, which defeated their enchantments and commands them to return to their natural existence. However, according to a tale, Goldberry was in the Withywindle when she pulled Tom by his beard under the water-lilies out of mischief, but he ordered her to let him free. The next day he came to the River-woman and asked Goldberry to be his wife, and the creatures of the [[Old Forest]] (the [[Badger folk|badger-folk]] and other animals) attended their wedding.<ref>[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]</ref>
+=== Third Age ===
-Goldberry hosted the Hobbits [[Frodo Baggins]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], [[Peregrin Took]], and [[Sam Gamgee|Samwise Gamgee]] when Tom Bombadil brought them to his house after rescuing them from the perils of [[Old Man Willow]] in the [[Old Forest]]. They found her to be as mysterious as Tom, but were grateful for her kindness to them and were enchanted by her presence. When they first saw her she was wearing a gown "green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew; and her belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue eyes of forget-me-nots." She was standing amid wide vessels of green and brown earthenware in which "white water-lilies were floating, so that she seemed to be enthroned in the midst of a pool."<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'','' [[The Fellowship of the Ring (novel)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Book One, Chapter VII: "[[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]"</ref>
+[[File:Goldberry-by-Hildebrandt.jpg|thumb|Goldberry in her home, by Hildebrandt]]
+Apparently, Goldberry lived in a little house by the river Withywindle in the Old Forest, together with her lovely husband Tom Bombadil, since the beginning of the [[Third Age]]. Like Tom, she also interacted occasionally with [[Hobbits]], specifically the [[Buckland]]ers, who lived in region what would become the [[Shire]].
+==== War of the Ring ====
-After rescuing the Hobbits from the [[Barrow-downs]], Tom Bombadil selected a brooch with blue stones from the hoard of the [[Barrow-wights]] to give Goldberry.<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'','' [[The Fellowship of the Ring (novel)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Book One, Chapter VIII: "[[Fog on the Barrow-downs]]"</ref>
+In [[3018]] Tom Bombadil travelled to the lower reaches of the Withywindle to gather white water-lilies for her, and it was while returning from a lily-gathering expedition that he discovered [[Frodo]] and his companions, and rescued them from [[Old Man Willow]]. Goldberry seems to have used her lilies to recreate her original home in the river: when Tom brought the Hobbits back to his house, they found a seated Goldberry surrounded by water-lilies floating in pots of earthenware.<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'','' [[The Fellowship of the Ring (novel)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Book One, Chapter VI: "[[The Old Forest]]"</ref>
+Goldberry hosted the Hobbits and they found her to be as mysterious as Tom, but were grateful for her kindness to them and were enchanted by her presence. She then explained a little about Tom to the group and then asked them to clean up to have dinner with them. The next day, while washing the house, she interrupted Bombadil when he told the Hobbits of their origin and called them to eat. The next morning she said goodbye to Frodo and the others when they left for [[Barrow-downs]].<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'','' [[The Fellowship of the Ring (novel)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Book One, Chapter VII: "[[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]"</ref>
-== Speculations on character origin ==
+After rescuing the Hobbits from the Barrow-downs, Tom Bombadil selected a brooch with blue stones from the hoard of the [[Barrow-wights]] to give Goldberry.<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'','' [[The Fellowship of the Ring (novel)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Book One, Chapter VIII: "[[Fog on the Barrow-downs]]"</ref>
+== Appearance ==
+Goldberry had long, yellow hair and her voice was beautiful, "as young and as ancient as spring, like the song of a glad water flowing down into the night from a bright morning in the hills." When the Hobbits first saw her she was wearing a gown "green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew; and her belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue eyes of forget-me-nots." She was standing amid wide vessels of green and brown earthenware in which "white water-lilies were floating, so that she seemed to be enthroned in the midst of a pool.
+== Nature ==
+[[File:Tolkien_Goldberry_by_WF74.jpg|thumb|left|Goldberry in the Old Forest surrounded by a pool of water-lilies, by Wouter]]
+Although Goldberry's origins are uncertain, Bombadil clearly identifies her as having been found by him in the river and her title "River-woman's daughter" strongly suggests that she is not a mortal human being, but rather a spirit of the river Withywindle in the Old Forest. This is similar to the many named river spirits of traditional English folklore such as Jenny Greenteeth or Peg Powler of the River Tees,<ref>''J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century'' (London 2001) p. 60</ref> (though Goldberry is a noticeably gentler figure), or to the naiads of the Greeks. Otherwise, she and Bombadil are enigmas in [[Tolkien Mythology|Legendarium]], not fitting easily into any of his definitions of sentient beings in his world.
+One frequently proposed explanation is that she is a (minor) [[Maia]] associated with the element of water and in some way with the river Withywindle in particular, though that is by no means the only possible answer [[John D. Rateliff]] suggested that, at least in terms of [[Tolkien]]'s early mythology, she should be seen as one of the wide category of fays, spirits, and elementals (including the Maia): "Thus [[Melian]] is a '[[Faerie|fay]]', (as, in all probability, are Goldberry and Bombadil; the one a nymph, the other a genius loci).<ref>''J. Rateliff, Mr Baggins'' (London 2007), p. 59 and p. 50</ref>
+== Inspiration ==
 In ''[[The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien]]'', Tolkien describes Goldberry as the seasonal changes in nature, and Tom Bombadil as the nature spirit of the English countryside.<ref>''[[The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien]]''</ref>
 Tolkien based his mythic personages on Eurasian myth and cosmology: The Great Goddess who is mother of all things was, before Time existed, the element of water, undifferentiated. Time begins when her first offspring is born, and, according to Tom Bombadil, he is the Eldest, or first-born. The River is the local manifestation of the primal Great Goddess, and Goldberry is her daughter, the spirit of all local waters existing in Time, alive and embodied. Both Tom and Goldberry are primal spirits of nature, he of the land and its produce and she of the water.<ref>In ''The Fellowship of the Ring Sourcebook'' for the [[Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]], Goldberry is listed as a nature-spirit and is closely connected to the weather of the [[Old Forest]]. "She is the rain and snows that arise from the waters and replenish them again."</ref> In early Eurasian myth, the element of water is feminine and the land or earth is masculine; therefore, Goldberry represents the female principle of life while Tom represents the male.<ref>In [[The Lord of the Rings]], [[Tom Bombadil]] describes the rain as Goldberry's washing day and her autumn cleaning.</ref> Together as husband and wife they are the totality of primal Nature, endlessly proceeding in an eternal circle from season to season forever.
-Most Tolkien scholars presume both Goldberry and Bombadil to be [[Maiar]] of the [[Ainur]] race,{{Fact}}but this is not explicitly supported in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.
 == Portrayal in adaptations ==
 === Radio ===
+Goldberry is heard in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|The Lord of the Rings]] ''radio series and is possibly voiced by [[Nicolette Bernard]]. In the [[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|''Tales from the Perilous Realm'']]'' ''radio series, she is voiced by [[Sorcha Cusack]].
-Goldberry is heard in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|The Lord of the Rings]] ''radio series and is possibly voiced by [[Nicolette Bernard]]. In the [[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|''Tales from the Perilous Realm'']]'' ''radio series, she is voiced by [[Sorcha Cusack]].
 === Video games ===
 She appears in the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'']] and is voiced by [[Kath Soucie]].
 === Short film ===
@@ Line 52: / Line 66: @@
 === Trading Card Game ===
-In ''[[The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game]]'', Goldberry is portrayed by [[Amanda Niel]].
+In ''[[The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game]]'', Goldberry is portrayed by Amanda Niel.
 == Gallery ==
 {{Gallery|width=120|height=160|captionalign=center|position=center
+|The_Lord_of_the_Rings_-_The_Fellowship_of_the_Ring_(video_game)_-_Goldberry.jpg|Goldberry in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)''
 |Goldberry - LOTRO.jpg|Goldberry as seen in ''The Lord of the Rings Online''
-|Goldberry-by-Hildebrandt.jpg|Goldberry in her home
+|The_Lord_of_the_Rings_Online_-_Goldberry.jpg|Goldberry render in ''The Lord of the Rings Online''
-|Tolkien Goldberry by WF74.jpg|Goldberry in the Old Forest surrounded by a pool of water-lilies, by Wouter
 |TomGoldberry.jpg|Miniatures of [[Tom Bombadil]] and [[Goldberry]] by Games Workshop.
 |Goldberry by Nebulosa Dreams.jpg|Goldberry, by Nebulosa Dreams
+|Mareishon_-_Tom_Bombadil_and_Goldberry.jpg|Tom and Goldberry, by Mareishon.
 }}
+==Translations==
-== Translation around the world ==
 <div style="overflow:auto; height:300px; width:500px; float:left">
 <!--<div style="overflow:auto; height:200px;">-->
 {| class="itemtable" style="color:#6f3d0b; border:2px solid #FFF; border-top: 0; text-align:left; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft:8px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright:8px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius:8px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius:8px;" bgcolor="#edeeff"
@@ Line 258: / Line 270: @@
 |גאָלדבעררי
 |}
 </div>
 {{Clear}}
 == References ==
-<references />
+<references />[[Category:Mystery]]
+[[Category:Elf friends]]
+[[Category:The Lord of the Rings Characters]]
+[[Category:Minor characters (The Lord of the Rings)]]
 [[de:Goldbeere]]
@@ Line 269: / Line 284: @@
 [[fr:Baie d'Or]]
 [[it:Baccadoro]]
+[[nl:Goudbezie]]
 [[pl:Złota Jagoda]]
 [[ru:Златеника]]
-[[Category:Mystery]]
-[[Category:Elf friends]]
-[[Category:The Lord of the Rings Characters]]
-[[Category:Minor characters (The Lord of the Rings)]]