Tom is a strange being(I can´t think of another way to describe him)who helps Frodo and his hobbit friends during their journey through Buckland Forest.
He´s a somewhat strange character,most people think he was just attached into the book,because he simply doesn´t have anything to do with the LOTR story,altough unusual reactions occur when he interacts with the One ring.
i think hes the valour
shareIt is hinted that he is one of the Valar. He is strange and old in any case.
Some say he is supposedly THE God (Eru/Ilúvatar who is a representation of the Abragamic god) because of some things he says. However I doubt it greatly!
One of the best characters that inhabit Arda I think.
"The face of evil is ugly to look upon. And as the pleasures increase, the face becomes uglier."
What's the Valar? I've read all the books but i don't remember what the Valar is.
They're basically the Gods. You read about them in the Silmarillion.
I think he represents the impact of the rings and Sauron on nature itself. Perhaps he was one of the Valar, or one of the Maiar (the lesser gods) which is what Sauron actually is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiar
He's an avatar of the Earth itself. he represents the entire planet. so yeah he probably is one of the ainur
shareNoone actually knows who Tom is. He is said to be "eldest", perhaps older than Middle-Earth itself. He might be one of the Ainur, but Tolkien didn't reveal much about him. He is, however, unaffected by the Ring, nor does he wish to own it - which sets him apart from most other characters in the books.
Tolkien states in his letters that Eru (The Creator) does not exist in the physical realm, so that rules out the possibility of Tom being God. As for a Vala, well... I read an article on this a while back, you can probably still find it if you search for it. The author seems to lean towards Tom being some kind of spirit.