[Overtaxed]

I like the Nature Spirit explanation better than the Maiar theory. Tom and Goldberry do seem to predate Gandalf et.al. I just have a problem with the word "spirit" being used to describe "solid" folk. :)

[JenB]

Well, to some extent they would have to predate Gandalf and Saruman, since the wizards didn't show up until about 1000 years into the Third Age (2000+ years before LotR takes place). Certainly if Tom were a Maia, we can assume he headed for his little patch of land right after entering Arda in the first place.

Of course, there is the little problem of the constant upheavals, that changed the landscape several times, usually while Morgoth was being defeated. Still, the area that would become the Shire/Bree region seems to have been fairly stable. It wasn't drowned like Beleriand or Numenor, and no new mountain ranges popped up in the middle of it. Maybe this was because of Bombadil. That's something I haven't thought about before. I wonder if part of the reason why Hobbits settled in the area was Bombadil's presence. I bet they'd like the same sort of land he would. In a way, they have a lot in common - a lot more than he would have with Dwarves, for instance.