Speaking of Goldberry, with Tom Bombadil out of the picture, it’s obvious why his fair maiden of a wife would be cut as well. Like her husband, Goldberry has only ever been portrayed in live-action via “Khraniteli,” with all other adaptations ignoring her completely. This is a shame, though, as “The Lord of the Rings” has so few female characters to begin with, with only Cate Blanchet’s Galadriel, Miranda Otto’s Éowyn, and Liv Tyler’s Arwen (who hardly even appears in the novels outside the appendix) highlighted in the film trilogy.
Goldberry is the picture of perfect domestic bliss and has often been equated with the biblical Eve. In fact, many believe Tom Bombadil and Goldberry are meant to represent the purity of the Catholic sacrament of marriage. Like Bombadil, Goldberry has a unique connection with the natural world around her, especially when it comes to running water, but these mysterious abilities are never fully explained. To this day, no one really knows what Tom Bombadil and Goldberry are, though Tolkien’s “The Adventures of Tom Bombdail” points to our heroine being the River-woman’s daughter, which probably raises more questions than it answers.
But one thing’s for sure, the hospitality that the Hobbits receive from Goldberry is unparalleled on their journey, with only Rivendell as her competition. Still, it would’ve been nice to see Goldberry in all her splendor on the big screen, but alas. Guess we’ll have to wait for the inevitable remake.
