Tom Bombadil, Lord of the Rings, tells the hobbits the night before that he is so old that he predates all of the current inhabitants of the wood. He remembers when the first elves came, and the trees, and even the hobbits. He shares some of what he knows about the woods with the hobbits. Frodo feels that he can trust Tom so he tells him about their quest. Tom asks to see the ring, and when he tries it on, nothing happens. He is not bound by its magic and it has no effect on him.
