Once upon a Time

Once upon a Time is a poem consisting of three stanzas, written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The poem tells a story about Goldberry, Tom, and the lintips. It could probably be a reworking of the earlier An Evening in Tavrobel.

It was first published in October 1965 within Winter's Tales for Children 1 (pp. 44–5), and in 1969 in the collection The Young Magicians (p. 255-6).

In 2013, the poem was published in Tolkien Studies: Volume 10 together with an introduction and comments by Kris Swank.

In 2014, it was included in the extended edition of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.

In 2024, it appeared in the first volume of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, along with commentary by editors Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.