Ents are a fictional race from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth. These Ents are very different from traditional Ents, appearing as humanoid trees. They appear to have been inspired by the talking trees of many of the world's folklores. See tree (mythology) for more information.

As with Hobbit, Ent is a term that in modern times is almost exclusively connected with J. R. R. Tolkien, and the usage of the term seldom evokes in people its earlier meanings.

Etymology

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The word "Ent" was taken from Anglo-Saxon, where it means "giant". (Tolkien extracted the word from the Anglo-Saxon poetry fragments orþanc enta geweorc = "work of cunning giants" and eald enta geweorc = "old work of giants", which described Roman ruins; see Orthanc). In this sense of the word, Ents are probably the most ubiquitous of all creatures in fantasy and folklore, perhaps second only to dragons. The word Ent as it is historically used can refer to any number of large, roughly humanoid creatures, including, but not limited to, giants, trolls, orcs, and even Grendel from the poem Beowulf.

In this meaning of the word, Ents are one of the staples of fantasy and folklore/mythology, alongside wizards, knights, princesses, and dragons, although modern English-speakers would probably not call them by their traditional name.

Along with Ettin and Old Norse Jotun, "ent" came from Common Germanic etunaz. See Jotun.

Ecology

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Description

Ents are a very old race that appeared in Middle-earth when the Elves did. They were apparently created by Eru Ilúvatar at the behest of Yavanna after she learned of Aulë's children, the Dwarves, knowing that they would be wont to fell trees. Ents were envisioned as Shepherds of the Trees, to protect the forests from Orcs, Dwarves and other perils. Although the Ents were sentient beings at the time of their awakening, they did not know how to speak until the Elves taught them. Treebeard spoke of the Elves "curing the Ents of their dumbness" that it was a great gift that could not be forgotten ("always wanted to talk to everything, the old Elves did").

Ents are tree-like creatures, having become like the trees that they shepherd. They vary in traits, from everything to height and size, colouring, and the number of fingers and toes. An individual Ent more or less resembles the specific species of tree that they typically guard. For example, Quickbeam guarded Rowan trees and thus looked very much like a Rowan (tall and slender, etc.). In the Third Age of Middle-earth, the forest of Fangorn was apparently the only place Ents still inhabited, although the Ent-like Huorns may still have survived elsewhere, as in the Old Forest.

Treebeard boasted to Merry and Pippin about the strength of the Ents. He said that they were much more powerful than Trolls, which Morgoth (in the Elder Days or First Age) supposedly made as imitations of the Ents, but did not come near to their power. He compares this with how Orcs were Morgoth's imitation of Elves. Ents are tall and very strong, capable of tearing apart rock and stone. Tolkien describes them as tossing great slabs of stone about, and ripping down the walls of Isengard "...like bread-crust."

The Elvish name for Ents is Onodrim, singular Onod. They did not bother to keep their language secret as no other races could master it.

Language

See the main article: Entish

History

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First Age

Almost nothing is known of the early history of the Ents — they apparently lived in and protected the large forests of Middle-earth in previous ages, and they briefly appear near the end of the First Age, attacking a band of Dwarves, apparently summoned by Beren and Lúthien. Treebeard told of a time when apparently all of Eriador was one huge forest and part of his domain, but these immense forests were cut by the Númenóreans of the Second Age, or destroyed in the calamitous War of the Elves and Sauron of the 17th century of the Second Age. Treebeard's statement is also supported by remarks Elrond Half-elven made at the Council of Elrond. Elrond said that "Time was once when a squirrel could carry a nut from tree to tree from Rivendell to the Great Sea...", further indicating that all of Eriador was once a single vast primeval forest, of which Fangorn Forest was just "the Eastern End of it" according to Treebeard.

There used to be Entwives (literally "Ent-women"), but they started to move farther away from the Ents because they liked to plant and control things, so they moved away to the region that would later become the Brown Lands across the Great River Anduin. This area was destroyed by Sauron, and the Entwives disappeared. The Ents looked for them, but have never found them. It is sung by the Ents that one day they will find each other. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Sam Gamgee says his cousin Hal saw a treelike giant in the north of the Shire. When Pippin and Merry tell Treebeard about the Shire, Treebeard says the Entwives would like that land.

At the end of the story after Aragorn is crowned King, he promises Treebeard that the Ents can prosper again and spread to new lands with the threat of Mordor gone. However, Treebeard sadly laments that forests may spread, but the Ents will not, and predicts that the few remaining Ents will remain in Fangorn Forest until they slowly dwindle in number or become treeish.

The March of the Ents

In The Two Towers, the second volume of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the Ents—usually a very patient, deliberate people—do become angry at Saruman, whose armies are cutting down (in their eyes, killing) large numbers of their trees. They convene an Entmoot, a meeting of the Ents of Fangorn Forest at Derndingle.

After lengthy deliberation (though from the perspective of the Ents, this is very quick action), they march on Saruman's fortress at Isengard: the last march of the Ents. They are led by Treebeard, the oldest Ent, and accompanied by the Hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. They destroy Isengard in an all-out assault and trap Saruman in the tower of Orthanc. Tolkien later noted that the destruction of Isengard by the Ents was based on his disappointment in Macbeth; when "Birnham Wood is come to castle Dunsinane", Tolkien was less than thrilled that it amounted to men walking on stage with leaves in their hats. He decided that when he did that scene for himself, he'd do it right.

Statue

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There are plans to erect a statue of Treebeard, by Tim Tolkien, J.R.R.'s great-nephew, near the latter's former home in Moseley, Birmingham see http://www.moseleystatue.org .

Tolkien-like Ents in non-Tolkien fiction

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In fantasy and role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, EverQuest, The Gathering, and the Warcraft PC game series, Tolkien-like Ents are known as Treants or Treefolk, for copyright reasons (much like Hobbits are only referred to as Halflings in D&D and EverQuest). Tolkien-like Ents are also depicted in the MMORPG RuneScape, the console role-playing game Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, as well as the real-time strategy game The Fallen Lords. In all their incarnations, these tree-people are very close in spirit to their Tolkienesque forebears, although D&D has also explored the concept of corrupt trees and tree-like monsters (akin to Old Man Willow and the huorns of Fangorn).

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