Kevin's Watch

I've never read Lord of the Rings. I don't know why, but the description of the story just never appealed to me. Except for the Ent; I find them very interesting. I'm fascinated why they aren't just "the trees" rather than the Ent.

So, how does Tolkien describe them? Does he describe them as half plant and half animal, or does he approach it more fantastical and simply refer to them as walking trees?

For that matter, are there any other authors that write about "mobile" trees? I always felt like Donaldson implied mobility, but never actually went in to it - that was an interesting way to do it.

I don't have the books in front of me, so I can't give you direct quotes, but generally the ents are described as "tree-ish" beings - skin like tree bark, hair like leaves, appendages like branches etc. There's also a lot of description of the depth of their voices and the depth of their eyes. They're tree-like beings, but not trees. They are referred to as shepards of the trees.

The Huorns, however, are much closer to actual trees. These are probably not-quite sentient tree-like beings that the ents herd. The moveable forest is largely Huorns, since there are a limited number of Ents.

In the Silmarillion there are legends about the elves "waking" trees by talking to them in ancient times - it's possible that these are the ents. It's also implied that the ents may be members of the Maiar - JRRT's lowest order of divine beings - sent to protect the members plant kingdom from harm.

Very cool. Sounds like there's more depth than what I imagined there would be.

Thanks.

There are sentient & mobile trees in the Narnia books, there are both nice and nasty tree-like beings over in Pantheon too

No. There are only nasty tree-shaped things over in Pantheon. No relation to trees.

But let's not forget about the living trees on H.R. Pufinstuff.

I have a deep and abiding love for trees and any beings associated with trees. Stands to reason, doesn't it?

I also love trees. (The shirt I'm wearing right now says "Trees are 4 hugging", and I do. )

ParanoiA wrote:Very cool. Sounds like there's more depth than what I imagined there would be.

Thanks.

Believe me, that's quite an understatement!! You've got to read Tolkien. Get past the Shire chapters, and you will be amazed.

If anyone's interested, Tolkein's inspiration for the Ents actually came from Shakespeare.

In Macbeth, there's a prophecy about a certain forest coming to the castle... Tolkein hated Shakespeare's method of fulfilling that prophecy, and decided he would do things right

(From the bio I read on him; don't remember who wrote it, though).

It has been a long time since I read the Silmarillion now, but in one of the first chapters there is the story about Aûle and Yavanna which mostly concerns itself with the creation of dwarves. But there are some implications that the Ents might be creatures that Yavanna created to care for her beloved forests. This could mean that they were like the Wizards (Istari) but much older, or it could mean that they were one of the races of Middle Earth from the beginning.

Rigel wrote:If anyone's interested, Tolkein's inspiration for the Ents actually came from Shakespeare.

In Macbeth, there's a prophecy about a certain forest coming to the castle... Tolkein hated Shakespeare's method of fulfilling that prophecy, and decided he would do things right

Treebeard might well be Tolkien himself. The way Alfred Hitchcock would put himself in his films, it's possible Tolkien used this character to instil a sense of realism within the story.

As Pippin often tried to describe the Ent:
'Under those eyes there was a curious feeling of suspense, but not fear. One felt as if there was an enormous well behind them; like sun shimmering on the ripples of a very deep lake'.

Flooding the Isenguard gives meaning as to why the Ents did what they did. More an emotional meaning than merely reasons of revenge for Saruman's betrayal.

ParanoiA wrote:So, how does Tolkien describe them? Does he describe them as half plant and half animal, or does he approach it more fantastical and simply refer to them as walking trees?

Ents didn't have knees and so were unable to sit in a chair.
I'm reminded of Scout Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird, on her way home from the school pageant still wearing the 'ham' costume, her eyes peeping through the cut-out-shaped letterbox.