Treebeard

• 1. The Forest Of Fangorn

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  At the southern end of the Misty Mountains, a vast and humid forest stretches for many miles. The River Limlight flows from these woods to form the northern border of Rohan before merging into the great Anduin. To the south, the Entwash spreads deep into the forest arriving from Methedras, a mountainous region near the mountains. This river then flows through Rohan to the great river, the Anduin. The valley of Derndingle lies to the southwest where one of Treebeard's homes exists in Wellinghall. Trunks and branches of many kinds grow thick here, allowing little light to penetrate the gloom. Huorns live deep within this forest like Ents but remain more discreet. The Ents and Huorns drink from the river Entwash to brew their legendary drink known as Ent-draughts.

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• 2. Shepherds Of Trees

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  Ents were created in the Elder Days to be the Shepherds of the Trees. They protected trees from the anticipated destruction that Dwarves would cause. In The Lord of the Rings, Treebeard recounts how the Ents were awakened and taught to speak by the Elves. He says that only three Ents remain from the Elder Days: himself, Leaflock and Skinbark. He recalls when he could walk through the woods of Middle-earth for days. He sings a song about roaming the woods of Middle-earth, naming regions of Beleriand which were destroyed in the war with Morgoth. These regions now lie beneath the waves. There are valleys in Fangorn forest where the Great Darkness never lifted. The trees in these valleys are older than he is.

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• 3. The Hobbit Encounter

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  In The Two Towers, Treebeard meets with Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took, two Hobbits of the Shire. This meeting proves to have consequences that contribute significantly to the story. Treebeard learns that the hobbits think that Gandalf is dead, though apparently he knows otherwise. He takes them to a place called Wellinghall where the hobbits tell him their adventures. They speak of Saruman's treachery and his plans to become a Power. Treebeard replies that there is something very big going on that he can see. He comments that the hobbits seem to be caught up in a great storm. He muses that he must do something since Saruman never told him anything. He realizes that Saruman is plotting evil by taking up with Orcs. He wonders why there are so many Orcs in his woods and why they bear sunlight. He is angered by trees being felled to feed the fires of Orthanc.

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• 4. The Last March

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  Treebeard announces that they will drink and then go to the Entmoot, a gathering of Ents. The gathering lasts three days before ending with all the Ents shouting. They sing a marching song and stride to Isengard with Treebeard in the lead. Huorns follow, marching as they later discover to the Battle of Helm's Deep. The Ents arrive at Isengard as Saruman's army is leaving and wait until it has gone. Treebeard bangs on the gates and shouts for Saruman to come forth. Saruman refuses and the Ents attack. They reduce the outer walls to rubble and destroy much of what is inside. Treebeard gets the Ents to divert the river Isen. This action drowns the ruined fortress and its underground furnaces and workshops. Saruman is left in the impregnable tower surrounded by water and watchful Ents.

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• 5. Etymological Roots Of Names

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  In Sindarin, one of Tolkien's Elvish languages, Fangorn is a compound of fanga meaning beard and orne meaning tree. It is the equivalent of the English name Treebeard. The Riders of Rohan called Fangorn Forest the Entwood, the wood of the Ents. Treebeard gave it various names in Quenya, another Elvish language. Ambaróna means uprising, sunrise, orient from amba meaning upwards and róna meaning east. Aldalómë means tree twilight from alda meaning tree and lómë meaning dusk or twilight. Tauremorna means gloomy forest from taur meaning forest and morna meaning gloomy. Tauremornalómë means gloomy twilight forest. These linguistic constructions reveal how Tolkien wove multiple layers of meaning into the geography of Middle-earth.

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• 6. Medieval Literary Echoes

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  The word Ent was taken from the Old English ent or eoten meaning giant. Tolkien borrowed the word from a phrase in the Anglo-Saxon poems The Ruin and Maxims II. That phrase reads orthanc enta geweorc which translates to cunning work of giants. This describes Roman ruins in Britain. The philologist and Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey notes that Treebeard says farewell to the elf-rulers Celeborn and Galadriel with great reverence. He uses words echoing a line in the Middle English poem Pearl: We meten so selden by stok other stone. Where in Pearl the mention of stock and stone means in earthy reality, Shippey writes that the phrase fits the Fangorn context well. Treebeard's sense of ultimate loss naturally centres on felled trees and barren ground.

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• 7. Environmental Ethics Interpretation

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  Matthew T. Dickerson and Jonathan Evans see Treebeard as vocalizing a vital part of Tolkien's environmental ethic. They argue for the need to preserve and look after every kind of wild place especially forests. Tolkien's biographer John Garth writes that a deep feeling for trees is Tolkien's most distinctive response to the natural world. Professorial figure Shippey who like Tolkien had been a university professor writes that Fangorn's explanations are authoritative and indeed professorial. They admit no denial. Humphrey Carpenter wrote that Treebeard's deep booming voice with his hrum hoom mannerism was based on that of Tolkien's friend C. S. Lewis. This connection highlights how real-world relationships influenced the character's development.

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• 8. Adaptations And Voice Portrayals

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  Treebeard has inspired artists and illustrators such as Inger Edelfeldt, John Howe, Ted Nasmith, Anke Eißmann, and Alan Lee. In Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, John Westbrook provided the voice of Treebeard. Stephen Thorne voiced the character in BBC Radio's 1981 serialization. In Peter Jackson's films The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King, Treebeard is a combination of a large animatronic model and a CGI construct. His voice is performed by John Rhys-Davies who also portrays Gimli. Jackson's interpretation makes him far more suspicious of the Hobbits than Tolkien does. He becomes far more reluctant to go to war with Saruman until he sees the damage done to the forest. A 6-metre-high sculpture of Treebeard by Tolkien's great-nephew Tim Tolkien received planning permission in Birmingham where Tolkien grew up. On The Tolkien Ensemble's album At Dawn in Rivendell, Treebeard is voiced by Christopher Lee.

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