Treebeard

Treebeard (Sindarin: "Fangorn") is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The eldest of the species of Ents, he is said to live in the ancient Forest of Fangorn and stands fourteen feet in height and is tree-like in appearance, with leafy hair and a rigid structure. [http://www.tuckborough.net/treebeard.html Treebeard ] ] Fangorn Forest lies next to Isengard where Saruman the White resides. In the "The Two Towers" he meets with Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, two Hobbits of the Shire known also as Merry and Pippin. Treebeard is known to have a strong hatred of Orcs, and, after Saruman's betrayal of the Ents, of Saruman as well.

Literature

Spirits were sent by Eru Ilúvatar to inhabit the trees, which the Vala Yavana had created along with other plants or "olvars". The Vala longed for their protection since Morgoth or "Melkor" was destroying the trees and olvars, which could not defend themselves from him. The Ents were created by Ilúvatar at the behest of Yavanna as the "Shepherds of the Forest" or "Tree-herders". Entwives were also created for the Ents, but, in the Second Age, were driven out by Sauron. ["The Silmarillion" - "Of Aule and Yavanna" p. 46 and "Of the Ruin of Doriath" p. 235]

Treebeard is the oldest of three remaining original Ents.cite book |title= The Two Towers |last= Tolkien |first= J.R.R. |authorlink= J.R.R. Tolkien|year= |publisher= |isbn= ] He is said to have once roamed all of the forests in Middle-earth, which included the Misty Mountains, Mirkwood, and the Blue Mountains. After the loss of the Entwives by the end of the Third Age, he and the remaining Ents dwelled in the Forest of Fangorn. This led the remaining Ents into isolation and all information from the outside world was cut off. The arrival of Merry and Pippin shifted Treebeard's attention to take action against Saruman for hacking down his trees. He led the Ents to war against Saruman and his Orcs. Treebeard later realised that while Saruman had learned much from him, the Wizard had shared no useful information of his own.

Treebeard had been friends with Saruman. It is described in "The Two Towers" that Saruman travelled with Treebeard and had talked with him on various subjects of concern. Saruman gathered information from Treebeard about the Forest of Fangorn; its inter-twinning paths were of particular concern to him. Saruman later abandoned Treebeard, choosing to stay in Isengard and build an army for Sauron.

After Merry and Pippin's meeting with Treebeard, Treebeard called a meeting of the Entmoot — which lasted three days — who then decided to call an attack on Isengard and Saruman. [http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/ents.html#Fangorn Ents ] ] Since Leaflock and Skinbark were the oldest of the Ents along with Treebeard, they refused to fight, however, Treebeard thought he was going to his doom during "the last march of the Ents." Treebeard hoped that some of the younger Ents would come instead of just the two, and, during the night he spread the word. They later launched an assault on Isengard.

After Treebeard ordered the Ents to march to Isengard, the Ents felled Saruman's walls and destroyed every object in and around Isengard; the Tower of Orthanc could not be breached, but Saruman was trapped within. Treebeard stopped the attack on the tower when he realised their efforts were in vain: the tower was too strong. The Ents were ordered to unleash the waters of the River Isen, which flooded Isengard. When Merry and Pippin departed Treebeard he requested them to watch for the Entwives. At one point in the book, Tolkien gives hints on the whereabouts of the Entwives. It is speculated that they were spotted by Samwise Gamgee's cousin Hal in the North Farthing. However, this may or may not be conjecture:

In the Years of the Trees where the Ents were thriving in 1495 Morgoth had re-established his realm in Middle-earth. With this the Entwives had moved across to the east where Anduin lay. Treebeard's Entwife Fimbrethil was driven from her land and the two were separated forever. This may have been the dominant cause of the loss of the Entwives and the loss of the Entings. ["The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien" - Letters #144 and #338 - "Fate of the Entwives" ]

The Elven-realm Lothlórien was situated near the North of Fangorn Forest and Treebeard had met the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim of Lothlórien, who refer to him as "Eldest"."Unfinished Tales" - "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn; Appendix C - The Boundaries of Lórien] This marked the time the Ents and the Elves would be separate. Treebeard had in addition met Galadriel and Celeborn. Over time the Ents and the Elves separated and the Elves had nothing more to do with the business of Ents.

Concept and creation

It has been theorized that many of Treebeard's mannerisms are based on Tolkien's friend C. S. Lewis, a loud, bombastic man known for his powerful stride and overwhelming presence (as is discussed in the commentary on the DVDs of Peter Jackson's film adaptations).

Portrayal in adaptations

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. Treebeard was originated onstage by Brian Amidei in the Lifeline Theatre's 1999 production of "The Two Towers".

In Peter Jackson's films ' (2002) and ' (2003), 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. The Ents at the Entmoot decline Merry and Pippin's request for help. Treebeard is carrying the Hobbits through Fangorn Forest when Pippin gets an idea: he asks Treebeard to carry them toward Isengard, because that is the "last place" Saruman would look for them. When Treebeard gets close to the forest's edge, he sees the devastation wrought by Saruman's Orcs. The trees have all been hacked down to serve as fuel for Saruman's war machines. Treebeard, in anger, summons the other Ents, who come out of the forest. They attack Isengard and flood it. Treebeard, in addition, sends the Huorns to attack Saruman's Orcs at Helm's Deep.

There are plans to erect a statue of Treebeard by Tim Tolkien, J.R.R. Tolkien's great-nephew, near his great-uncle's former home in Moseley, Birmingham. There is also a statue of an Ent which looks very similar to Treebeard, in Grizdale Forest, Cumbria.

Treebeard also makes an appearance in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" video game as an unplayable character. Treebeard was due to appear in the "Lord of the Rings: The Treason of Isengard" video game as a temporary playable character during the destruction of Isengard, however, this never happened because the game was ultimately cancelled.

In the "Battle for Middle Earth" series of video games, Treebeard appears as a purchasable hero for the forces of light.

In the Top Trumps games franchise card game the age stated of Treebeard is 17,051 years. [Top Trumps card game ISBN-5-036905-004060]

On the "Dawn in Rivendell" (the Tolkien Ensemble) compact disc, Treebeard is voiced by Christopher Lee.

ee also

*Old Man Willow
*Fangorn
*Alan Lee
*Huorn

References

External links

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