My first question is something that I've wondered about, either having missed it in the stories or forgotten.
When Yavanna created the trees, did she create the Ents, or did they sort of develop on their own? I don't really understand fully how they came about.
-- Edited by Laurelin on Wednesday 31st of October 2012 01:55:58 AM
They were Tree-herds, evidently trees inhabited by spirits summoned by the thought of Yavanna to be the guardians of the Olvar until the Dominion of Men.
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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
Ok, I understand about Yavanna putting spirits into the trees. But, the ones who are tree-herders in The Two Towers who seemed to be in charge of the wood that appeared outside Helm's Deep did not seem to be Ents in the same way that Treebeard and Quickbeam and all the others at the Entmoot were Ents.
Treebeard talks about some Ents becoming more tree-ish. I'm guessing that means their spirit went dormant, but they were not completely incommunicado. I guess I'm a little confused on there being such a variety of Ent-type trees.
Old Man Willow is considered to be in the "Individual Plants" Category, like the Hirilorn. Old Man Willow is a sapient willow from the Old Forest to the east of the Shire. When the company of Frodo Baggins was passing nearby, Old Man Willow cast a spell of sleep upon them, trapping them; the hobbits were saved by Tom Bombadil, so it would seem that he was sapient, but not a Shepherd of the Trees. As to the Huorns, they were an enigma. They may have been given special abilities from the Ents, to do just what they were doing at Helm's Deep. Or maybe, if we wanted to speculate a little more, from the Powers that Be.
Laurelin, you have a set of books, I am sure, to delve in and find out stuff, right? Many people here take me as the "Resident Scholar" which I am not. There are many people with a lot me dedication and knowledge here then yours truly. Bear for one, Glorfindel and MoS are also very knowledgeable and we all got there by reading, researching and introspection. Please don't think that I know everything, because I do not. Only lately have I realized how little I really know and how much more study I have to do, to just be on the Level of several of our other members.
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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
