Treebeard

Treebeard or (Sindarin) Fangorn is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. He is the oldest of the Ents, a tree-like being who is a sort of "shepherd of trees". Very tall and stiff-limbed, with bark-like skin and leafy hair, he befriends Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) and Peregrin Took (Pippin) after they escape from Orcs. He lives in Fangorn forest, which is named after him (or he after it).

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Like most Ents, Treebeard takes a long time to make up his mind. He repeatedly speaks of not "being hasty". The Ents at the Entmoot first declines Merry and Pippin's request for help. Treebeard are carrying the hobbits through the Fangorn Forest, when the hobbits get an idea. They ask Treebeard to carry them to them towards Isengard, because that is the last place Saruman would look for them. When Treebeard gets close to the forest edge, he realises that it's gone. The trees have all been chopped down by Sarumans orcs, serving as fire for the industry. Then he makes a momentous decision and calls for the other Ents. They attack Isengard and manage to flood it.

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Treebeard is described as the oldest being in Middle-earth, which is the cause of some confusion as Tom Bombadil is also called oldest. Treebeard however says that there are trees in Fangorn that are 'older than he'. The general consensus is that Treebeard is the oldest "living thing" in Middle-earth, as Tom Bombadil isn't exactly a member of any race.

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It has been theorized that many of Treebeard's manerisms were based on Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis, a loud, bombastic man known for his powerful stride and overwhelming presence.

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In the film, ', Treebeard is a combination of a large animatronic model and a CGI construct; his voice is performed by John Rhys-Davies, who also plays Gimli.

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Treebeard also appears briefly at the beginning of '

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Sindarin: Sindarin is an artificial language (or conlang) developed by J. R. R. Tolkien. In Tolkien's mythos, it was the Elvish language most commonly spoken in Middle-earth in the Third Age. It was the language of the Sindar, those Teleri which had been left behind on the Great Journey of the Elves. It was d...

J. R. R. Tolkien: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973) is the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings....

Middle-earth: Middle-earth is the name used for the inhabitable parts of J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional Arda (ancient Earth) where the (canonical) stories in his legendarium take place. "Middle-earth" is a literal translation of the Old English term middangeard, referring to this world, the habitable lands of men. T...