Treebeard
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Treebeard or (Sindarin) Fangorn is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. He is the oldest of the Ents, tree-like beings who are the "shepherds 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. Under their influence, he causes the downfall and imprisonment of Saruman, the head of the Istari. He lives in Fangorn Forest, which is named after him (or he after it).
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[edit] In the narrative
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Angered over Saruman's orcs cutting down of his trees, Treebeard is instrumental in bringing about Saruman's end as a key player in the War of the Ring by persuading his fellow Ents to attack his stronghold, Isengard, during a great gathering called the Entmoot.
He also gives Merry and Pippin a special drink called ent-draught, which makes them grow taller.
After the destruction of Isengard, he and his fellow Ents keep watch over Saruman, whom they have cornered in his tower of Orthanc. However, Saruman talks him into letting him go, which would have dire consequences for the Shire.
[edit] Character
Like all Ents, Treebeard takes a long time to make a decision (though he had already decided to fight Saruman before the hobbits meet him). Although Ents can make up their mind quickly, they take a long time going over all the details on which to make the decision. He repeatedly speaks of not "being hasty". Since he is hardly ever pressed for time he'll never ask anyone to say or do anything faster (in fact encouraging the opposite). 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.
It has been theorized that many of Treebeard's mannerisms were 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 DVD's of Peter Jackson's film adaptations). [citation needed]
[edit] Age
The first Ents were created by Ilúvatar immediately after Aulë created the Dwarves, at the behest of Yavanna, knowing that they would be wont to fell trees. It is unknown whether the Ents were made to sleep until the Awakening of the Elves, similar to the Dwarves, or if they were allowed to roam in the forests. On the one hand, Ilúvatar wanted his children to be the first besides the Ainur to walk in Middle-earth. On the other hand, Treebeard says he is the oldest being in Middle-earth. The words of Treebeard seem to overrule the logic of Ilúvatar, though this may be accounted for in the fact that after the creation of the Dwarves Ilúvatar forced Aulë to send them into a stasis-like state because the Elves were to be his firstborn.
If Treebeard awoke at the same time as the first Elf, he would have been about 11344 years old on Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday, in 3001 T.A.. It is not recorded precisely how long before the First Age the Dwarves or the Ents were first created.
[edit] Statue
There are plans to erect a statue of Treebeard, by Tim Tolkien, J.R.R.'s great-nephew, near the latter's former home in Moseley, Birmingham.
[edit] 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 played by Brian Amidei in the Lifeline Theatre's 1999 production of The Two Towers.
In Peter Jackson's films The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), 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.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the Ents at the Entmoot initially decline Merry and Pippin's request for help. Treebeard is carrying the hobbits through the forest, when Pippin gets an idea. He asks Treebeard to carry them towards 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 chopped down to serve as fuel for Saruman's war machine. Treebeard then howls in anger and summons the other Ents, who apparently come out of nowhere. They attack Isengard and manage to flood it. In the book, the Ents decide to attack Saruman without any such coercion.
