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Tolkien R.J.J
Rivendell
Aug 17 2021, 11:58pm
Post #1 of 8
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Depiction of Ents
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So I am reading through TT at the moment and I am trying to get a visualization of the ents. Alan Lee and john howe are my two favorite artists, and they both depict the ents to varying degrees with many branches, leaves, etc coming off the top of the head and back area of their ents. I was just wondering what the justification was for this, or is it simply part of the "treeish" look they assumed.
thanks
“I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humour (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome); I go to bed late and get up late.”
J.R.R Tolkien
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squire
Half-elven
Aug 18 2021, 12:39am
Post #2 of 8
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Tolkien, with his usual economy, barely describes the Ents. To supplement the sparse text, I guess every fan has their own visual image, influenced by fan art, the New Line films, and their own preferences and imaginations about the fantasy genre.
For myself I much prefer a more humanoid form, taking into account Tolkien's references to bark-like skin and twig-like beard roots. The Ents are one of the Free Peoples, like the Elves, Men, Dwarves and Hobbits, as they themselves say in their list-song that Treebeard recites to Merry and Pippin, so they should look like a variation on the Children of Eru.
To me, they should be very tall men of different weights and heights and types of hair and coloring, in line with the different families of trees that they tend - but they should not look like walking trees with branches and leaves as you have noted in Lee and Howe's interpretations (not to mention very many others).
I admit there are several weaknesses to my ideas - one is that when Treebeard was standing on his hill behind the two hobbits he appeared much more like a tree than a man; and Treebeard notes that some Ents have become "tree-ish" in a kind of metamorphosis.
My best response is that, as we know that shape-shifting is possible in Middle-earth (Beorn, Radagast, Luthien, etc.), it would seem that Ents can, if they wish, assume a far more treelike form under certain circumstances.
It's not ideal, but one artist's approach that agrees with mine, I think, is that of the late Angus McBride, below:
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Archive: All the TORn Reading Room Book Discussions (including the 1st BotR Discussion!) and Footerama: "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
Dr. Squire introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
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Elthir
Grey Havens
Aug 18 2021, 4:33pm
Post #3 of 8
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I admit there are several weaknesses to my ideas - one is that when Treebeard was standing on his hill behind the two hobbits he appeared much more like a tree than a man;
Yet mistaken for an old stump "with only two branches left" (and) . . . "it almost looked like the figure of some gnarled old man" -- thus, I'd say two arms and not all branchy.
and Treebeard notes that some Ents have become "tree-ish" in a kind of metamorphosis.
In general our vision of Ents seem similar, with me avoiding this latter question by referring to the Ents of Entmoot . . . and so far, that is, (yet another Nature of Middle-Earth alert).
But fingers and toes? Anything from three to nine!
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Elthir
Grey Havens
Aug 18 2021, 4:47pm
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I vaguely recall a response from JRRT about him not being able to draw an Ent (at least very well) -- I think it was in response to a request from the then Princess of Denmark.
Or something else. Or not at all. Anyone? Anyone. Bueller?
I think JRRT briefly responded with something like: when moving, Ents were very difficult to catch, and when standing still, look just like trees. Well, if so, I realize "just like trees" could be interpreted to contradict my current vision of the Entmooters . . . but still, I'd like to know if I imagined this or not.
I once thought it was in that cool show show with Christopher Tolkien, Tom Shippey, V. Flieger, Judi Dench and others . . . but I still couldn't find it!
Help?
Drat: in my earlier post that should read: our vision of Ents "seems" similar.
(This post was edited by Elthir on Aug 18 2021, 4:51pm)
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Tolkien R.J.J
Rivendell
Aug 18 2021, 4:53pm
Post #5 of 8
(950 views)
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Gives me much to think on. I think for one variation is vital since that is what merry and pip noticed first at the moot. So perhaps there is no one ent and most depictions could find a place within Tolkien's descriptions.
“I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humour (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome); I go to bed late and get up late.”
J.R.R Tolkien
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Elthir
Grey Havens
Aug 19 2021, 10:14pm
Post #6 of 8
(892 views)
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I just found a post by me on the web (2014) that reads:
For a TV special (the one with Dame Judi Dench) the Tolkien family lawyer Dick Williamson read aloud JRRT's response to a letter from 7 year old Leslie Underwood, who had asked if he could draw an ent and the flag of Numenor. There's a bit more to the letter and the response, but here's the part I've now got written down (guessing at the punctuation).
"I'm afraid I'm not very good at drawing and I do not feel able to produce an ent, or the flag or Numenor. An ent, in any case, when moving is very difficult to catch, and when not moving looks just like a tree." JRRT
Okayyyy . . . but I just watched that program on youtube and it wasn't there!
Wha?
The Queen of Denmark was there, though 
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noWizardme
Half-elven
Aug 25 2021, 11:37am
Post #7 of 8
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For not the first time, I think I might be lucky not to need to imagine characters all that visually. Tolkien is not all that helpful to readers who do!
~~~~~~
My profile picture is "Kaninchen und Ente" ("Rabbit and Duck") from the 23 October 1892 issue of Fliegende Blätter (see https://en.wikipedia.org/...2%80%93duck_illusion )
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