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Question: In Lord of the Rings, what is the origin of the ents?
In *The Lord of the Rings*, the Ents are ancient tree-like beings who act as shepherds of the forests. Their origin is described briefly in Tolkien’s mythology, especially in *The Silmarillion* and referenced in *The Lord of the Rings*. **Origin in Tolkien’s Legendarium:** - **Creation:** The Ents were created by the Vala Yavanna, one of the powers of the world, in response to her fear that her beloved trees and plants would be vulnerable to harm from Elves, Men, and other creatures. She asked Eru Ilúvatar, the supreme deity, to grant sentience and guardianship to some of her trees, so they could defend themselves. - **Gift of Speech and Awakening:** Eru Ilúvatar granted her request and gave life to the Ents. The Elves were the first to teach the Ents to speak, which is why the Entish language is so ancient and complex. - **Early Role:** The Ents’ purpose was to protect the forests and shepherd the trees. Over time, they became increasingly solitary and slow to act. **References in the Books:** - In *The Two Towers*, Treebeard (the oldest and most prominent Ent) mentions that the Ents were awakened by the Elves: “Elves began it, of course, waking trees up and teaching them to speak and learning their tree-talk.” - *The Silmarillion* adds that Yavanna’s prayer to Ilúvatar resulted in the coming of the Ents to protect the forests from possible harm by Dwarves and others. **Summary:** The Ents were created by the Vala Yavanna and given life and consciousness by Eru Ilúvatar to protect the forests of Middle-earth. They were awakened and taught speech by the Elves in the ancient days of the world.
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