A scene from the Rings of Power evokes the Ents, these trees that can talk and walk.
It’s a brief dialogue that may have gone unnoticed in the flood of events in episode 7 of the rings of power. But, with a little attention and some knowledge of Tolkien’s universe, it’s impossible to miss this line. It is a reference to the Ents, these trees capable of moving and speaking, including in the language of other races.
The sequel contains spoilers.
” Trees don’t talk! “. And yet.
The scene is brief. Arrived at their destination, the hobbits of the Pievelus clan are sorry to see the region ravaged by the eruption of the Orodruin volcano. Many trees are charred and the ground is strewn with huge rocks still burning. It is then that the Stranger, this man fallen from the sky, goes to a tree and whispers incomprehensible words to it.
” What is he talking about? “, wonders Melva, who is witnessing a rather unusual sight there. ” It must be a particular language to discuss with the tree “Largo tries. ” Trees don’t talk! “, is surprised, however, his companion. ” Well… it depends which ones! “, he said to him. At no time does anyone utter the word Ent. But it’s crystal clear.
Ents are these very ancient plant creatures. Their origin goes back to a period called “Years of the Trees”, which spanned 1,500 years. In any case, it was at this time that a certain Treebeard appeared, one of the Ents whose name is known. Which means it’s something like 7,500 years old in The Lord of the Rings.
For the record, episode 1 of the Rings of Power briefly features at least three Ents, when from the sky of the Stranger, in a ball of fire giving the impression of seeing a meteor. Passing over a forest, we see, in fact, three trees come to life. It remains to be seen if these trees will play a role in the series or if they are only figurative.
