Ent

In Tolkien's legendarium Ents are an ancient order of living beings tied into the created world of Arda. Their existence is framed by the cosmology in which the Vala Yavanna (appealing to Manwë and the Valar) sought protection for growing things; Ents stand as shepherds of trees within that scheme and are recognized as part of the created order rather than as later spirits or spirits of dead trees.

Ents are described as giant, humanoid and tree-like, yet distinct from ordinary trees. Individual Ents vary in appearance according to the kinds of trees they shepherd: some resemble oak or beech, others chestnut, ash, fir, birch, linden, or rowan. Treebeard, the chief Ent of Fangorn, is given as an example: about 14 feet (4 m) tall, 'man-like, almost troll-like', clad in what might be tree-bark, with a bushy 'almost twiggy' beard and deep penetrating eyes; he is noted to have seven toes, a trait specific to him rather than universal to all Ents. Ents possess extraordinarily tough, somewhat treelike skin and variable limb proportions reflecting their arboreal affinities.

Ents are very long-lived, patient, and deliberative beings who shepherd trees and forests. They were taught speech by the Elves, a formative cultural gift. When enraged or 'roused', Ents can display great physical power: accounts describe them tearing rock and stone and, in the Last March of the Ents, ripping down the walls of Isengard 'like bread-crust'. They are portrayed as more powerful than Trolls in Tolkien's text. Ents also show complex social behavior, holding formal deliberative gatherings (Entmoots) to decide collective action. They are vulnerable to fire and to axe-strokes or cutting implements (as used by Saruman's forces) despite their tough skin.