Origin of the Ents

by Varda-(Valar)
July 15, 2001

Back to Ents

    Yavanna feared for her works, since Melkor had marred so many of them. She told Manwe her fear, asking if nothing of her making would "be free from the dominion of others". He asked what she would reserve, and she answered for the olvar, the plants, for they could not flee as could the kelvar , the animals. She wanted the trees to speak for all those with roots, and punish those who wronged them. She told Manwe what she remembered of such trees in the Song:

    "For while thou wert in the heavens and with Ulmo built the clouds and poured out the rains, I lifted up the branches of great trees to receive them, and some sang to Iluvatar amid the wind and the rain."
    Manwe considered, given a vision by Eru Iluvatar as he did so, then told Yavanna of what he had learned:
"When the Children awake, then the thought of Yavanna will awake also, and it will summon spirits from afar, and they will go among the kelvar and the olvar, and some will dwell therein, and be held in reverence, and their just anger shall be feared. For a time: while the Firstborn are in their power, and while the Secondborn are young."
    Then he speaks of the eagles separately of eagles flying before the Children awake. When speaking of where the eagles and the others will be housed, he says,"
    "But in the forests shall walk the Shepherds of the Trees."
    Much relieved, Yavanna returns home and meets Aule in his smithy, passing on what she had learned:
    "Eru is bountiful," she said. "Let thy children beware! For there shall walk a power in the forests whose wrath they will arouse at their peril."
    "Nevertheless they will have need of wood," said Aule, and he went on with his smith-work.
    The first Children to awake would be the elves, the second were men, for time line purposes. The children of Aule are the dwarves, who awaken later officially.

Reference: Silmarillion
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