What are we talking about today? Ents. Have you ever seen one? Perhaps, perhaps not. Living in Rohan one might say that you have travelled through Fangorn at least once in your life, but truthfully, that is not exactly the case. The forest is far to dense for a nice picknick amongst the trees, but alas.

Treegarth is perhaps where you will get more lucky, but we shall come to that later.

What is an Ent? Good question. Trees are living beings just like you and I (and yes, that means you should treat them with the respect you wish to receive from them as well). Ents, however, are sentient beings. They walk and talk just like us. They were created by Yavanna as the Shepherds of all other trees. Were they also created to protect the trees from dwarves? Well, that is perhaps a little painful thing from the past. Let's leave that for now, shall we?

While Ents were created by Yavanna, the male Ents were devoted to Oromë. The Entwives, or female ents were devoted to Yavanna. And yes, you might ask, female Ents? They do exist, or existed. Sadly one has not seen one in many, many centuries. The males said they lost them, and word goes they might have disappeared when Beleriand disappeared beneath the sea. We don't know, sadly.

Ents, in general, are in far lesser numbers than they once had been. Once upon a time nearly all of Eriador was forest and an Entish domain. They spread, however. To Belerian, to the lands that later would be known as the Brown Lands. Many forests, however, disappeared due to the greed of men, dwarves, and foul creatures alike. Wars destroyed many plains and with it the trees and Ents who inhabited it.

Arriving in the Third Age, the only place that still inhabited Ents was Fangorn Forest. Ent-like trees like Huorns (although often malicious in their acts) were found elsewhere, like the Old Forest. With the disappearance of the Entwives there is no hope of ever seeing an Entling, which makes Ents a dying race.

Now, and long after the destruction of Isengard you might still find an Ent in the Treegarth of Orthanc, although their numbers are dwindling. Till today, it is the only Entish realm in Middle-Earth.

Here is to hoping the Entwives return, one day...