Treebeard is an Ent in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Ents are ancient, tree-like beings who guard and shepherd the forests of Middle-earth. Treebeard, whose Elvish name is Fangorn, is the oldest of the Ents encountered in the story. Merry and Pippin meet him in Fangorn Forest after escaping from the Orcs who captured them.
The hobbits help Treebeard understand the danger posed by Saruman’s destruction of trees around Isengard. His anger leads the Ents to hold an Entmoot and eventually march against Saruman’s stronghold. This action becomes one of the major turning points in the war.
Treebeard is sometimes mistakenly called a giant or a wizard because of his enormous size and ancient wisdom. He is neither. Ents are a distinct people, and Tolkien’s account says that the Ents were awakened by the Elves. Their connection with living trees also explains why Treebeard responds so strongly to industrial destruction.