Ents are the fictional tree-like race represented by Treebeard in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Treebeard, whose Elvish name is Fangorn, is one of the oldest Ents. He meets Merry and Pippin in Fangorn Forest and helps lead the Ents against Isengard after learning about Saruman’s destruction of trees.
Tolkien’s Ents are sentient shepherds of trees. Their name echoes the Old English word ent, meaning a giant or other powerful being, and their slow speech and long memory reflect their age. The Ents’ march on Isengard is one of the major turning points in The Two Towers.
Huorns are related but distinct tree-like beings, described as more mysterious and less communicative. The Entwives, meanwhile, are the female Ents who became separated from the Ents and were later lost, so they are not a separate race.