Treebeard is an Ent in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. He is the oldest of the Ents, tree-like beings who guard and care for the forests of Middle-earth.
Treebeard’s Elvish name is Fangorn, and the forest where he lives also bears that name. Merry and Pippin meet him after escaping from the Orcs who captured them. Their conversation helps awaken the Ents’ concern about Saruman’s destruction of Fangorn and the surrounding lands.
The Ents gather for an Entmoot, a formal council, to decide whether they will act against Isengard. Their eventual march on Saruman’s fortress becomes one of the major turning points in the War of the Ring. Treebeard’s slow speech and deliberation reflect the Ents’ ancient perspective rather than simple indecision.
Treebeard is sometimes confused with a giant tree or a wizard because of his great age and power. In Tolkien’s classification, however, he is an Ent: a sentient guardian of trees, distinct from Orcs, Trolls, and the angelic Maiar.