The Old English word ent inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s name for his tree-like beings.
In Old English, ent means a giant or monstrous being. Tolkien encountered the word in the poem Maxims II, which includes the phrase “eald enta geweorc,” usually translated as “the ancient work of giants.” He adapted ent into his mythology for the shepherds of the trees.
Tolkien’s Ents appear most prominently in The Two Towers. Treebeard, also called Fangorn, is the best-known Ent, and the Ents’ decision to attack Isengard becomes one of the story’s important turning points.
Ents are not simply talking trees in a generic fairy-tale sense. Tolkien gave them their own language, long memories, distinctive pace, and concern for the destruction of forests. Their role also reflects Tolkien’s recurring interest in ancient landscapes and the consequences of industrial exploitation.