J.R.R. Tolkien created the Ents to tend the forests of Middle-earth.
Ents are ancient, tree-like shepherds who protect forests and watch over the Huorns and other trees. Their name comes from an Old English word meaning “giant,” connecting Tolkien’s invention with the language and literature he studied.
Treebeard, also called Fangorn, is the most prominent Ent in The Lord of the Rings. He leads the Ents against Isengard after learning how Saruman’s Orcs are destroying the surrounding woodland.
Tolkien said the Ents partly answered his childhood desire to see trees take action against machines and destruction. The Ents are not simply talking trees: they are a distinct people with their own language, history, and slow-moving society.