J.R.R. Tolkien called the tree-like beings led by Treebeard Ents.
Ents are ancient shepherds of trees in Tolkien’s mythology. Their name comes from an Old English word meaning giant, and Tolkien’s use of the term connects his invented beings with the language and literature he studied as a philologist.
Treebeard, whose Sindarin name is Fangorn, is the best-known Ent in The Lord of the Rings. He meets Merry and Pippin in Fangorn Forest and helps awaken the Ents to the threat posed by Saruman’s industrial destruction.
The Ents’ assault on Isengard is one of the story’s major turning points. Tolkien distinguishes Ents from ordinary trees, while also presenting them as a people whose long deliberations reflect their immense age. Their female counterparts, the Entwives, disappeared before the events of the main narrative.