Hobbits outdo 🧌Orcs vs the trees but why wasn't Tom reffing?

[pgt]

Hobbits outdo Orcs vs the trees but why wasn't Tom reffing?

Couple things wrapped into one as they are sort of related.

In the Shire chapters we learn a little about how the Old Forest 'attacked' the Shire by leaning over the hedge (I'd say more like threatened than actually attacked). The hobbits responded in kind w/ chopping and burning and the bonfire glade and such.

Q: Tom seems to have influence over the tree(s) - why didn't he intervene rather than allow the Hobbits to kill the trees? And why wasn't this incident specifically mentioned or discussed in all of their talk w/ Tom in the Tom chapter (or did I miss it? - I read through it). They spent the ENTIRE DAY talking!

Q: Why did the orcs ultimately get so utterly stomped by Trees in a shut-out victory whereas the Hobbits more than stood their ground? I am presuming some sort of commonality between the Old Forest and Fangorn.

But I'll also hazard a guess. Maybe the difference was the Ent presence. The Old Forest acted maliciously of it's own accord. Whereas the Fangorn trees were finally martialled by the Ents themselves.

Thanks,
-T

PS: And why didn't old man willow make a secret pact w/ the hedge plants - if they came over that they would be set free from their evil Hobbit masters! just kidding

 

[Beleg]

Hmm, I believe that Ent Army consisted of Hurons which were actually former Ents, or atleast closer to Ents in genatic character.
Well, a lot of what Bombadil and Hobbit's discussed is not given in detail in the book. We might never know what matters that chatted upon in that cozy drawing room of Bombadil's! Err, Perhaps at that time Bombadil was busy in some other part of the forest? Or perhaps he was singing one of Goldberry's favorite songs to her and just didn't quite feel upto hard talk?

 

[Celebthôl]

It may have been discussed, but would you go to the Lord of a realm and discuss how you destoyed his very kingdom?
The Ents were more wrathful as they had long endured the Orcs attacks, and there were no Ents in the Old forrest just the huorns (sp) i think, and they were slow and treeish and didnt resist the attacks...

 

[YayGollum]

1. That Tom Bombadil guy seems pretty neutral. He only helped the nasssty hobbitses out because he was actually there and thought it'd be fun.

2. It seems to me to be that the two types of trees are very different. The type in the Old Forest is just some weird kind of maze that leads people to Old Man Willow so he can eat them. The Fangorn type are just achingly aggressive spirits in trees. Weird. Looks like that Old Man Willow guy controls all of the Old Forest type. Looks like noone was controlling the Fangorn type.

 

[Lantarion]

Perhaps you have a point, Yay.
Could it be possible that Old Man Willow was a (still quite lively) Huorn, whereas the other trees in the Old Forest were become 'treelike' and had lost all their "Huorniness" D), and that Old Man Willow really did have some control over the other trees of the forest?

 

[YayGollum]

Well, no, I'm thinking that those Huorn types are a lot different from Old Man Willow. I had this crazy theory that got shot down a while ago that Old Man Willow was the one Ent that left with the Entwives and they got old and turned into easily controllable trees and he got them to be a maze so he could toss sleepiness on people so he wouldn't fall asleep like everyone else. oh well. I never thought that the Huorn types were very sentient and Old Man Willow seems pretty sentient to me. Whoops!

 

[Tar-Elendil13]

I think old man willow is a huorn, not an ent. Orcs could probably stand their ground against huorns, but not ents. However, orcs fleeing from Helm's Deep did get destroyed by huorns, but probably only because they were fleeing in terror and weren't interested in fighting trees, only running for their lives.

TE13

 

[Alatar]

Omw(old man willow) was not a ent, i mean, try to set treebeard on fire and he will drop kick you to Aman, not try to negoiate useing hostages.

 

[Arat Macar]

I believe that somewhere in TLOTR someone (Treebeard?) says that Fangorn once streached all the way to the Shire and that the Old Forest was once part of it. Something like a squirel could travel all the way from branch to branch. Anyway, the quasi-sentient trees of the old forest were kin to those of Fangorn. While I feel pretty safe saying OMW was not an Ent, I am not sure what he was (is), one could be pretty treeish and Tom could still talk to you.

 

[HLGStrider]

I think trees have a certain amount of life based on how "civilized" they are. The trees of the Old Forest are surrounded by civilization, so they are somewhat more cowed. Fangorn is isolated, people avoid it, and no one fences it in. The Old Forest is a wild life preserve for somewhat sentient trees. Fangorn is trees in their natural habitat.

Tom, I think, probably didn't notice the incursion of the trees upon the Hobbits, but I imagine when he realized what had happened when the Hobbits came into his land he would have decided the trees deserved it.

You may not notice if your dog is over in the neighbor's yard steeling chickens, but if you find your neighbor on your property chasing your dog with a stick to try and get his chicken back, you would be understanding.

Wouldn't you?

Tom only intervenes outside the forest when summoned directly, I think.

Fangorn has different motivations also. The Old Forest had made an incursion and was being punished. The orcs had made an incursion and were being punished. The punishers have a natural advantage in rage.

Then there is the presence of the Ents, then general ferocity of the trees.

I think all trees in Fangorn were about at the stage of Old Man Oak whereas Old Man Oak was the character of the Old Forest, being one of the few still sentient enough to do mischief. . . and OMO doesn't seem to move while the Hurons can.

 

[ingolmo]

Paranoid Hobbits.
The trees of the Old Forest grow over the hedge and the hobbits think they are being attacked. Tom probably just didn't mention the episode, because none of the four hobbits had done any damage to the trees, and since old man willow had done something to them, he thought that the account was levelled. Or it maybe just slipped out of his mind.