THE ORIGIN AND BEING OF THE ENTS AND AWAKENED TREES:
(8/6/2022 - This post has now been revised a bit to include clarification between the Ents and the Trees and the
Elves' work upon both.)
There seems to be no dispute that the Ents are of
Yavanna’s origination during the Song of the
Ainur before the beginning. To use my own phrase (because I’ve not seen it used elsewhere), they could rightly be called “children of Yavanna” if one wished to do so.
However, for some reason there seems to be a debate concerning the Elves’ involvement in the Ents' awakening - their ‘coming to life’ as some seem to think the Elves actually did - creating them - and that the event
Treebeard shares in
the Lord Of The Rings is incompatible with the statements of
the Silmarillion account. We will respond to that perceived inconsistency in this writing.
The following background is provided from
Quenta Silmarillion: Chapter 2:
Of Aulë and Yavanna:.
It includes text, and brief commentary, so the needed material is available without need for looking it up.
I include the origin (making) of the
Dwarves by Aulë, as well, to demonstrate that
Ilúvatar brings forth things consistent with his own will and desire, in his own way, and at his own time, which will be important later in the discussion.
The Dwarves’ Origin:
We know Aulë made (not created) the Dwarves, and
Eru accepted them, though to be held in a state of sleep until their time for awakening.
We read:
“But Ilúvatar spoke again and said: ‘Even as I gave being to the thoughts of the Ainur at the beginning of the World,
so now I have taken up thy desire and given to it a place therein;’”
Ilúvatar, applies the words “…so now”. This brings his
actions into current time – the present tense. Here, he actually
adds to that which he is and will continue to be ‘showing forth’ from the original Singing of the Ainur. (It is progressive). The dwarves were not a part or result of those original creative themes.
An argument might be made against this, since Ilúvatar starts with the words “Even as…”. Some may want to see he thus “equates” his creative decision then with his creative decision regarding the Dwarves. That is, it is all part of the original Song themes.
Not so, however.
The meaning is: “Just as I determined THEN to
give being to the thoughts sung at that time, so NOW at this time I give being to your desire regarding these dwarves.” He separates his actions “in time”.
Again, as Aulë begs for mercy, since he was doing what he should not be (rebellious as he was then), Ilúvatar says “‘Thy offer I accepted
even as it was made. Dost thou not see that these things have
now a life of their own, and speak with their own voices?”(1)
The life is granted by grace at Aulë’s humility. From this we see Eru does things according to his own will and desire, including grace, as he wishes. This will be important later when we get to the Elves’ involvement.
The Ents’ Origin:
Yavanna sought out
Manwe as we know, because of her concern over all her own thought added at the original Song, and what great harm would be done to the things of the earth, driven mostly because Aulë’s made her aware of his making of the Dwarves (and Eru’s ultimate acceptance of them into the living). They would have no love for living and growing things. She falters in her faith in Eru's and his declaration that all that was sung would BE.
We read:
. “And she was not appeased, but grieved in heart, fearing what might be done upon
Middle-earth in days to come. Therefore she went before
Manwë, and she did not betray the counsel of Aulë, but she said: ‘King of
Arda, is it true, as Aulë hath said to me, that
the Children when they come shall have dominion over all the things of my labour, to do as they will therewith?’
. ‘It is true,’ said Manwë. ‘But why dost thou ask, for thou hadst no need of the teaching of Aulë?’(1)
We know the trees are of her making in the Singing, because she says to Manwë:
. "All my works are dear to me."
. She goes on:
“All have their worth,’ said Yavanna, ‘and each contributes to the worth of the others. But the kelvar can flee or defend themselves, whereas the olvar that grow cannot.
And among these I hold trees dear. Long in the growing, swift shall they be in the felling, and unless they pay toll with fruit upon bough little mourned in their passing. So I see in my thought.
Would that the trees might speak on behalf of all things that have roots, and punish those that wrong them!’
. ‘This is a strange thought,’ said Manwë.
. ‘
Yet it was in the Song,’ said Yavanna. ‘For while thou wert in the heavens and with
Ulmo built the clouds and poured out the rains, I lifted up the branches of great trees to receive them, and some sang to Ilúvatar amid the wind and the rain.’(1)
So Yavanna’s desire for ‘talking trees’ was not a ‘later desire’, but was granted by Ilúvatar from the beginning, to be shown forth in its time.
Manwë later brings the clarification provided him by Ilúvatar back to Yavanna: -
. “Then Manwë sat silent, and the thought of Yavanna that she had put into his heart grew and unfolded; and it was beheld by Ilúvatar. Then it seemed to Manwë that the Song rose once more about him, and he heeded now many things therein that though he had heard them he had not heeded before. And at last the Vision was renewed, but it was not now remote, for he was himself within it, and yet he saw that all was upheld by the hand of Ilúvatar; and the hand entered in, and from it came forth many wonders that had until then been hidden from him in the hearts of the Ainur. -
. Then Manwë awoke, and he went down to Yavanna upon Ezellohar, and he sat beside her beneath the Two Trees. And Manwë said: ‘O
Kementári,
Eru hath spoken, saying: “Do then any of the
Valar suppose that I did not hear
all the Song, even the least sound of the least voice?
Behold! When the Children awake, then the thought of Yavanna will awake also, and it will summon spirits from afar, and they will go among the kelvar and the olvar, and some will dwell therein, and be held in reverence, and their just anger shall be feared.(1)
The origin of the Ents, a combination of Trees with “spirits from afar”, is in Yavanna’s thoughts as her part of the Song before anything is brought forth.
Again we see Eru acts in different ways as it suits him - as he sees fit!
The Perceived Inconsistency:
The 'Awakening' of the Ents and of the Trees "by the Elves": Here, we look to the Lord Of The Rings.
From this some people seem to feel that the Elves are 'creating'. Some also seem to feel that the Elves 'awaken' both the Ents, and the Trees.
Let's see what's really happening.
Fangorn speaks:
. ‘Some of my KIN look just like trees now, and need something great to rouse them; and they speak only in whispers. But some of my TREES are limb-lithe, and many can talk to me.
Elves began it, of course, waking TREES up and teaching them to speak and learning their tree-talk. They always wished to talk to everything,
the old Elves did.(2)
Elsewhere, Fangorn says:
. "...it was the Elves that cured US (Ents) of
dumbness long ago, and that was a great gift that cannot be forgotten." (Note: 'dumbness' here means 'muteness', not 'ignorance.)
Let's look at this carefully.
Fangorn makes a very clear distinction between the Ents and what Elves do for them, and the Trees. And in neither case does he indicate the Elves 'create', but they 'cure' or 'awaken'.
As was noted in SIL above, the Children of Illuvatar would awake first, then Yavanna’s thought would go forward bringing the ‘spirits from afar’, some of which would dwell in BOTH the
kelvar and the olvar. (This should be noted, as it explains much about other things in the lore.)
This statement by Treebeard in LoTR, should work
TOGETHER WITH SIL regarding the showing forth of Eru as declared in the Song. There should be no inconsistency for debate.
And there isn't.
How then?
It is said by some “The elves cannot create life, therefore this is irreconcilable.”
Others have said “
Tolkien himself said Treebeard was just wrong when he said that.” (To which I answer ‘please show me where, I cannot find it – though he DID write in multiple of his letters that “
evil cannot create.”. So I won't deal with this part until I see it really needs to be.)
So dealing with the Elves and their 'creating' - the solution is really quite simple.
Are the Elves really ‘creating’ here, or do the trees already have life in themselves?
Both the living trees and the living beasts (
animals) have already been brought forth by Eru. The Elves are not ‘creating’ life in the Ents or trees at all.
The 'spirits from afar' indwelt trees and they BECAME Ents. (No longer just 'trees'). In this case, the Elvs are Eru’s TOOL used to ‘cure them of dumbness’ in their time, they already having been inhabited by ‘the spirits from afar’ drawn by the thought of Yavanna.
In the case of the Trees, we have a different picture. The Elves were Eru's TOOL to actually 'awaken' these (not 'give them life'), just as Treebeard said, and teach them to talk and learn their 'tree-talk.'
But again, the Trees already had life in themselves. The Ents were 'creating' nothing.
So the Elves in both cases, with slightly different application, are Eru's TOOLS in the next step of the 'showing forth.'
The Elves' powers to speak, to cure of muteness, to teach, and to 'awaken' are simply gifts given by Eru in his creation of his children.
This use of beings as tools in Eru's work is, by the way, completely consistent with
J.R.R. Tolkien’s background in faith which many declare ”colors his works unavoidably.” (I do not expound upon this here.)
CONCLUSIONS:
1. The Dwarves originate from the making of Aulë then the ‘permission of life’, granted by Ilúvatar, after the original Song - put to sleep by Ilúvatar (after they were already given life), and set aside to be “shown forth in their time” along with the rest.
2. The trees arise out of Yavanna's addition to the Song. They are living things.
3. The Ents are trees indwelt by the 'spirits from afar' that Yavanna's thought calls forth. (other
creatures and growing things of the earth are also indwelt by those ‘spirits from afar’). The Ents could accurately be called “children of Yavanna”.
4. The Elves were Ilúvatar’s tool – or agent – in the curing of the Ents of dumbness (muteness) following their indwelling by the ’spirits from afar’. Before that inhabiting they were living Trees.
5. The Elves were also Ilúvatar’s tool in 'awakening' other of the living trees, teaching them to talk, and learning their tree' talk. Eru is able to do as he wishes with regard to ‘how things are shown forth’.
6. There is no conflict between the statements in The Silmarillion and the Lord Of The Rings regarding how the Ents originate or awaken.
(1) Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Silmarillion: HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.)
(2) Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Lord of the Rings: One Volume HMH
Books. Kindle Edition.
