What happened to the Entwives? Where did they go?

[BalrogRingDestroyer]

We cannot assume they were killed because Treebeard specifically said that they were not killed, to his knowledge, only lost. So where did they go? Are they in the Old Forest, in Mirkwood, or in some other part of Middle Earth?


Did Tolkien ever say?

 

[Elthir]

In April 1954 [letter 144] Tolkien wrote: "I think in fact the Entwives had disappeared for good, being destroyed with their gardens in the War of the Last Alliance (...) when Sauron pursued a scorched earth policy and burned their land against the advance of the Allies down the Anduin."

But then JRRT adds that some may have fled East, or even have become enslaved: "If any survived so, they would indeed be far estranged from the Ents, and any rapprochement would be difficult -- unless experience of industrialization and militarized agriculture had made them a little more anarchic. I hope so. I don't know."


Much later, in June 1972 [letter 338] Tolkien said that he didn't know, but thought that it was plain that there would be no Ent/Entwife re-union in "history": "but Ents and their wives being rational creatures would find some "earthly paradise" until the end of this world: beyond which the wisdom neither of Elves nor Ents could see."

 

[Blueduindain]

Well, Ents are trees, and trees reproduce by pollination, and budding. It could be that "Entwives" was a term for pollinators, weather that be bees, humming birds, or whatnot. From what was described in the books, and seen in the films, none of those animals were in Fangorn. So it could be possible that the Ents might have to move.

 

[Deleted member 12094]

Galin's resourceful answer clearly impressed me far more than yours, dear Blueduindain!

Although JRRT kept the Entwives' final destiny well in the dark in LotR (and on purpose, I suspect, so that his readers may feel invited to speculate forever …!?), his story does suggest that they played no further role in ME by the time of the WR.

As to your speculations of their procreation abilities: those amused me somewhat, if you apologize my admitting so... No offense meant!

 

[Blueduindain]

Galin's resourceful answer clearly impressed me far more than yours, dear Blueduindain!

Although JRRT kept the Entwives' final destiny well in the dark in LotR (and on purpose, I suspect, so that his readers may feel invited to speculate forever …!?), his story does suggest that they played no further role in ME by the time of the WR.

As to your speculations of their procreation abilities: those amused me somewhat, if you apologize my admitting so... No offense meant!

None taken, my theory is grounded in the real world; and i forgot these were sapient trees i was talking about!

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I've always taken some hope from Sam's words about "these Tree-men. . .away beyond the North Moors", and Treebeard's thought that the Entwives would be attracted to the Shire.

It's likely that the two would never meet,sadly. But who knows? I do wonder if, after setting Gondor in order, the King might not seek the aid of the Ents, to help in restoring the wilder parts of Eriador; to clean, say, the "evil" out of the Old Forest. That could bring them closer together, at least.