The latest real news in
Tolkien Studies – as opposed to all the hraka spun from Netflix ‘adaptations’ –
is that one of the minor mysteries of The Lord of the Rings books has finally
been answered – sort of. What was the ‘Tree-man’ that Halfast saw striding through the borders of the Shire? A Huorn? An Entwife?
“A newly discovered letter
written by J.R.R. Tolkien to Jenny Hall on February 28, 1966, has settled the
debate over the mysterious "walking elms" seen in the Shire. Tolkien
confirmed that these towering figures were indeed Ents—not Entwives—secretly
tasked by Gandalf to guard the region.
“The letter sheds new light
on the lore of Middle-earth, proving that the ancient tree-shepherds were
patrolling the borders of the Shire while the hobbits went about their daily
lives. Furthermore, Tolkien added a handwritten footnote revealing that Treebeard
actually knew much more about Hobbits and the wider events unfolding in
Middle-earth than he let on to Merry and Pippin.”
The reason I want to say
sort of is that yes, it was written by Tolkien himself, probably, but how
canonically should it be considered? The man had a habit of ‘thinking out loud’
as he was writing, as it were, spinning ideas as they came to him. Some were
later rejected as their viability came into question. “What did Treebeard know
and when did he know it, and if he knew it why was he so elaborately cagey with
Merry and Pippin about it?” Why did Hobbits seem to genuinely surprise him?
Still, something new to the Lore is always welcome and encouraging. Perhaps one day we’ll even have a specific letter about whether Balrogs have wings – if the question was ever even posed to him.
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