The Loss of LOTR’s Entwives Is Much Sadder After Their THE RINGS OF POWER Debut

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As a lifelong Tolkien enthusiast who has spent countless hours immersed in the lore of Middle-earth, I must say that the introduction of Winterbloom and Snaggleroot in The Rings of Power has been nothing short of exhilarating. The Entwives, long shrouded in mystery, have finally stepped into the limelight, and it’s a sight to behold!

One of the most enduring, saddest mysteries of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the fate of the Entwives. During their travels together Treebeard told Merry and Pip that Ents, an ancient Middle-earth race of sentient tree people, “lost” the Ent women long ago. Tolkien never revealed what happened to the Entwives in The Lord of the Rings, but The Rings of Power, set during Middle-earth’s Second Age, long before Treebeard met those Hobbits, has shown us exactly what the world lost when they vanished. Season two’s fourth episode introduced one of the Entwives to The Lord of the Rings audiences everywhere, a beautiful and loving creature named Winterbloom.

In the third episode of season two, Theo and his companions found themselves being overpowered by unknown forces. It turned out to be the massive, powerful Ents who had taken them in the world of The Rings of Power. Contrary to what Middle-earth fans are familiar with from The Lord of the Rings, during this time period, the Entwives were still living alongside their male counterparts. The show introduced the Ent couple, Winterbloom (voiced by Olivia Williams) and Snaggleroot (played by Jim Broadbent)

In the Second Age, despite their advanced age, Ents are younger than those Merry and Pippin will encounter later. Consequently, on “The Rings of Power,” Ents seem to move with greater speed and agility, possibly even demonstrating increased strength compared to their older counterparts. It’s worth noting that Morgoth fashioned trolls as a response to the power of Ents, but trolls were never as formidable as these tree-dwelling beings. The Ents of this era also shared the same protective nature towards their fellow Ents, with Winterbloom being particularly devoted, embodying the essence of the Entwives as created by Yavanna

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic, “The Lord of the Rings,” it was stated that the Valar, Yavanna, who oversaw all growing life in the universe, petitioned for the creation of the Ents. This request came as a response to her spouse crafting dwarves. Yavanna desired her arboreal beings, the Ents, to act as guardians, shielding trees from the destructive axes wielded by dwarven miners. The male Ents were tasked with nurturing the larger trees, while the Entwives, more graceful than their male counterparts, cared for smaller living entities

In “The Rings of Power,” Winterbloom vividly demonstrated why Yavanna brought forth the Ents. This Entwife, with unyielding devotion, safeguarded various life forms, many of which she nurtured. She was not merely a guardian; this Entwife grieved profoundly for every living being that the orcs had annihilated. Winterbloom held a deep affection for trees, plants, and flowers. The intensity, vigilance, and tender care she showed towards them made it apparent why Treebeard would one day speak with such sorrow about the loss of Entwives. However, the past experiences of these tree-folk were crucial in the Prime Video Series

While always sentient, Ents only learned to speak thanks to the elves. The Ents never forgot that bond, and it might have saved Arondir and his cohorts on The Rings of Power. While Winterbloom said it would take an age to earn forgiveness for any trees elves had felled, she began that process immediately when Arondir promised elves would protect those woods forever. Unlike orcs or even men, Winterbloom had reason to trust Arondir.

The setting was enchanting, blending elements of Tolkien’s legendarium and embodying the essence of Middle-earth. However, it was also tinged with sadness. Entwives, who are scarcely present in Middle-earth, will depart towards the end of the Second Age to establish a new garden. This departure might be observed on The Rings of Power. Once they’re gone, no one will witness them again afterwards (possibly because Sauron may destroy them all). Their absence signifies the demise of the Ent race entirely. No more Entwives means no new Entlings. Even before the moment when the final Ent takes his last monumental stride, The Rings of Power reveals that Middle-earth is deprived of something unique and precious with the loss of the Entwives. In a realm frequently engulfed by darkness and death, they were nurturing guardians of life

Mikey Walsh serves as a staff writer at TopMob, and he’s clearly a fan of Entwife. You can keep up with him on Twitter and Bluesky under the handle @burgermike. Additionally, you might find him weighing in on rankings of the Targaryen kings

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2024-09-05 18:32