Entwives

[Eyalan]

Exuse me for my rudeness, but I adjusted the font size a little, so now my eyes won't get all weary while reading it...
That was a beautiful piece, El!

[Miluiel Greenleaf]

elnimara said:

'It is rather a strange and sad story,' he [Treebeard] went on after a pause. 'When the world was young, and the woods were wide and wild, the Ents and the Entwives -- and there were Entmaidens then: ah! the loveliness of Fimbrethil, of Wandlimb the lightfooted, in the days of our youth! -- they walked together and they housed together. But our hearts did not go on growing in the same way: the Ents gave their love to things that they met in the world, and the Entwives gave their thought to other things, for the Ents loved the great trees; and the wild woods, and the slopes of the high hills; and they drank of the mountain-streams, and ate only such fruit as the trees let fall in their path; and they learned of the Elves and spoke with the Trees. But the Entwives gave their minds to the lesser trees, and to the meads in the sunshine beyond the feet of the forests; and they saw the sloe in the thicket, and the wild apple and the cherry blossoming in spring, and the green herbs in the waterlands in summer, and the seeding grasses in the autumn fields. They did not desire to speak with these things; but they
wished them to hear and obey what was said to them. The Entwives ordered them to grow according to their wishes, and bear leaf and fruit to their liking; for the Entwives desired order, and plenty, and peace (by which they meant that things should remain where they had set them). So the Entwives made gardens to live in. But we Ents went on wandering, and we only came to the gardens now and again. Then when the Darkness came in the North, the Entwives crossed the Great River, and made new gardens, and tilled new fields, and we saw them more seldom. After the Darkness was overthrown the land of the Entwives blossomed richly, and their fields were full of corn. Many men learned the crafts of the Entwives and honoured them greatly; but we were only a legend to them, a secret in the heart of the forest. Yet here we still are, while all the gardens of the Entwives are wasted: Men call them the Brown Lands now.

'I remember it was long ago -- in the time of the war between Sauron and the Men of the Sea -- desire came over me to see Fimbrethil again. Very fair she was still in my eyes, when I had last seen her, though little like the Entmaiden of old. For the Entwives were bent and browned by their labour; their hair parched by the sun to the hue of ripe corn and their cheeks like red apples. Yet their eyes were still the eyes of our own
people. We crossed over Anduin and came to their land: but we found a desert: it was all burned and uprooted, for war had passed over it. But the Entwives were not there. Long we called, and long we searched; and we asked all folk that we met which way the Entwives had gone. Some said they had never seen them; and some said that they had seen them walking away west, and some said east, and others south. But nowhere that we went could we find them. Our sorrow was very great. Yet the wild wood called, and we returned to it. For many years we used to go out every now and again and look for the Entwives. walking far and wide and calling them by their beautiful names. But as time passed we went more seldom and wandered less far. And now the Entwives are only a memory for us, and our beards are long and grey. The Elves made many songs concerning the Search of the Ents, and some of the songs passed into the tongues of Men. But we made no songs about it, being content to chant their beautiful names when we thought of the Entwives. We believe that we may meet again in a time to come, and perhaps we shall find somewhere a land where we can live together and both be content. But it is foreboded that that will only be when we have both lost all that we now have. And it may well be that that time is drawing near at last. For if Sauron of old destroyed the gardens, the Enemy today seems likely to wither all the woods.

And that is how the frig they lost the Entwives.

Thank you, El. I am not exactly TTT expert. But you are! So Every Ent question that I can think of I shall ask you!

[Elnimara]

Hah, good thinking Eya, it was very straining before. Beautiful it is, but that's the Professor's doing, not mine. I merely typed the whole... bloody... thing...

Lol, I shall teach you everything I know Mil, you have only to ask me. *tries to look smart and teacher-ish-like* *falls over*

[Miluiel Greenleaf]

*rushes to help her up* I'm trying to think of another ent question. *strains her brain* Okay, who was the last ent child?

[Elnimara]

Ai, a challenge! I don't recall if it ever said. But the last Enting would be the youngest Ent. And I (once again don't remember, all speculating) thing Quickbeam would be a safe bet for youngest Ent. Young = hasty. I'll do more research and get back to you though.

[Eyalan]

Good theory, El!

[Miluiel Greenleaf]

yesh i shall exalt both of you because I feel like it

[Luthien]

I think it's one of the saddest things ever. To go on living and living for such a long time, knowing that somewhere your true love is doing the same thing (or is dead) and that you'll likely never meet again. Poor Enthusbands...

[Eyalan]

Yes! It's a word now! People are using it

It is indeed a sad story, Luthien. And I'm sure they'll meet again some day. But it think Tolkien just didn't get to write that part anymore..

[alcarin]

For the Dwarf-Women:

Description of dwarf-women:

The Naugrim have beards from the beginning of their lives, male and female alike. They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf Men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart. Their womenkind cannot indeed be discerned by those of other race, be it in feature or in gait or in voice, nor in any wise save this: that they go not to war, and seldom save at direst need issue from their deep bowers and halls. [HOME XI: Of Dwarves] They seldom walk abroad except at great need. Their resemblance to male dwarves has given rise to the foolish opinion among Men that there are no dwarf-women, and that the Dwarves 'grow out of stone'. [LOTR: Appentices]

Why do they look like the male dwarves?

It is said that to each Dwarf Ilúvatar added a mate of female kind, yet because he would not amend the work of Aulë, and Aulë had yet made only things of male form, therefore the women of the Dwarves resemble their men more than all other speaking races. [HOME XI: Of Dwarves]

Scarcity – Marriage:

It is said that the dwarf-women are few, and that save their kings and chieftains few Dwarves ever wed; wherefore their race multiplied slowly, and now is dwindling. [HOME XI: Of Dwarves] Gimli said they were no more than a third of the whole people.It is because of the fewness of women among them that the kind of the Dwarves increases slowly, and is in peril when they have no secure dwellings. For Dwarves take only one wife or husband each in their lives, and are jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of dwarf-men that marry is actually less than one-third. For not all the women take husbands: some desire none; some desire one that they cannot get, and so will have no other. As for the men, very many also do not desire marriage, being engrossed in their crafts. [LOTR: Appentices] Also they are never forced to wed against their will (which would of course be impossible). They join their husbands' families. But if a son is seen to be 110 or so years younger than his father, this usually indicates an elder daughter. The sentiment of affection for sister's children was strong among all peoples of the Third Age, but less so among Dwarves than Men or Elves among whom it was strongest. [HOME XII]

The only known dwarf-woman:

They are seldom named in genealogies. Dís was the daughter of Thráin II. She is the only dwarf-woman named in these histories. She is named simply because of the gallant death of her sons Fili and Kili in defence of Thorin II. [HOME XII]

[Eyalan]

A bit off topic perhaps , but thanks for this usefull information, Alcarin! Now we know all about dwarf women!

[Miluiel Greenleaf]

We already started a topic about dwarf women didn't we? Or was that the old forum?

[Eyalan]

Wow the old forum... that was long ago

About the Entwives, I read somewhere they didn't like to live in the forest, but I forgot where it was. Does anyone know anything about that matter?