"Tree-men" was a term used by Samwise Gamgee in The Shire for some unspecified creatures.[1]
History
On 12 April in the year 3018 of the late Third Age, Samwise Gamgee told Ted Sandyman in the Green Dragon about rumours regarding sightings of giant Tree-men beyond the North Moors. When Ted questioned Sam's credibility, Sam stated that his cousin Halfast Gamgee actually saw one of these giants which apparently "was as big as an elm tree, and walking - walking seven yards to a stride". Ted still questioned the credibility of the rumour.[1]
Other versions of the legendarium
In "The Tale of Eärendel" in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, Eärendil set sail in Vingilot and had many voyages in his quest to reach Valinor. During one of these voyages, Vingilot was driven south by the wind into dark regions and fire-mountains where he encountered "Tree-men" alongside Sun-dwellers, Pygmies, and Sarqindi.[2]
In the first iteration of the conversation at the Green Dragon, Samwise never names the creature, and only used the word "giants", describing them as being "as big as a tower or leastways a tree".[3] Tolkien changed this phrase soon afterwards, adding the term "Tree-Men" and briefly dropping "or leastways a tree" from the sentence.[3] In the second draft of the conversation, Tolkien revised the spelling to Tree-men,[4] yet in a later draft, Tolkien spelled the term as Treemen.[5] Sometime later, Tolkien changed the term back to Tree-men and the comparison from a tower to an elm tree.
On 28 February in 1964, Tolkien stated in a letter to James Heaf that he did "not think it was an Entwife which Hal saw on the North Moors" and suggested that the Tree-man may have been "a troll" of some kind.[6] While trolls were never said to be capable of "walking seven yards to a stride"[1], it is possible that some details of the sighting may have been exaggerated by Halfast.
Portrayal in adaptations
The Lord of the Rings Online
In the video game The Lord of the Rings Online, there are many different types of trolls, one of these groups are Wood-trolls. These Wood-trolls are often mistaken for Ents and Giants. There is also a quest in the Shire wherein a Hobbit requests that the player investigate sightings of a walking tree in the North Moors. The Walking Tree in question turns out to be a Huorn that is trapped by Spiders.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
In the fourth episode of the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Galadriel tells Elendil of the stone-giants of the North Moors.[7] While the term "Tree-men" is not mentioned, it can be inferred that Galadriel is referring to the Tree-men rather than the giants of the Misty Mountains since in The Lord of the Rings, the Tree-men are described as possibly being akin to giants,[1] and that giants were never said to dwell in the North Moors.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past", pp. 58-9
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "V. The Tale of Eärendel", pp. 254, 261
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Second Phase: XV. Ancient History", pp. 254
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Third Phase (1): XIX The Journey to Bree, Chapter II: 'Ancient History'", pp. 319
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Third Phase: XXII. New Uncertainties and New Projections", pp. 386
- ↑ TCG Letter #544 on the Tolkien Collector Guide
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season One, 4. "The Great Wave"