Quote:
Originally Posted by Gwathagor
I'm pretty sure that the Old Forest is made up of huorns rather than Entwives.
Old Man Willow seems to me like a black-hearted huorn, rather than an Entwife, as he is both stationary and masculine.
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I don't think Old Man Willow, or the other malevolent trees in the Old Forest can be classified as huorns. As far as I can remember, Huorns were like Ents, of a humanoid shape, but slowly reverting to a more vegetative state of being, becoming more like trees. But they could still be roused and move much like the Ents, even to swiftly march great distances over open land, as the Helm's deep episode demonstrates. Old Man Willow in contrast is very much a tree, albeit an ancient and cunning one with a great singing voice. I don't think he can move much, or unroot himself. And since he's the most notorious tree in the Forest, I assume the others are more or less like him, only less powerful. In fact, during the wonderfully written Old Forest chapter, the Hobbits never actually witness anything that can't be attributed to a sudden gust of wind or lively imagination. That is, of course, with the exception of the cracks that swallow people. The story of when the trees attacked the hedge is also presented very much like a legend. Maybe something like that actually happened, but it happened many generations ago and the story must have been greatly elaborated upon since then.