An Entish Reunion

[Iris Alantiel]

I've been thinking through a couple of ideas and doing some research of old forum topics, and I'm having a really hard time coming to any sort of conclusion on this, so I thought I'd open it up to your expertise.

Let's just assume - for argument's sake - that the Entwives were not killed by Sauron. Maybe they were enslaved, maybe they fled to the Old Forest, maybe something else; it doesn't really matter. But let's imagine that they survived. And let's say that sometime after the War of the Ring was over and everything went back to normal, they were reunited. Maybe you believe this is possible, or maybe you don't, but just play along for the sake of the discussion.

The question is, could it be possible for the Ents and Entwives to find some common ground and live together in harmony ever again? Or are they just too different? I would really like to believe that they were reunited. Yet it seems impossible, as they were so different even before the war, and presumably had grown even further apart in the time they were separated. So I have been wondering whether, even if the Entwives did survive, there would be any hope for a reunion at all.

Can anybody think of a way the Ents and Entwives might be able to work it out and be reunited (assuming the Entwives lived and that they found the Ents again?) If not, what do you suppose the Ents and Entwives would do; would they just go back to their separate places and not be with each other? That seems sort of sad to me.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter! Iris.

[luthien-elvenprincess]

Well, Legalas and Gimli became good friends. At one time, it was supposed that an elf and a dwarf would never get along. And, yet they did despite the animosity between their races.

I don't see why the Ents and the Entwives couldn't hook up again sometime. They merely drifted apart, there wasn't ill will between them.

[Angry Brandybuck]

There wasn't ill will, but they were completely different. The Wives liked gardens and cultivated plants where the Ents like the forest, in all its wildness.

Legolas and Gimli became friends because they discovered that when you look at things other than hair, height, ears and beards the two of them were not that different. Would this be possible between two groups that were so totally at odds?

[lathspell]

If the Ents would find the Entwives again they would probably never ever move another meter from them, remembering their sorrow when they lost them. And I think the Entwives would miss the Ents just as well, so both sides would think more in mind of the other than before the War of the Ring, because they still remember the times when they missed each other.

greetings,
lathspell

[Gorwingel]

I think they would have gotten back together. Because the time apart from each other, just proved how important they were to each other. Even thought they were really different in many ways, you could say that it was like an opposites attract kind of thing. And lets just look at how much sorrow the dissapearance of the Entwifes caused the Ents. If they would have gotten back together they would have never separated again.

[Iris Alantiel]

I guess what I'm asking is, how can the Ents and Entwives get past their differences well enough to create a life together? I agree with all that you've all said, about how the Ents and Entwives would remember how much they missed one another and never want to leave each other's side again. However, in practical terms, how would they go about getting past their differences to make a life together that both can enjoy? Opposites may attract, but it can be hard for them to live together, especially in a case similar to the Ents where one likes forests and the other likes fields To put this in modern terms, it would be like somebody who loves big cities trying to be with somebody who loves nature and rural settings. They might love each other a lot, but they would have a hard time agreeing on where to live.

So what would a relationship between the Ents and Entwives be like if they were reunited? I want to believe it could be happy and harmonious, based on the knowledge of what they had nearly lost, but so far I'm skeptical. It doesn't seem to me that two groups with such different longings and desires would be able to stick together, regardless of how much they love each other.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I think the only solution would be to find a way to spend some time together and some time apart. One-sided 'compromises' are never a good idea, so neither side should have to give up its preference completely; there would have to be giving and taking on both sides. A common ground for a home, perhaps between the two extremes, would have to be found, where they could meet often enough to keep in touch with each other, in order not to lose each other. An important common link would be the Entings. But both would also need the freedom to spend time in the place they love, doing the work they love (and for which they are suited!) as well.

Of the Valar, perhaps Yavanna and Aulë could be the example of this kind of marriage. Their interests are very different, and they do not always agree, but they do manage to find a way to keep in touch with each other - with humour, as we read! The latter could very well be a decisive factor; the ability to laugh together and especially not to take one's self too seriously is a powerful binding element.