The Theme of Trees

[Beleg Strongbow]

Lady of Ithilien, that's a great link! An older article but great for reading through.

I think the reason for hobbits and ents having so much strength, resilience, and courage is that they are in touch with the growing world. When Saruman turns away with "a mind of metal and wheels" (Treebeard), he gains temporary strength but, in the end, he benefits less than Gandalf who enlists the help of the Ents.
But Tolkien also thought that moderation was good: Radagast lost sight of his mission because he was too concerned with wildlife.

[Elf Girl]

Excellent point about the wizards.

[Nurvingiel]

That is a great example with the wizards. I felt a bit like I walked into the circle of Orthanc coming back from class the other day.

I live in this neat, stone residence that looks like a castle and is almost as old as the university itself. It overlooks the ocean and a lovely forest. There's also a lot of trees that are planted around the property, some of which are also quite old.

Anyway, the residence ran into financial trouble so they sold some of their land. The new owners are developing it. They cut down a lovely avenue of trees, and left some logs and branches just lying about! Now they have machines moving piles of dirt and resurfacing the road.

Anyway, if I lived in a Hobbit hole instead of a stone building, I would be Sam!

(In the Scouring of the Shire, when the Hobbits first return.)

Originally posted by Beleg Strongbow
Lady of Ithilien, that's a great link! An older article but great for reading through.

What link?

[The Lady of Ithilien]

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
What link?

This link.

[Nurvingiel]

Thanks! I love reading interviews with or about Tolkien! Makes me want to go have a beer at the Eagle and Child...

[Laurus Nobilis]

Originally posted by Beleg Strongbow
I think a major theme of LotR is that green, growing things (and people and things associated with them) are good. When trees are evil, they seem to have stopped growing or aren't as green...
Am I making any sense?

I've noticed that, too. Nurvingiel already mentioned the trees in Mirkwood, and if I remember correctly, Tom Bombadil says something about the Old Man Willow having "a rotten heart". I really like the symbolism Tolkien uses here, showing the "good" and "evil" trees.

I believe Tolkien must have loved trees in real life. They're present all throughout the stories, and not just as "scenery", so to say.

[Nurvingiel]

There's also the Huorns, who aren't evil. They are unpredictable and would harm good people. But they also helped exterminate some orcs. What would you make of them?

[Ornelírë Mistë]

How about trees in names?
Galadhriel- alternate name of Galadriel. ('tree-maiden'?)
Aragorn- 'tree-lord'.
Celeborn- 'silver-tree'.

I'm sure there are some more. Do those people have anything in common? Maybe?

[Anglorfin]

In the case of Galadriel, I thought I read that Tolkien didn't mean for there to be any etymological connection between Galadriel and trees. her name was descended from different meanings.

Anyway I noticed that almost everything in Tolkien's works that are described as beautiful are either trees or compared to trees. Some Elves were named because of their resemblance to trees (Nimloth for example).

Also it would be interesting to see what we can make of this connection. The Two Trees of Valinor emitted a light that was captured within three jewels. Besides the silmarils their light was also captured in the Sun and the Moon. I wonder if this is just the substance of storytelling or if Tolkien is trying to say that everything depends on the sustenance and protection that trees and plants give.

Another point, a division of Elves is based solely on whether or not they saw the light of the Two Trees.

[Ornelírë Mistë]

Originally posted by Anglorfin
In the case of Galadriel, I thought I read that Tolkien didn't mean for there to be any etymological connection between Galadriel and trees. her name was descended from different meanings.

This is true, but some people called her Galadhriel. Didn't it say so in the Sil?

[Anglorfin]

Originally posted by OrnelÃ*rë Mistë
This is true, but some people called her Galadhriel. Didn't it say so in the Sil?

I think it's in the appendices at the back of the Sil is where the etymological (sp?) evolution of Galadriel's name can be found and why it oroginally wasn't supposed to be associated with the Elvish word for tree.

[edit]I think there is a note about people associating her name with trees but it's hard to judge by context if this is an error of the readers or an assosication made by other inhabitants of Middle Earth who knew of Galadriel dwelling in a forest region.

[Silpion]

I found this in Unfinished Tales

On occasional confusion of Galadriel's name with the word galadh my father wrote:
When Celeborn and Galadriel became the rulers of the Elves of Lorien (who were mainly in origin Silvan Elves and called themselves the Galadhrim) the name of Galadriel became associated with trees, an association that was aided by the name of her husband, which also appeared to contain a tree-word; so that outside Lorien among those whose memories of the ancient days and Galadriel's history had grown dim her name was often altered to Galadhriel. Not in Lorien itself.

I found it interesting that he did not want to associate Galadriel's name with trees. I wonder did he think it was a pun that was going a bit to far?
Galadriel's husband is Celeborn (tall, silver tree)
Celeborn's father is Galadhon
Celeborn's brother was Galathil who is also the father of Nimloth
They lived among the Galadhrim (tree people) in Caras Galadhon (City of the Trees).
Was associating Galadriel (radiant garland) with Galadhriel (tree garland) taking the tree theme too far?

[Anglorfin]

Thanks for the reference, Silpion. That was exactly the one I was thinking of. I think there is a very simple explanation to this however. The different words just ended up sounding the same. Like in any language a few words will share either a similar spelling, rythm, or tone. if we look at it like this then "galad" and "galadh" is nothing more than a coincidental pairing which would be common in any real and functional language.

[Silpion]

Thanks, Anglorfin. Your explanation makes sense. I guess the easiest explanation is the simplest. It's just with the languages sometimes I think there is all these hidden or deeper meanings when there is none.
Back to the topic. Like others have said on this thread, trees have a very important part in Tolkien's writing. There are good trees (Ents), bad trees (Old Man Willow), unpredictable trees (Huorns), trees can be a symbol of shelter (mallorns in Lorien) as well as shelter with danger (spiders in Mirkwood), you've got the Two Trees of Valinor, the White Tree of Gondor, elves and their being categorized as having seen those Two Trees or not, elves being named with tree descriptions, the big party tree in the Shire, tree names (Celeborn=tall, silver tree or Aragorn=King Tree), Finduilas being speared to a tree, Ents wanting to reconnect with Entwives, trees as a symbol of resilience and of being shepherds/caretakers etc. The tree theme is interwoven in Middle Earth.
Trees should be important to "this" earth.

[LutraMage]

Anyone who has been there will tell you that England is a very green country, and rural Oxford is particuarly beautiful. Like everything else in this crowded island, our trees seem bundled together so that you tend not to get great swathes of the same tree, but, in our natural non-man-made forests, all types of trees grow within close proximity to each other.

I think Tolkien was inspired by this diversity and beauty. The oak and ash, the beech and horse chestnut, the holly and the pine, willow and elm. Not only do we have them all, but they grow one on top of the other.

I sometimes think that trees are amongst the most beautiful things in our landscape. Their shapes and colours sing out. And often I wonder how much life an old oak must have seen. Sometimes whole towns have grown up around trees that were saplings long before the town was first thought of. I think JRRT felt the same, and the trees in Middle Earth were given a special kind of life (different to his other imaginary creations) that had deep resonance for those of us who might not be able to talk to elves or blow smoke rings with hobbits, but who can touch the bark of trees and imagine what they must feel and think.

Perhaps that is getting too carried away....

[Lizra]

I walk around my trees (ten year old ones I planted) touching them lovingly, and singing my special tree song to them! They know I love them! These 50 trees are tall (30 feet or higher) and ever so beautiful now, though they were mere sticks when I planted them. The tulip trees(Liriodendrons) gifted me with beautiful flowers this year. I absolutely relate to what you are saying LutraMage! Welcome to Entmoot!

[Anglorfin]

Originally posted by LutraMage
Anyone who has been there will tell you that England is a very green country, and rural Oxford is particuarly beautiful. Like everything else in this crowded island, our trees seem bundled together so that you tend not to get great swathes of the same tree, but, in our natural non-man-made forests, all types of trees grow within close proximity to each other.

I think Tolkien was inspired by this diversity and beauty. The oak and ash, the beech and horse chestnut, the holly and the pine, willow and elm. Not only do we have them all, but they grow one on top of the other.

I sometimes think that trees are amongst the most beautiful things in our landscape. Their shapes and colours sing out. And often I wonder how much life an old oak must have seen. Sometimes whole towns have grown up around trees that were saplings long before the town was first thought of. I think JRRT felt the same, and the trees in Middle Earth were given a special kind of life (different to his other imaginary creations) that had deep resonance for those of us who might not be able to talk to elves or blow smoke rings with hobbits, but who can touch the bark of trees and imagine what they must feel and think.

Perhaps that is getting too carried away....

Not at all. If it was indeed part of Tolkien's intentions for us to admire trees because of his writing then I'd say on a personal level he has succeeded. Now because of him whenever I am in a forest I can't help but think of not just Elves and such but also it can put me in a calm and relaxed state because I like looking at the trees and appreciate their value.

[Fat middle]

My love for the trees and the woods is also due to LOTR, and particularly to this quote:

Haldir had gone on and was now climbing to the high flet. As Frodo prepared to follow him, he laid his hand upon the tree beside the ladder: never before had he been so suddenly and so keenly aware of the feel and texture of a tree's skin and of the life within it. He felt a delight in wood and the touch of it, neither as forester nor as carpenter; it was the delight of the living tree itself.