09/11/2025
The Ent Tree is an ancient oak pollard in Staffordshire, England, believed to be the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Ents in The Lord of the Rings because of its distinctive, human-like form. Tolkien trained in the area during World War I and may have seen the tree, which has a gnarled trunk and branches that resemble a face and arms. Its natural human-like appearance is thought to have inspired Tolkien’s Treebeard character. Since Tolkien was in the general area during the First World War it’s possible that this tree served as an inspiration. Instagram.com/bigtreehunters