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Places in Middle-earth

Fangorn Forest

Type: Forests, Fields, Plains

Region: Rhovanion/Misty Mtns

Other Names
Entwood (by the Rohirrim)

Location: The forest at the southeastern end of the Misty Mountains, about the upper waters of the rivers Limlight and Entwash; part of the northern border of Rohan.

Description: One of the oldest forests of Middle-Earth, and the only noted place where the Ents lived in the Third Age:

'Celeborn warned us not to go far into Fangorn,' [Legolas] said. ... 'I have heard nothing of this in my own land, save only songs that tell how the Onodrim, that Men call Ents, dwelt there long ago; for Fangorn is old, old even as the Elves would reckon it.'

'Yes, it is old,' said Aragorn, 'as old as the forest by the Barrow-downs, and it is far greater. Elrond says that the two are akin, the last strongholds of the mighty woods of the Elder Days, in which the Firstborn roamed while Men still slept. Yet Fangorn holds some secret of its own. What it is I do not know.'

The Two Towers, LoTR Book 3, Ch 2, The Riders of Rohan

'We are walking west along the Entwash. The butt-end of the Misty Mountains is in front, and Fangorn Forest.'

Even as he spoke the dark edge of the forest loomed up straight before them. Night seemed to have taken refuge under its great trees, creeping away from the coming Dawn. ...

[Merry] led the way in under the huge branches of the trees. Old beyond guessing, they seemed. Great trailing beards of lichen hung from them, blowing and swaying in the breeze.

The Two Towers, LoTR Book 3, Ch 3, The Uruk-Hai

'Yes, it is all very dim, and stuffy, in here,' said Pippin. 'It reminds me, somehow, of the old room in the Great Place of the Tooks away back in the Smials at Tuckborough: a huge place, where the furniture has never been moved or changed for generations...But that is nothing to the old feeling of this wood. Look at all those weeping, trailing, beards and whiskers of lichen! And most of the trees seem to be half covered with ragged dry leaves that have never fallen. Untidy. I can't imagine what spring would look like here, if it ever comes; still less a spring-cleaning.'

'But the Sun at any rate must peep in sometimes.' said Merry. 'It does not look or feel at all like Bilbo's description of Mirkwood. That was all dark and black, and the home of dark black things. This is just dim, and frightfully tree-ish. You can't imagine animals living here at all, or staying for long.' ...

The light grew broader as they went on, and soon they saw that there was a rock-wall before them: the side of a hill ... the sun was falling full on its stony face. The twigs of the trees at its foot were stretched out stiff and still, as if reaching out to the warmth. Where all had looked so shabby and grey before, the wood now gleamed with rich browns, and with the smooth black-greys of bark like polished leather. The boles of the trees glowed with a soft green like young grass: early spring or a fleeting vision of it was about them.

The Two Towers, LoTR Book 3, Ch 4, Treebeard

Contributors: Moriel 16May03
Quotes added by Lyllyn 17May03
Elena Tiriel 25Jul04, 28Dec04

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