The Lore of the Ent–Shepherd of the Forest

Being a lover of trees it is no surprise that I take great fondness in Ent lore.  For those of you who may not know what an Ent is…. An Ent is a race in Tolkien’s Trilogy “Lord of the Rings”.  They were the shepherds of the forest and themselves resembled  giant trees.  Although they did so in a very slow manner, they were able to travel and converse when the need or desire arose. They were an ancient race, if not one of the first.  They were first woken by the Elves it is said and slowly taught to speak and help the Elves themselves learn their language.  

 

The best known Ent is probably Tree Beard.  He of course was the keeper of Merry and Pippin for a time during the movie version of the “war of the Ring”.  Although if by chance you read the book, you will also know of Quickbeam or Bregalad as he was sometimes called.  He as a younger Ent.  Definitely not as mature as the others.  It was his job to guard over the Rowan groves.  His name “Quickbeam” is another word for Rowan or Mountain Ash.  Being younger he was not always as patient as the older Ents.  His second name “Bregalad” means hastiness, something that an Ent is not usually associated with.  It was Quickbeam who first wanted to attack Saruman and Isengard.  He had seen first hand the destruction of many of the rowan groves in which he was entrusted.

 

Although from a book thought fiction, I can not help but wonder what the trees of today must think.  It was said that as time continued, the Ents themselves began to slow and take less of a part in the world.  This decision helped them to become more “treeish”.  They did not travel as much and thus found a suitable place to stay for long periods of time.  When this was done in many cases, they would take root and remain, thus becoming more as a tree then an Ent.  Still I am sure that they kept their slow sense of observance.  Watching the world as it traveled by in time.  The acts of nature as well as man was surely part of their daily show.  I have always found that trees hold a sense of deepness to them, especially the trees that seem to have been for years and years.  What must they have seen.  What secrets they could tell.  I often go among the trees and just listen.  They hold so much inside… they have so much to tell and so few who will listen.  Like the tale of Ents it is not a task that can move quickly.  It is one of patience and  quietness.  Yet if one gives the time and a willful ear, who knows what one may hear. 

 

Blessings

Musical Mondays - Into The West

There are things through life that grasp us. They take hold of us in a manner that is hard to explain to those who do not have the wonder of experiencing them also.

To many these experiences are shared by many

yet to some they are shared by few.

In my opinion this makes the blessing even more special.

I have always been somewhat of a quiet person,
that is until of course you get to know me
 then some say I have a problem of not shutting up.
 This may be so, yet when it comes to myself and the life that surrounds me, I will admit that I do not share easily with those that I do not know well. I have become better at sharing my stories and such yet still the feeling that I may be looked upon as slightly daft lingers in the back of my mind.

I will say though that as I grow older in years,

this worry about what the others with differing opinions

may think of me grows less and less.

If only I would have known such wisdom

 when I was younger.

I would like to share some of myself with you today for Musical Mondays. Not that I do not share a little of myself with you each time I write,

it is just that today I may journey a bit deeper into the "real" me than I usually do.

I hold great belief and respect for that which the average man sometimes dismisses

due to lack of evidence or just the fear

that some may laugh at him because he claims to believe in something that most do not.

The Lord of the Rings is one of those things that touches me in such a manner. Yes I know it is a book written by Tolkien and it is said that it represents the world wars and such. Yet it is hard for me to believe that Tolkien being of the heritage and influence that he was did not have some feelings towards the unseen and that which is not fully known.

My favorite and perhaps most sad part of the story is when the time of man comes and the time of the elves and others comes to a close. Why is it that the two can't coincide together. The wisdom of the ones prior is so deep and so unlike the wisdom of man.

 Man wishes to build and grow and prosper

and does not seem to be satisfied or happy
 unless he does this.

Often in his quest
 he loses sight of what he may be damaging
in order to gain his prize.

Whereas the others
 think first of simplicity and the old ways.

Progress (or what is interpreted as such)
 is not always a good thing.

Take technology for instant.

We have become so consumed
 with possessing the latest gadgets to get us "connected"  

that we have forgotten the simply joys of life.

For some time I worried
about the fact that I did not "fit in".
 This is not longer a concern, at least not as big of one.
 I now count myself as blessed
to be able to still see the beauty of little things
 and the wisdom that many have to give us.

It can at times be a bit of a solitude life.

I am blessed beyond words to be able to live it.

I may not be in the fastest lane of life

but I most definitely am in
 one of the most scenic.

Today's song is "Into the West" by Annie Lennox. Annie has a way of putting such expression into any piece she presents and this is no exception.
 The lyrics can be found on my Musical Monday page.
Take a quiet moment to sit back.
 Close your eyes and simply experience.

Although it is a song which speaks of an end

it also speaks of another beginning.

Yet isn't that what each end really is;
 the beginning of something else.

Enjoy and remember:
it is still the simple little things
 that make this world keep turning.