Summary
The trailer forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2 had me worried, but clarification from the showrunners has settled my fears about the Entwives. Among the many clips teased for the upcoming season was the image of an Ent covered in flowers, and while it was difficult to tell, I had my concerns that Prime Video had brought an Entwife to the screen. As exciting as the first female Ent on screen would be, I assumed that this meantRings of Powerwas going to attempt to solve Tolkien’s big Entwife mystery. Now, I’m reassured that this isn’t the case.
Tolkien mentioned Entwives inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, when Merry and Pippin met Treebeard before the march to Isengard. The old Ent asked whether the hobbits had ever seen Ents near their home in the Shire, hoping they could solve the mystery of where the female Ents had gone. Treebeard explained thatthe Entwives had traveled away from their partners to establish gardens near the Southeast of Middle-earthbut never returned. Decades after Tolkien’sLord of the Ringsended, themystery of the Entwives has never been solved.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2- Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 promises to continue the origin story of the powerful rings - and unleash Sauron at last.
Rings Of Power Season 2 Will Feature An Entwife Character
A Second Age Entwife Would Solve The Mystery, Right?
Tolkien liked to leave certain mysteries unsolved when it came to his Middle-earth works. This added to the depth of his worldbuilding, making screen adaptations, especially one set in the Second Age, difficult. When I saw the Ent in theRings of Powerseason 2 trailer,I feared that Prime Video was straying too far into the areas Tolkien specifically left ambiguous. Adorned with flowers, the being was almost certainly an Entwife, and showrunner Patrick McKay confirmed my speculation. SinceRings of Powerhas brought an Entwife into the mix, does it aim to solve Tolkien’s mystery?
An Important Detail Means Rings Of Power Isn’t Solving The Entwife Mystery
The Entwife’s Companion Is A Hint That Tolkien’s Mystery Is Safe
Thankfully,McKay has revealed further details about the Entwifeseen inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 that indicated that Prime Video won’t reveal what happened to these beings leading up to the Third Age. He explained that Arondir would encounter an Ent couple, male and female. According to Treebeard inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the Etwives took off alone, and none of the Ents knew what had become of them. Since the Entwife character introduced in season 2 is with her mate,we can assume there is still a long way before the Entwives' big disappearance.
Hopefully, Arondir’s interaction with the Ents will be the end of it. There’s no need forRings of Powerto dive further into the future of the Entwives or to come up with its own version of their fates. Instead, the Prime Video series can make the same subtle implications that Tolkien did—hinting that Sauron destroyed the Entwives' gardens in the Brown Lands, and that they likely burned with them. This allows the tragedy of Treebeard and the other Ents to shine throughwithout the added frustration of revealing too much about what Tolkien specifically kept hidden.
The Rings of Powerseason 2 will begin streaming on June 15, 2025.
Why It Makes Sense For Arondir To Run Into An Ent Couple
Rings Of Power Featuring An Ent Couple Enforces The Mystery’s Themes
While I’m relieved thatRings of Powerwon’t necessarily spoil the Entwife mystery, there are still some problems with Arondir coming across an Ent couple. As of the end of season 1, Arondir is somewhere near Mordor, and the trailer for season 2 suggests that he and Isildur will remain in this region for at least part of the coming episodes (since Isildur is seen fighting the spider Shelob). Running into a male and female Ent here is odd since, in canon, it was only the Entwives who migrated to the Brown Lands. However, I can’t help but like this idea regardless.
Definitive answers aren’t necessary since the point was the tragic hope the Ents maintained that their partners were still out there somewhere.
The mystery of the Entwives hasnever really been about the fate of the female Ents. We know Sauron most likely wiped them out since Treebeard confirmed that the gardens in the Brown Lands had been burned. Definitive answers aren’t necessary since the point was the tragic hope the Ents maintained that their partners were still out there somewhere. It’s the sort of heartbreaking, romantic detail that Tolkien was known for. I love that Arondir, a tragically romantic character inRings of Power, would run into an Ent couple before they were torn apart. It’s a chance to emphasize Sauron’s devisation without harming Tolkien’s intentional secrets.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
