What if Treebeard got The One Ring?

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[Tyranidus]

Imagining the Ring trying to convince Treebeard to do things and it takes so long that even the immortal ring is like, "GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!!"

[varundattoo]

Using all the ancillary perspectives and conversations to essentially decipher Treebeard's character was brilliant. He has that honest, earnest quality with being very protective and honourable. Oddly enough that's the personality type of many protagonists/heroes, albeit; Treebeard's motives are spanned across centuries and not seconds, so it's hard to see him in such a light. Just my 2p, he's similar to Ned Stark and all those honourable like him; they are very easy to manipulate once you've sensed them out. With all your points and difference in perception notwithstanding; I concur that the One Ring would eventually make Treebeard turn a dark leaf.

[neildaly]

The price of firewood would go through the roof.

[LordOfNothingreally]

I think that the best insight we might have into Treebeard's thoughts would be in Old Man Willow, where we're given perspective on how the trees of the Old Forest felt, "a malice for all things walking free on two legs". Old Man Willow was said to have been rotten to his core, but that his songs were mighty (we was able to sing songs of enchantment, bewilderment and sleepfulness on the Hobbits, after drawing them down into Withywindle Valley). I think also its worth considering Treebeards words when saying 'above all he *hates* the caging of free things'. That word hatred is very important, I think, as it speaks to Treebeard's emotions, which Saruman manipulated to his benefit so the Ring definitely could do the same. If you marry Treebeard's hatred for caging free things, and Old Man Willow's malice for all things walking free, I can easily imagine an interpretation where "all those walking free on two legs" were "caging" all those bound root and stem to the earth. A mighty resentment that Elves, Dwarves and Humans (and even Hobbits) could walk free but trees were caged to the ground (to say nothing of how trees are consumate victims of the fires of the Free Peoples) could drive Treebeard, the Ents and their Huorns, on a dark crusade to liberate themselves by the eradication of all non-plant life. Initially, this would be seen by Treebeard as an act of self-defence but would quickly turn into preemptive conquest against all future threats.

[jeffreysmith]

The premise for this is outlandish even for this channel, and I’m FINE with that!

[amadeov]

As a flight of fancy, I think there could be a quite interesting story as to how Treebeard could have found the ring and secrets it away. Especially if it was able to convince him that it was precious quickly enough to cause him not to just forget it. I imagine that it wouldn't be used in any of the ways that we have seen, but rather as a twisting of the natural facets of the world. When the hobbits were attacked directly by a tree, being healed and made immobile, trapped against their will, and being their power would be the hint as to the nature of how an angry forest would assert itself. Imagine the centuries that Gollum possessed the ring now being replaced by a malignant intent injected into a forest already known for its treachery. I imagine that over the years, rather than becoming a viable force of war, the first, under the direction of a corrupted tree herder, begins to expand. By the time the power of Sauron becomes strong enough to challenge the world of men, the battles would play out in much the same way, up until Saruman's treachery at Isengard. This would them become the spark that ignites the righteous rage of a festering forest to take action. This spark, however, would not abate at the re-taking of Isengard, but rather start the Ents towards conquest of all those who have consistently assailed their kind.
The larger question, the dependency upon which all this relies, is if Sauron and his ring would realize this potential from this scenario. I think a case could be made about this especially if the story plays it with Treebeard becoming rooted, and growing unnaturally at the center of his domain. The new great tree from which dominance reigns across the land, the dark echo of the light of the two trees from the past. Anyway, as mentioned, a flight of fancy that I thought might make a fun perspective.

Thank you for always providing these videos, full of lore and perspective.

[aegorbittersteel]

I have no idea why but I really love Tree Beard

[DR-rsou]

He’d probably talk about it for 3, 000 years and say about 9 sentences in total.

[Nananki]

I'm a fan of the more out there theories like this. I think it's fun to think about because the world and characters are so well developed.

[AGHathaway]

We don't know the full powers of Treebeard when he's wearing the One Ring. For all we know, he could re-grow all the Ents and Entwives who ever lived, he could make the forests grow rapidly. Maybe he could grow to such an enormous size that he could crush any army beneath his trunks.

[errantwinds-upuu]

"It's a bit nerdy and far fetched..." I would hope so!

[ZlothZloth]

Hey Treebeard, the Entwives are in Mordor. They are slowly migrating toward a very large colony of beavers. We better go save them!

[frankydaulman]

Excellent stuff. Being deep in the geek zone re Middle Earth for many winters this "what if" I had not considered. Treebeard a great and powerful Old Man Willow in the deep dark fastness of Fangorn.

[worldtraveler]

I believe Tree Beard and his kind would be like the Dwarfs unphased by the overall domination of the ring but I agree they would be affected even if the effects are nothing more then turning His Fangorn forest into an Impenetrable Fortress!!! 🤠👍

[wabba]

Just the right kind of nerdy content I needed while drinking my morning coffee, thanks.

[tonyhinrichs]

I love your channel and content I’m a MASSIVE Tolkien fan and you do a fantastic job telling his stories and breaking them down making it easier, in my opinion, understand Tolkien’s Legendairm! Thank you ❤

[erichagadonw]

We need the travelers guide to Westeros and Essos back!!!

[TheCorpsehatch]

A very interesting "What if..."
More of these unique "What if..." videos.

[monolalia]

Rousing more and more trees into a grim resentful huorn state of being is something I could see Treebeard doing under the influence and with the help of the One Ring.

[williamchamberlain]

1:00 ent-wives means it's possible he's got a john thomas, so he could wear the ring somewhere more concealed. He's probably big enough to use palantirs for kegels too.