The Ents are one of the oldest beings on earth, and one of the most important creatures in the War of the Ring because they help to bring about the downfall of the Tower of Orthanc in Isengard, and the evil dominion of Saurman. Treebeard, the faithful friend of Merry and Pippin who leads the Ents on their march against the enemy, is the oldest tree-herder of Fangorn Forest, but who are some of the other Ents, and what part do they play in the destruction of Isengard?
There are few other ents mentioned by name in the original text of Tolkien, but among those who gather at the entmoot are Finglas (known in the common tongue as Leaflock) and Fladrif (known in the common tongue as Skinbark.) Both of these Ents have suffered destruction of their trees and desolation of their homes. They are some of the oldest creatures in the forest, to point where they are becoming more ‘tree-ish’ and returning back to the stillness of the time before the elves woke them and taught them how to talk. These older, less hasty Ents are difficult to ruse into action, because nothing seems important to them in their drowsy state. But there is another Ent mentioned in the book, who is younger and more in touch with the outside world than the others, and his name is Bregalad.
Bregalad, also known as Quickbeam after he answered an older Ents question before it had even finished being asked, is the only one who really remembers the time of the Entings, and is closer in age to them than to the wizened older Ents who attend the moot. As such he is keen to meet Merry and Pippin, and keen to learn of the news outside the borders of Fangorn Forest. He has often had conversations with Gandalf Greyhame about the troubles since they discovered they could no longer trust the white wizard, but Bregalad greatly desires the opinion of the small hobbits.
He takes them back to his ent-home, where he lies on his bed made of moss and bracken, by a trickling river, and tells them of the tragedies of the forest. He was the first to cast his vote in support of battling the orcs in Isengard because long ago they cut down and killed many rowan trees whom he had dearly loved. Quickbeam tells the hobbits of how the forest was once joyful, and cherished by sunlight, birds and creatures of all kinds, before Saruman corrupted the ravens (who became the Crebain of Dunland) and the orcs invaded with their cruel axes.
He tells them of the trauma of coming home after roaming to discover the horrible end his friends had met: ‘I called them by their long names, but they did not quiver, they did not hear or answer, they lay dead.’ Many fans who have read the books believe that it is this sorrow, this shared wound that resolves the Ents to join the fight. Although in the 2002 film adaptation of the Two Towers by Peter Jackson, it is Pippin who encourages their participation, by taking Treebeard to Isengard to see the forest that has been felled there, this is simply creative license of the director's behalf, as in the books the two hobbits can do nothing but wait the long three days until the moot is over and the decision is made. It is a creative license that Tolkien himself may very well have approved of, as he was known for loving the old English forests he grew up in, and often wanted his characters to act as the voice of nature and the love of the growing world that he himself felt.
However, it could be argued that Bregalad is actually the book equivalent of Pippin’s stirring call to arms in the films. Bregalad is the most steadfast supporter of defeating the orcs, overthrowing Saruman, and preventing them from murdering any more innocent trees. It is clear that his loss and his pain resonates with the other Ents, and with the trees of the world who are becoming increasingly more violent and full of malice, like those in the Old Forest on the borders of Hobbiton, in response to the violence that they are constantly exposed to.
Either way, Bregalad and the other Ents are allowed to herd their trees into a safe land during the Fourth Age of Middle Earth, once Aragorn has become king. He makes a pact with the old creatures that their trees will no longer be harmed, and that they can live out the remainder of their days without fear of further violence. It is hoped that one day, the Entwives will return, and Bregalad, alongside the others, will be able to regrow their families of Entings, encourage the creatures to return to their golden lands and live among the trees, and play a quintessential role in rebuilding the damage that was done by Sauron, Saruman, and their mechanized world.