Tools of Characterization

Characterization in The Two Towers

Type of Being

If you've read our Fellowship of the Ring guide, then you're probably fed up with hearing about all the different races and racial characterization. It doesn't take a genius to know a dwarf is a dwarf and an elf is an elf, in fact, the whole reason this archetype exists is to make characterization easier. But a new "type of being" has been introduced in The Two Towers, so let's give them a chance.

We're talking about the ents, a tree people brought to life near the beginnings of Arda along with the elves, who taught them to speak. The ents were meant to be protectors of the huorns (those trees that are moving around and crunching orcs at the end of the movie). The ents seem to truly be anthropomorphized trees, not just in the fact that they look like giant walking trees, but in their mannerisms as well. Like trees, they're large and hardy, living very long lives. It's unclear how long Treebeard and the gang have been around, or if, like the elves, they're immortal, but we're thinking that they live for thousands of years, much like real trees.

Ents are also very isolationist in terms of ideology. They stay in their forests and don't concern themselves with the trivial wars of men and elves and other beings. Unlike wizards, who are always involved in the affairs of Middle-earth, the ents, like trees rooted in the ground, mostly stick to themselves (unless you start burning down their friends).

Finally, there's entish, a language which takes so long to speak that it takes them until nightfall to say "good morning." By the time they've made what we would consider a fairly straightforward decision (that Merry and Pippin are, indeed, not orcs), the entmoot has almost been going on for a full day. Treebeard tells us that entish takes so long to speak that nothing is said unless it is worth taking a long time to say.

Hmm, if the languages of men were like that, the world of comments sections might be a bit more tolerable.

Physical Appearance

Sure, we suppose "type of being" is a big part of physical appearance, but here, we'd like to focus on a few characters who have some particularly unique looks. Let's start with the winner of our most improved award: Gandalf the White.

No longer wreathed in shabby gray cloth and carrying an old, twisted staff, Gandalf now sports a pristine white cloak that very literally shines (and really brings out the blue in his eyes). His staff also upgraded to an organic but orderly staff, representing the refinement of his knowledge and power. If light (check our Symbols and Tropes) is the essence of goodness, then Gandalf just got a whole lot better.

But not all physical appearances speak of a bright and shining purpose. In Edoras we met Wormtongue, and if his name didn't give away the fact that he's an evil dude, than his appearance will. He looks sort of like a medieval version of Professor Snape, shoulder-length, black, greasy hair, pale skin (which almost makes him appear, like the possessed Théoden, cold and lifeless), and just all around slimy. As he tries to squirm away from Gimli and flee the commotion, we can't help thinking of him as a worm, wriggling his way out of his lies and back to the safety of Saruman.

Names

When it comes to characterization, nothing is more densely complex than the intricacies of Middle-earth nomenclature. How will we ever discern the meaning of such names like "Wormtongue" or "Treebeard"? Tolkien, you impenetrable linguist you…

But all jokes aside, there may be more to some of the names than at first meets the ear. Since this is The Two Towers, let's focus on some of our Rohirrim friends. First, we should say that the language of Rohan, Rohirric, is represented by the Mercian dialect of Anglo-Saxon. So Théoden's name is probably taken from the Anglo-Saxon word "þeoden," meaning "lord" (and no, that's not a "P" with a doohickey, it's called "thorn" and makes the sounds that are usually represented in modern English orthography as "th," just fyi).

Then we have Erwin and Éomer. The first part of both names comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for "horse," or maybe more specifically "warhorse," which makes sense given that we're talking Rohan here. It's speculated that Erwin's name might mean "horse lover" and Éomer's name could me "famous horseman" (maer being an Anglo-Saxon word for famous).