History Main / Treants

*** In the GothicHorror-inspired plane of Innistrad, most treefolk creatures are nothing like humanoid, appearing as little more than aggressive, mobile trees with woody, fanged slashes for mouths, but traditionally humanoid treefolk show up the ''Shadows over Innistrad'' block. Regardless of their form, some bits of flavor imply they're technically trees [[DemonicPossession possessed by spirits]]. Innistrad is also home to the only spirit treefolk in the game so far, [[http://magiccards.info/avr/en/207.html Yew Spirit]].

* ''FanFic/OneThousandTearzOrDeth'', a ''Lterature/HarryPotter'' fanfic, has a demonic tree that sprouts legs when the four [[EmoTeen emos]] stand in a forest. Perhaps appropriately it claims it is "the demon of emoness".

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
** The game has Treants straight out of the Tolkien mold, with an extremely long-winded language, the ability to animate and control trees and gatherings called moots that can last for months. They also grow from acorns the size of a human head, and can communicate with any intelligent plant-based creature. There's a tropical variant called the tobongo, which lives in jungles and can [[{{Transflormation}} turn people into trees]].

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has Treants straight out of the Tolkien mold, with an extremely long-winded language, the ability to animate and control trees and gatherings called moots that can last for months. They also grow from acorns the size of a human head, and can communicate with any intelligent plant-based creature. There's a tropical variant called the tobongo, which lives in jungles and can [[{{Transflormation}} turn people into trees]].

** Outside of true treefolk, Green-aligned {{elemental|Embodiment}}s such as [[https://scryfall.com/card/dtk/179 Confier Strider]] and [[https://scryfall.com/card/dom/187 Verdant Force]] commonly appear as towering humanoid trees or agglomerations of plant matter, and often arise as protectors of forests and other wild places against advancing civilization.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': [[https://magiccards.info/query?q=t%3Atreefolk&v=scan&s=cname Treefolk]] are a staple type of large Green creatures. For the most part fairly standard examples, they usually appear as reclusive forest dwellers and wardens of the wild, often on good terms with the local elves. Some planes have their own variations.
** In Lorwyn, the treefolk are the most ancient and long-lived of the intelligent races, and are viewed with great respect by their younger neighbors. They reproduce by spreading large amounts of seeds that grow into regular trees, some of which eventually awaken into new treefolk. They differ in size, physical and magical abilities and role in treefolk society based on the species of tree they resemble -- for instance, oak treefolk are the largest and strongest of their kind, black poplars are healers and rowans are magicians. They're also the only species on the plane to be on generally decent terms with Lorwyn's highly xenophobic elves.
** In Lorwyn's dark mirror Shadowmoor, the treefolk become warped, skeletal mockeries of their old selves, often only barely humanoid and highly aggressive towards other beings.
** In the GothicHorror-inspired plane of Innistrad, most treefolk creatures are nothing like humanoid, appearing as little more than aggressive, mobile trees with woody, fanged slashes for mouths, but traditionally humanoid treefolk show up the ''Shadows over Innistrad'' block. Regardless of their form, some bits of flavor imply they're technically trees [[DemonicPossession possessed by spirits]]. Innistrad is also home to the only spirit treefolk in the game so far, [[http://magiccards.info/avr/en/207.html Yew Spirit]].

* "WesternAnimation/FlowersAndTrees": The short focuses on three treants, two lover trees and one evil tree who [[{{Pun}} pines]] for the female tree, out of a larger population inhabiting a forest also home to animated flowers and woodland critters. [[IfICantHaveYou Out of rage]] after his attempts to woo the female tree fail, the evil tree tries to burn the forest down but [[HoistByHisOwnPetard gets burned by his own mechanisms]]. The lover trees continue on to their business like nothing ever happened.

* ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'': Sylvanus, the diminutive god of forests and the wilderness, goes into battle on the back of Grover, a massive treant. A couple of unlockable skins turn Grover into more exotic variants on this trope, such as a treant covered in giant blue-and-red mushrooms or one based on a cactus.
* ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'': Grover from the aforementioned ''Smite'' is a playable character. Wielding an axe, he fights for the forest and occasionally references his former rider, Sylvanus.

%%** ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'':
* ''VideoGame/TheTraderOfStories'', having a large ConstructedWorld, features Dancing Trees as one of the many races that inhabit hit.

* The ''WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies'' short "WesternAnimation/FlowersAndTrees" has three treants, two lover trees and one evil tree who [[{{Pun}} pines]] for the female tree, out of a larger population inhabiting a forest also home to animated flowers and woodland critters. [[IfICantHaveYou Out of rage]] after his attempts to woo the female tree fail, the evil tree tries to burn the forest down but [[HoistByHisOwnPetard gets burned by his own mechanisms]]. The lover trees continue on to their business like nothing ever happened.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': "[[Recap/FuturamaM3BendersGame Bender's Game]]", in a direct parody of ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'', featured a giant tree person called Treedledum. The fellowship ended up [[BlackComedy using him for firewood]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfSuperman'': In "The Tree Man of Arbora", a tree-like being brought to life near a meteor crater grows arms and legs and begins wandering about, consuming enormous quantities of water. It displayed enormous physical strength, easily ripping the hood off of a car to get at the water in its motor and breaking a dam apart with its bare fingers. It at one point disguises itself in a forest by standing still and becoming indistinguishable from normal trees, until a boy carving letters into its trunk angers it back into motion. At the end of the episode, Superman takes the creature to the planet of Abora, which is entirely populated by tree men.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has Treants straight out of the Tolkien mold, with an extremely long-winded language, the ability to animate and control trees and gatherings called moots that can last for months. They also grow from acorns the size of a human head, and can communicate with any intelligent plant-based creature. There's a tropical variant called the tobongo, which lives in jungles and can turn people into trees.

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** In Lorwyn, the treefolk are the most ancient and long-lived of the intelligent races, and are viewed with great respect by their younger neighbors. They reproduce by spreading large amounts of seeds that grow into regular trees, some of which eventually awaken into new treefolk. They also differ in size, physical and magical abilities and role in treefolk society based on the species of tree they resemble -- for instance, oak treefolk are the largest and strongest of their kind, black poplars are healers and rowans are magicians.

** There is also some debate about their appearance -- while the Peter Jackson movies popularized the "humanoid tree" image, in Tolkien's writing they're more humanoid, generally being described as giant- or troll-like beings who come to resemble trees as they age. In fact, the word "ent" is derived from an Old English word meaning "giant", and is linguistically related to ettin and jotunn. However, they are stated elsewhere in Tolkien's writings to have originated as sprits that entered the world by inhabiting or mimicking trees, giving more support to an interpretation of them as literal humanoid trees.

* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'': Treemen appear in the Wood Elf army roster with a couple of tweaks from their tabletop version, such as legs ending in a tangle of roots instead of feet. The subfaction of Argwylon, led by the Treeman Durthu Oakheart, focuses on Treemen and other forest sprits above the Wood Elves -- for instance, only Ancient Treeman generals and not elven Glade Lords can be put in your council -- in contrast to the main Wood Elf faction, which does the opposite.

*** The giant trees that serve as Night Elf buildings are known as Ancients, and while they can attack and move around, it's very much a last-ditch option, as they do both very, very slowly.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Treants have been present as Good-aligned plant creatures since the early days of the game. They were openly named Ents in the first editions of the game, but this was later changed to treants for copyright reasons.

p** The ''Sandstorm'' supplement, which deals with adventuring in deserts and wastelands, introduces a variety of treant knows as the saguaro sentinel, which resembles a huge, humanoid saguaro cactus. It's TrueNeutral rather than NeutralGood, but it guards and protects forests same as other treants -- it just does so for ''cactus'' forests instead. It also has the added bonus that, since it's covered in sharp thorns, it's also effectively immune to melee attacks.

%%* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Treefolk are a staple type of large Green creatures. For the most part fairly standard examples, they usually appear as reclusive forest dwellers and wardens of the wild, often on good terms with the local elves. Some planes have their own variations.

* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' has occasionally featured an unnamed tree-species. Their males look like Treeants while their females are [[HumanoidFemaleAnimal humanoid]] PlantPeople.

* In a direct parody of ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'', the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Bender's Game" also featured a giant tree person called Treedledum. The fellowship ended up [[BlackComedy using him for firewood]].

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': The TropeMaker. In-universe, the Ents were explicitly created by the nature goddess Yavanna to protect the wilderness from the axes of civilization (and to keep the trees from becoming homicidal). They have an odd sort of immortality: they don't age and live more or less forever, but over time become stiffer, sleepier and more "treeish", rooting themselves and not stirring for increasingly long periods, eventually becoming indistinguishable from normal trees. They still live extremely long before this happens, giving them a ''very'' patient and long-term view on things: they consider reaching a decision after three days of continuous debate almost unseemly hasty.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has Treants straight out of the Tolkien mold, with an extremely long-winded language, the ability to animate and control trees and gatherings called moots that can last for months. They also grow from acorns the size of a human head. There's a tropical variant called the tobongo, which lives in jungles and can turn people into trees.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':

* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'':

* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'': Trevenant are Pokemon resembling humanoid trees that inhabit [[TheLostWoods the Winding Woods]] of Kalos. Highly protective of their forest, they can control regular trees and show great kindness to the Pokemon that inhabit their land and nest in their bodies, but will ruthlessly attack anyone who exploits their woods. Physically, they're a bit unusual, being about human-sized, walking on six roots instead of legs and being technically the ghosts of humans who died lost in the forest.

** ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'':