Episode 4 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, “Eldest,” gave fans pieces of lore from J. R. R. Tolkien’s texts that we never thought we’d see adapted, never mind in live-action. However, despite Tom Bombadil’s (Rory Kinnear) appearance being an incredible adaptation of a character sadly exempt from both Ralph Bakshi’s animated project and Peter Jackson’s trilogy, it was the Entwife Winterbloom (Olivia Williams) appearing that was the biggest shock and deepest cut seen yet in the adaptations of Tolkien lore. The Entwives have a fascinating and mysterious history on Middle-earth that is only ever referenced in The Lord of the Rings texts and film. The Entwives also reflect some core themes at the heart of Tolkien’s work surrounding war and nature and their inclusion in “Eldest” works so well because it reflects the balance of horror and fantasy that the writers have nailed so far in Season 2 of Rings of Power.

Who Are the Entwives?

The Entwives used to live with the Ents, but they moved across the river to better control their garden population as the Ents tended to their forests. However, the Entwives tragically disappeared after Sauron destroyed their land during the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age. The end of this war is seen in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, when Isildur (Harry Sinclair) cuts the One Ring from Sauron’s finger. What is shocking about this inclusion is that the Entwives have never been seen in live-action or texts. Only in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers extended edition does Treebeard (Johnathan Rhys-Davies) speak of their disappearance.

This story is similarly told in the book by Treebeard in a chapter of the same name, though not even in Tolkien’s expanded texts like The Silmarillion do we see or hear of them. Whilst it is possible they could be somewhere, perhaps even the Shire, as is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers text, in one of Tolkien’s letters published in The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Tolkien assumes they were destroyed by Sauron. To actually see an Entwife adapted and characterized is truly groundbreaking and should be praised for the originality being shown. Not only is the inclusion shocking, but a sad reminder of one of the core themes of Tolkien’s works.

The Entwives Disappearance Sadly Reflects the Destruction of Nature

As seen in Episode 4, Winterbloom and Snaggleroot (Jim Broadbent) are distraught at the destruction of the trees by the Orcs, killing Wildmen without mercy and almost murdering Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova), Isildur, and Estrid (Nia Towle). Seeing this kind of anguish reminds us of a mother and father losing their children, displaying how the wars between Orcs and men leave nature caught in the middle. Similarly, the story of the Entwives being lost can be seen as an allegory about Mother Nature’s chances of survival being lost. With no Entwives, as Treebeard explains to Merry and Pippen in the Two Towers book, there can be no Entlings, and soon the tree shepherds will no longer be there to care for nature. This alludes to man’s eventual control over Middle-earth, as by the end of the Third Age, the Elves leave Middle-earth and the rest of the fantastical races fade away. Considering that Tolkien was writing at a time when industrial technology was only getting stronger and more destructive, it is fair to say he held little hope for nature’s chances without the Ents and their Entwives.

This Kind of Lore Is Exactly What ‘Rings of Power’ Should Be Focused On

The Entwife Winterbloom is not simply a great addition to the show because it is a piece of unexplored lore, but because of how it is executed. Winterbloom’s character specifically balances the horror and fantastical elements of Middle-earth perfectly. Even before her reveal, Winterbloom’s petals are a scattered warning to Arondir; a really effective way to signal to the audience what is coming without telling the characters either, ramping up the tension. The way she exists as a terrifying and overwhelming monster at first, judging Arondir for killing trees in the past, before displaying her love for all things that grow, proving we can co-exist with nature, really proves what Tolkien’s world is all about and what Rings of Power is getting right this season. From Sauron’s flashback, to the barrow-wights in this episode, the horror elements have been ramped up in Season 2, but the joyful exploration of such a fantastical world has remained through Nori, the Elven rings, and now the Entwives. It reminds us why we love Tolkien’s world so much, because as dark as it can be, it is really a place of hope and wonder.

Overall, the Entwives’ inclusion is not only a great look into the unseen lore of Tolkien’s texts, but a stark reminder of the future of not just Middle-earth, but our own world too. The Entwives serve as a warning about the destruction that war can have on the environment and how, as the dominant species, we need to care for the planet in the role of shepherds of the forest and carers of gardens. Their adaptation is another great way in which The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Season 2 is wonderfully exploring the world of Tolkien, pulling from even the most niche lore and using it to portray the dark and light that exists within this world. Whilst Tom Bombadil’s inclusion gave cause to jump around the living room in excitement, it was the Entwife Winterbloom’s inclusion that really shocked and impressed in “Eldest.”