Fables: The Maiden and the Sentinel

The spirit of the Riverbend Preserve was inspired by literature and legend. In this series, we’ll share tales woven from the magic of the forest, field, and river. I hope you enjoy this fable of two beloved souls who reside in the meadow.

In case you’re not familiar with the work of author J.R.R. Tolkien, Ents were trees who could both walk and speak. Gently awoken by Elven magic in the early days of the world, they were the shepherds and protectors of the forests.

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The Maiden and the Sentinel

Long ago, when the Ent wives travelled far from their homelands for greener pastures, a young Ent maiden with broad, bright maple leaves lost her way and found herself alone in this meadow.

She sought for her company but the trees around the meadow were tall and she could not see her sisters or her mothers. She wept and where her tears fell into the soil, a rich, green copse grew. Birds and beasts came down from the woods to play in the copse and to cheer the Ent maiden by climbing high into her branches. Her heart became content, so she pushed her roots deep into the earth and closed her eyes to sleep.

Time passed. One day, when the proud Ents marched south in search of the Ent wives, a tall and dutiful young fir of the rear guard strode purposefully through this meadow – seeing only the backs of his brothers and his fathers.

But when he reached the southern border, the maiden awoke and sighed to see his handsome form. He turned and beheld her beauty, and at once his heart broke – for he could not leave the Ents to go to her, but neither could he leave her to follow them.

And so, his great trunk split like his heart. To the south he leaned after his fathers and his brothers, but to the north he leaned back to the beautiful maiden. Unable to choose, he pushed his roots deep into the earth.

Many seasons came and went – the daisies and grass grew high in the summers, and the rain and snow fell softly in the winters – and the fir and the maple would sigh at each other like lovers across the meadow, until eventually the last of the Ent magic faded from the world and they fell back into a lasting and peaceful slumber as in the time before the Elves.

But even today, the maiden is surrounded by her beloved green copse, and the tall fir stands like a sentinel at the bottom of the meadow, his riven form watching at once to the north and to the south.

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