Quickbeam

The name of one of the younger Ents found in Fangorn Forest, in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. Ents are very particular about being hasty. Quickbeam gained his name by answering an elder Ent before he was finished with his question.

Quickbeam was in charge of entertaining Merry (Meriadoc Brandybuck) and Pippin (Peregrin Took) while the Ents of Fangorn discussed their plans against the coming of Evil.

see also: Entwife, Enting, Huorn, Treebeard

Quickbeam is also a name (in English) for the Rowan Tree, which was the tree that Quickbeam loved the most.

It should be noted that the English name "Quickbeam" comes from the Old English meaning of the word "quick", that is "alive". (The Rowan is also referred to as the Tree of Life). In the book, Quickbeam gets his name because he is quick to make speach (for an Ent) and just happens to have an affinity for the Rowan. Being the philogist that he was, Tolkien must have been well aware of the real meaning of the word quick, and was just using it in these two different contexts as a joke.

It would be interesting to find out if the word quick and alive derived from each other in Quenya, Noldor or Sindarin.

Quick"beam` (?), n. [A. S. cwicbe�xa0;m.]

See Quicken tree.

 

© Webster 1913.