The oldest people of ME?

[Sharkû]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hungry Ghoul
Posts: 862</TD><TD><img src=http://www.tolkiens-legacy.de/skogtroll[1].jpg WIDTH=60 HEIGHT=60></TD></TR></TABLE>
As some might remember, we had the topic in the chat some time ago whether Ents or Elves were older.

Some arguments are given in the books for eihter opinion, but few hard facts.

Ents are generally seen as the oldest when they are dealt with in LOTR (if I remember correctly, even Galadriel calls Fangorn 'Eldest'); and some quotes by the Ent himself hint on that, too.

On the other hand, the creation myth seems to imply that the Ents were created as guardians of the trees because of the probable damage the free peoples might do to the woods. Was this done preemptively, ahving the Music in mind, or as a prompt reaction to the first Elves (and maybe Dawrves)?

A speculative blending of both theories is that Ents existed physically before the Elves, but only as inanimate trees (which are neverhtheless, of course, alive). They were later 'awakened' to act after the awaking of the Children.

Some good, buit still vague evidence is given by Treebeard himself:
<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Learn now the lore of living creatures!
First name the four, the free peoples:
Eldest of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ent the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horses;<hr></blockquote>

The elves are eldest, but still the Ents are as old as the mountains, which the elves of course aren't?

I also wonder whether we were, and I still am, missing the one obvious and clear statement to solve this?

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