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{{disambig-more|Palantír|[[Palantir (disambiguation)]]}}
{{disambig-more|Palantír|[[Palantir (disambiguation)]]}}
{{ttchapters}}
{{chapter
'''The Palantír''' is the eleventh chapter of the third book in ''[[The Two Towers]]''.
| image=Peter Xavier Price - Pippin Looks in the Palantir.jpg
| title=The Palantír
| book=The Two Towers
| number=11
| event=[[Peregrin Took|Peregrin]] looks in the ''[[palantíri|palantir]]''; he sets out for [[Minas Tirith]] on [[Shadowfax]].
| date=[[5 March]] {{TA|3019|n}}
| location=[[Dol Baran]]
| perspective=[[Peregrin Took|Peregrin]]
| previous=The Voice of Saruman
| next=The Taming of Sméagol
}}


===Summary===
'''The Palantír''' is the eleventh chapter of the first book in ''[[The Two Towers]]''.
As [[Gandalf]] and [[Théoden]] retreat from [[Isengard]], the wizard carries [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] with him on [[Shadowfax]], while [[Aragorn]] carries [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]]. Pippin and Gandalf chat. They ride late into the night and then stop to camp. Pippin asks Merry whether Gandalf seems different now that he has come back from the dead, and Merry replies that the wizard seems both happier and more serious.


Merry is sleepy and tired of Pippin’s questioning, and he soon falls asleep. But Pippin, unable to sleep, is tormented by curiosity about the crystal globe [[Gríma|Wormtongue]] threw out of the tower. Pippin sneaks over to the sleeping Gandalf and snatches the globe. Gazing into it, Pippin is appalled by the sight of a dark flying creature approaching him, and then an image of an evil figure addressing him. He drops the globe and cries out in fear.
==Summary==
Gandalf awakens, angered at Pippin, as the globe is a [[Palantiri|palantír]], one of the seven ancient seeing-stones that Sauron has turned to evil uses as devices to communicate with his minions from his tower in Mordor. Pippin’s glimpse into the palantír not only enabled the hobbit to see visions, but allowed Sauron to see Pippin and into the hobbit’s thoughts. Aragorn notes that the palantír explains how [[Saruman]] was able to communicate with [[Sauron]], and Gandalf notes that the palantír likely played a large part in the corruption of the formerly good Saruman. Gandalf also says that the sight of Pippin in the globe will confuse the Dark Lord, and that the group can make good use of the delay caused by this confusion. The wizard explains that the winged creature Pippin saw in the globe is one of the [[Nazgûl]], the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]] who pursued the hobbits earlier in the novel. Gandalf proposes to take Pippin away on Shadowfax and to ride as far as the court of Edoras.
As [[Gandalf]] and [[Théoden]] retreated from [[Isengard]], the wizard carried [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] with him on [[Shadowfax]], while [[Aragorn]] carried [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]]. Merry and Gandalf chatted. They rode late into the night and then stopped to camp. Pippin asked Merry whether Gandalf seemed different now that he had come back from the dead, and Merry replied that the wizard seemed both happier and more serious.
 
Merry was sleepy and tired of Pippin’s questioning, and he soon fell asleep. But Pippin, unable to sleep, was tormented by curiosity about the spherical stone that [[Gríma|Wormtongue]] had thrown out of [[Orthanc]]. Pippin sneaked over to the sleeping Gandalf and snatched the stone. Pippin looked into it, unable to avert his gaze as the stone showed him [[Sauron]], who questioned him.
Gandalf awakened, angered at Pippin for taking the stone. After questioning him, Gandalf learned that the stone cast from Orthanc was one of the seven ''[[palantíri]]''. This had allowed [[Saruman]] to communicate with Sauron. During Pippin's interaction with Sauron through the ''palantír'', he managed not to reveal any important information about his company's quest. Sauron thought that Pippin was the hobbit with [[the One Ring]] imprisoned at Isengard, so he ordered Pippin to tell Saruman that the Ring would soon be retrieved, and Saruman could not have it.
 
Expecting Sauron's messengers to come to Isengard soon, the host made plans to quickly leave. While discussing this, a winged [[Nazgûl]] flew overhead to Orthanc, the first time that any of the Nine had been allowed to go west of the [[Anduin]] after the loss of their horses and shapes at the [[Ford of Bruinen]]. This prompted Gandalf to immediate action: he commanded everyone to leave the area as rapidly as possible, and then he mounted [[Shadowfax]] with Pippin and started riding to [[Minas Tirith]] in [[Gondor]].
==Composition==
Tolkien wrote this chapter, along with the five final chapters of Book III were writen as a whole (not in consequence) during his spare time in summer and autumn [[1942]].<ref>{{CG|CG}}, p. xxiv</ref> The [[Rhymes of Lore|rhyme of lore]] was already in Tolkien's mind for some time before even inventing the Palantir into the story.<ref>{{L|163}}, p. 217</ref>
 
By that time, Tolkien thought that the book needed six more chapters to be completed, which he had already outlined; however he entered a long hiatus and wouldn't resume before the Spring [[1944]], when he made a clean copy and "polished" the chapter.<ref>{{CG|CG}}, p. xxv</ref>
{{references}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palantir}}
[[fi:Palantír]]
[[Category:The Two Towers chapters]]

Latest revision as of 14:13, 28 July 2023

The name Palantír refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Palantir (disambiguation).
Peter Xavier Price - Pippin Looks in the Palantir.jpg
The Palantír
Chapter of The Two Towers
Number11
Synopsis
EventPeregrin looks in the palantir; he sets out for Minas Tirith on Shadowfax.
Date5 March 3019
LocationDol Baran
PerspectivePeregrin
Navigation
<  The Voice of Saruman
The Taming of Sméagol  >

The Palantír is the eleventh chapter of the first book in The Two Towers.

Summary[edit | edit source]

As Gandalf and Théoden retreated from Isengard, the wizard carried Merry with him on Shadowfax, while Aragorn carried Pippin. Merry and Gandalf chatted. They rode late into the night and then stopped to camp. Pippin asked Merry whether Gandalf seemed different now that he had come back from the dead, and Merry replied that the wizard seemed both happier and more serious.

Merry was sleepy and tired of Pippin’s questioning, and he soon fell asleep. But Pippin, unable to sleep, was tormented by curiosity about the spherical stone that Wormtongue had thrown out of Orthanc. Pippin sneaked over to the sleeping Gandalf and snatched the stone. Pippin looked into it, unable to avert his gaze as the stone showed him Sauron, who questioned him. Gandalf awakened, angered at Pippin for taking the stone. After questioning him, Gandalf learned that the stone cast from Orthanc was one of the seven palantíri. This had allowed Saruman to communicate with Sauron. During Pippin's interaction with Sauron through the palantír, he managed not to reveal any important information about his company's quest. Sauron thought that Pippin was the hobbit with the One Ring imprisoned at Isengard, so he ordered Pippin to tell Saruman that the Ring would soon be retrieved, and Saruman could not have it.

Expecting Sauron's messengers to come to Isengard soon, the host made plans to quickly leave. While discussing this, a winged Nazgûl flew overhead to Orthanc, the first time that any of the Nine had been allowed to go west of the Anduin after the loss of their horses and shapes at the Ford of Bruinen. This prompted Gandalf to immediate action: he commanded everyone to leave the area as rapidly as possible, and then he mounted Shadowfax with Pippin and started riding to Minas Tirith in Gondor.

Composition[edit | edit source]

Tolkien wrote this chapter, along with the five final chapters of Book III were writen as a whole (not in consequence) during his spare time in summer and autumn 1942.[1] The rhyme of lore was already in Tolkien's mind for some time before even inventing the Palantir into the story.[2]

By that time, Tolkien thought that the book needed six more chapters to be completed, which he had already outlined; however he entered a long hiatus and wouldn't resume before the Spring 1944, when he made a clean copy and "polished" the chapter.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide, p. xxiv
  2. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 163, (dated 7 June 1955), p. 217
  3. ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide, p. xxv
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