The Stone of Orthanc was one of the seven palantíri brought to Middle-earth by Elendil and his sons at the end of the Second Age.[1] It was set in the Tower of Orthanc and used during the War of the Ring by Saruman, casually by Peregrin Took, and strategically by Aragorn.
History
The Exiles of Númenor built the Tower of Orthanc on what were then the northern borders of the realm of Gondor, and set the palantír in the unbreachable fortress.[2] As the Third Age wore on, the line of Kings came to an end, and the Rohirrim came to dwell in the lands south of Orthanc. By the last years of the Age, the remote Stone of Orthanc was all but forgotten by the Stewards of Gondor. The Wizard Saruman had not forgotten the Stone, however, and took over the stewardship of Orthanc with the hope that the Stone would still be there.
Saruman's hopes were realised when he unlocked the impregnable Tower he found the Stone waiting inside, untouched for thousands of years. He kept his discovery secret from the White Council, intending to use it for his own designs. It seems, however, that Saruman failed to account for the other palantíri in Middle-earth. The lost Ithil-stone had fallen into the hands of Sauron, who used its power to bend the Stone of Orthanc to his own will, and with it, Saruman himself.[3]
After suffering great setbacks during the War of the Ring, Saruman lost the Stone, to his great anger. While he parleyed with Gandalf from the Tower, his servant Gríma Wormtongue—not realizing the nature of the Stone—cast it at their enemies below, unwittingly granting them a great gift. Pippin picked it up and Gandalf hastily took it from him.[4] The Stone was used twice after being thrown from the Tower, each time leading the user to encounter the Dark Lord himself. Pippin was the first to use it, in a foolish mistake. Having felt drawn to it, he secretly took the Stone from Gandalf while he slept. He was revealed to Sauron, who falsely believed Pippin to be a captive in Orthanc, where he thought the Stone still resided. Having rescued Pippin from Sauron's inlfuence via the Stone, Gandalf entrusted the palantír to Aragorn for safekeeping.[3]
Shortly after, Aragorn knowingly used the palantír to reveal his ancestry to Sauron and displayed his sword Andúril, reforged from the sword that had cut the Ring from Sauron's finger some three thousand years before. This act drew Sauron into open war, distracting his attention from his own land of Mordor, so giving Frodo and Sam a chance to reach Mount Doom.[5][6]
See also
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Palantír"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Voice of Saruman"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate"
| Palantíri | |
| Stones of Arnor | † Annúminas-stone (Annúminas) · Elendil's Stone (Elostirion - Valinor) · † Amon Sûl-stone (Amon Sûl - Fornost) |
|---|---|
| Stones of Gondor | † Master Stone of Osgiliath (Osgiliath) · † Ithil-stone (Minas Ithil - Barad-dûr) · Anor-stone (Minas Tirith) · Orthanc-stone (Orthanc - Minas Tirith) |
| Other | Master-stone (Tower of Avallonë) |