Thepalantíriare just some of the many mystical objects described in J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Rings, but their origins can be tracked across the books to determine their true powers and where they ended up. Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbitmoviesadapted the Tolkien books of the same names, resulting in timeless displays of high fantasy characters, places, and artifacts. Thepalantíriplayed a big role in the War of the Ring in the book and the movie trilogy, enabling Saruman to communicate with Sauron, advancing the plans of both villains.
Thepalantíricaused havoc inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersmovie, facilitating Saruman’s partnership with Sauron. InThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,Pippin used apalantír, accidentally showing his position to Sauron and showing Sauron’s hand to the Fellowship. This ended up being strategic for the Fellowship. With such great power, it is easy to assume that thepalantírihave some kind of enigmatic and mysterious source. However, their origins are, in fact, well-documented and clear.
The Origins Of The Palantíri In The Lord Of The Rings Explained
The Palantíri Originated In Aman
InThe Lord of the Rings, thepalantíriwere “the seven Seeing Stones brought by Elendil and his sons from Númenor; made by Fëanor in Aman,” as succinctly put byThe Silmarillion. Fëanor was of the great house of the Noldor, one of three great families of Elves, which also included the Vanyar and the Teleri. Fëanor “became of all the Noldor… the most subtle in mind and the most skilled in hand” (viaThe Silmarillion). His descendant Celebrimbor would try to rival him, in his pride, forgingthe Rings of Power. “Palan” is Quenya for “far and wide,” explaining the Stones' names, Quenya being an Elvish language.
Celebrimbor’s pride was the crack that Sauron crept into in his manipulation of the Elf. Sauron withheld his identity from Celebrimbor and secured his assistance in making the rings that formed the basis of his plan for world domination.
Fëanor madethe famous Silmarilswhich would rock the whole of Arda, the world in which Middle-earth was situated, “and other crystals he made also, wherein things far away could be seen small but clear.“Many of these crystals - thepalantíri- were made, and their total number is unknown. But the fate of seven is recorded in the various annals of Middle-earth presented by pioneering author J.R.R Tolkien. The Elves had a friendship with the Númenórean Amandil and his family in the Second Age and sevenpalantíriwere “gifts of the Eldar to their house,” thereafter transported to Middle-earth.
What Powers A Palantír Has, According To The Lord Of The Rings Lore
The Palantíri Enabled Communication
Thepalantíriallowed their users to communicate with each other and see what was happening near them.Palantírigranted usersvisions of other spaces and other times, penetrating through solid matter to see beyond walls, enabling users to see things “as with the eyes of the eagles of Manwë.” Manwë was one ofthe 15 Valar- the demigods of Tolkien’s world - and had more foresight than any being in the universe other than the one creator himself, Eru Ilúvatar. This speaks to the power that Fëanor had imbued thepalantíriwith. Meanwhile,The Silmarilliondescribed Manwë’s eagles:
…spirits in the shape of… eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world. Thus they brought word to him of well nigh all that passed in Arda; yet some things were hidden even from the eyes of Manwë and the servants of Manwë.
Gandalf confirmed inThe Lord of the Ringsthat the Seeing Stones allowed users “to see far off, and to converse in thought with one another.” Skill was required to master thepalantíri,with haphazard or blurry visuals possible in the hands of the inexperienced. It was easiest to see what was closest to thepalantíriand harder to see further away.The Stones facilitated the exchange of thought, which was a skill native to all beings, though mastered by few. Somepalantíriwere greater in power, and some were only linked with certain others.
Which Lord Of The Rings Settlements Possessed A Palantír (& When)?
The Seeing Stones Traveled Far And Wide
The Seeing Stones started their life in Aman in the hands of the Noldor Elves in the First Age, where it could be speculated that some remain.After Elves were banned from Númenórean shores, they giftedpalantírito their friendson the island kingdom inthe Second Age of Middle-earthto retain some level of connection to them. Amandil was the leader of these Elf-friends and passed the Stones down to his son, Elendil, who escaped with seven when Númenor was destroyed. Fleeing Númenor, Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion, went on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.
Thepalantíriwere then distributed between Gondor and Arnor. As Gandalf mentioned inThe Lord of the Rings, “in that way they long guarded and united the realm of Gondor.” Gandalf went on to state that the Elf-friends “set up Stones at Minas Anor, and at Minas Ithil, and at Orthanc in the ring of Isengard.” The Stone that mastered these was in Osgiliath, Gondor’s main city. These Seeing Stones all covered the realm of Gondor in the Second Age, while in Arnor there werepalantíriat Annúminas, Amon Sûl, and Elostirion, a tower in the Tower Hills, a range of hills in western Eriador.
The Fate Of The PalantíriExplained
Few Palantíri Remain
Somepalantírihave been destroyed or lost, while a couple remain intact. Aragorn said that “only one now remains that you could use” inThe Lord of the Rings. He was referring to his own. Gandalf recovered apalantírfrom Orthanc, which was used by Pippin before it finally made its way to Aragorn, its rightful owner. As seen in Peter Jackson’s movies, Denethor also had the use of a Seeing Stone in Minas Tirith. Aragorn’s words on this Stone were sinister - “you would not wish to see what the Stone of Minas Tirith would show you.”
Claimed by Sauron, lost or destroyed when Barad-dûr fell
Claimed by Denethor, broken by Denethor
The ocean
Lost at sea
River Anduin
Lost in the River Anduin
Having burned with Denethor on his pyre, the hardy Stone was left showing little more than Denethor’s burning hands. This was the Stone from Minas Anor, which became Minas Tirith.Sauron overran Minas Ithil and turned it into Minas Morgul, taking itspalantírfor his own. According toThe Lord of the Rings,thepalantíriof Annúminas and Amon Sûl were “buried in the sea” with a shipwreck and the Osgiliath Stone was lost in the River Anduin after a war. Círdan put the seventh Stone on a ship to Valinor with Elrond, according to “Appendix A” ofThe Lord of the Rings.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
