Palantír

A palantír (plural palantíri , Sindarin “which sees by far”) is a magic artefact created by J.R.R. Tolkien in the Lord of the Rings . A chapter of the unfinished Contes and legends is devoted to him.

The palantíri are spheres made up of a matter close to the Verre or Cristal, of dark color blue. Their size varies from a foot with a size much more important. They were created by the Noldor in Eldamar, by Fëanor itself according to the sources. They were used formerly by the lord of Gondor to see and control all their kingdom. They make it possible to see events and images distant outdistances some, or in time. Two palantíri can communicate between them, in the form of thoughts and of visions of remote events geographically or in time. Seven of them were given to the Men.

Seven of enter they were bequeathed to Amandil, the King of the Men, as a sign of alliance.

After the fall of Númenor, Elendil brings the “stones of vision” in Ground of the Medium. The men then installed them at various stations - keys of the Earth of the Medium (Year, Amon Sûl, hills of the Turns, Osgiliath, Orthanc, Minas Ithil, Minas Tirith). Little by little these stones were lost until it does not remain with the men that of Undermined Tirith which is controlled by Dénethor the intendant of the throne. But this one is not sufficiently powerful to control it and Sauron (which took the control of the stones of Undermined Ithil and of Orthanc) gets busy to make it insane through the palantír. After the war of the ring, Aragorn will use the palantír Undermined Tirith to supervise its kingdom.

During the Third Age:

a stone is in the west of the Comté, looking towards the Eternal Grounds of the west.
the two stones of Arnor, namely those of Annúminas and Amon Sûl were lost in bay frozen of Forochel at the time of the shipwreck of the boat of Arvedui in 1975 T.A.
to palantir It of Minas Ithil were taken at the same time as the city by the Nazgûl in 2002 T.A., and were given to Sauron.
Saroumane has some with Orthanc; during the War of the Ring, Gríma throws the palantír out of Orthanc; the stone is recovered by Gandalf then Aragorn, this last makes use of it to draw the attention of Sauron.
Denethor II has some with Minas Tirith; just like Saroumane, it falls under the cut from Sauron via the palantír.
In 1437, the most powerful palantír is lost during the catch of Osgiliath during the Fratricidal Fight.

The palantír of Sauron was destroyed during the fall of Barad-hard, that of Denethor, unless having a great strength of character, did not reveal any more that the disastrous death of its Master, and only that of Orthanc functions still well at the beginning of the Fourth Age.

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