Orthanc-stone

The Orthanc-stone is one of the palantíri, the seven seeing-stones brought from Númenor by Elendil and his sons. It was set in the tower of Orthanc at Isengard by the Kings of Gondor, and for long ages it remained there, a secret known only to a few. When Saruman took possession of Isengard, he discovered the stone and began to use it, gazing far abroad to gather knowledge. But his pride and ambition led him to look towards Barad-dûr, and there he was trapped: Sauron, who possessed the Ithil-stone, mastered the Orthanc-stone and bent Saruman to his will. From that time onward, Saruman became a double traitor, serving Sauron while plotting his own rise, and the stone was the channel through which the Dark Lord's influence entered Isengard.

Appearance and Nature

The Orthanc-stone is a smooth, dark crystal globe, about the size of a large ball, glowing with a heart of fire. When Pippin first picks it up after Wormtongue hurls it from a high window of Orthanc, he finds it strangely heavy and feels a mysterious attraction to it. Gandalf later explains that the palantíri were made by the Noldor in Eldamar, possibly by Fëanor himself, and that they could see far off and converse in thought with one another. The Orthanc-stone alone could do nothing but show small images of things far away and days remote, but Saruman was not content with that: he cast his gaze further and further abroad, until he looked upon Barad-dûr and was caught.

The Peril of the Stone

The stone is perilous to all who use it without great strength of will. Gandalf warns that Sauron can turn it to evil uses, and that it draws one to itself. When Pippin, driven by curiosity, steals the stone from Gandalf's side and looks into it, he is immediately confronted by Sauron himself, who questions him and nearly overwhelms his mind. Pippin sees a dark sky, tall battlements, and winged shapes like bats wheeling round a tower; then the Dark Lord appears, laughing cruelly, and commands him to tell Saruman that the hobbit is not for him. Pippin is saved only by Gandalf's swift intervention and by the fact that Sauron was too eager to capture him quickly rather than to extract information slowly. Gandalf later tells Pippin that the burned hand teaches best, and that he has been saved mainly by good fortune.

The Stone's Role in the War

The Orthanc-stone is the link between Isengard and Mordor. Through it, Saruman learned of Sauron's plans and was himself corrupted. After the fall of Isengard, the stone is thrown down by Wormtongue in a parting shot, and Pippin picks it up. Gandalf takes it from him and wraps it in his cloak, saying it is not a thing Saruman would have chosen to cast away. Later, at the camp at Dol Baran, Aragorn takes the stone from Gandalf, claiming it by right as the heir of Elendil. Gandalf bows as he presents it, saying, "Receive it, lord! in earnest of other things that shall be given back." Aragorn then uses the stone to challenge Sauron, showing himself to the Dark Lord as Isildur's heir with the Sword Reforged, thereby drawing Sauron's attention away from Frodo and towards the West. This act is a crucial part of the strategy to give the Ring-bearer a chance to reach Mount Doom.

Aftermath and Significance

After the War of the Ring, the Orthanc-stone remains in the keeping of King Elessar. Aragorn uses it to see what is passing in his realm and what his servants are doing. The stone thus passes from being a tool of Saruman's treachery and Sauron's domination to a rightful instrument of the restored King, a symbol of the return of the Kings of Men and the healing of the ancient realm of Gondor.