Orthanc



Orthanc is the tower in the middle of Isengard. During the assault on Isengard, the Ents destroyed most of the surrounding area, but could not harm Orthanc, for it is made of a single piece of unbreakable black stone.

History


Orthanc was built near the end of Second Age by the Númenóreans of Gondor out of a single piece of stone by an unknown process and then hardened. No known weapon could harm it. Orthanc rose 500 feet above the plain of Isengard, with the tower ending in four sharp peaks. Its only entrance was at the top of a high stair, and above that was a small window.

Orthanc housed one of the Palantír of the South Kingdom, and was guarded by a special warden until Isengard was mostly abandoned by Gondor. Afterwards, the tower remained locked and no one was allowed without further permission of the steward

The tower remained untouched until around 2759 of the Third Age, when Saruman the White returned from the east to Middle Earth. Saruman then asked for permission from the Steward of Gondor to enter Orthanc. Beren, the Steward of Gondor, granted the wizard permission, gave Isengard to Saruman, and gives him the Keys of Orthanc. Once in Orthanc, he would have initially serve as a representative to the steward and aid the West in alliance against Sauron. As he studied the Dark Arts, he became obsessed with the One Ring and around 3000 of the Third Age, he betrayed the White Council after the last Council meeting in TA 2953. He then fortified Isengard and took it for his own. Next, Saruman began to crossbreed Orcs and Men to make Uruk-hai and sends out parties of Orcs to cut off paths to Gondor and Rohan that the Fellowship might take to get to Mordor, which leads to the events of the Battle at Helms Deep and the destruction of Isengard.

During their assault on Isengard, the Ents attempted to level Orthanc, but all their fury and the rocks thrown upon it only resulted in "a few scorings, and small flake-like splinters near the base."

After Saruman's defeat, he was confronted by King Théoden, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Saruman refused pardon and was banished from the Order and the Council; his staff was broken. Then Gríma Wormtongue, Saruman's servant, threw the Palantír at Gandalf; however, he was undecided by which wizard (Saruman or Gandalf) he hated more and it bounced off the steps instead. Saruman was left out of the War of the Ring and was locked in Orthanc to be guarded by Treebeard. After the downfall of Sauron, the wizard used the remainder of his enchanting voice to convince Treebeard to let him go and claimed that Orthanc was of no further value to him, thus surrendering the key of Orthanc. He would spend the remainder of his life as a thug in the Shire until the Battle of Bywater when he was about to leave with Grima. But Grima cut Saruman in the throat and ran off, but was shot by Hobbit arrows, ending the War of the Ring.

In the Peter Jackson theatrical edition, Saruman was locked inside Orthanc indefinitely after the downfall of Sauron. In the extended edition, Saruman's fate is presented differently. In that version, Saruman is still in Orthanc, and confronted by Théoden, Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas at the beginning of the third film. Gandalf asks Saruman to surrender himself. Then Saruman reveals the Palantír and tells him that Sauron is already preparing for a huge attack in which all of them will die. Gandalf persists and asks him to surrender once again. Saruman rejects this offer and fires a fireball at Gandalf. Gandalf shields himself and, using his power, shatters Saruman's staff. At this point King Théoden spots Grima Wormtongue and offers him freedom. While Grima accepts the offer, Saruman says Grima will never be free. Just as he says this, Saruman says that Gríma is worthless along with his people (Rohan), which Grima disagrees. However, Saruman slaps Grima, and Gandalf continues to ask for information from Saruman. Saruman tells him if he removes his guards he will tell the Fellowship where their doom will be decided. Then Grima stabs Saruman in the back. Legolas instantly fires an arrow at Gríma, hitting his heart, and Saruman falls off Orthanc, landing on a spike on one of the 'windmills'. As the 'windmill' turns, Saruman's palantír falls from underneath his robes into the water, as his body is submerged in it.

According to the Mouth of Sauron, his master promised him Orthanc in return for his services.

During the Fourth Age, Orthanc was searched by King Elessar, and he found there many heirlooms of Isildur, among them the original Elendilmir, the Star of Arnor, which proved that Saruman had found (and probably destroyed) Isildur's remains. Aragorn also found there a casket, which obviously had been intended to hold the One Ring.

Description
According to Tolkien, here is his description of Orthanc: ''"A great ring-wall of stone, like towering cliffs, stood out from the shelter of the mountain-side, from which it ran and then returned again... one who passed in and came at length out of the echoing tunnel, beheld a plain, a great circle, somewhat hollowed like a vast shallow bowl: a mile it measured from rim to rim. Once it had been green and filled with avenues, and groves of fruitful trees, watered by streams that flowed from the mountains to a lake. But no green thing grew there in the latter days of Saruman. The roads were paved with stone-flags dark and hard; and beside their borders instead of trees there marched long lines of pillars, some of marble, some of copper and of iron, joined by heavy chains, to the centre all the roads ran between their chains. There stood a tower of marvelous shape. It was fashioned by the builders of old, who smoothed the Ring of Isengard, and yet it seemed a thing not made by the craft of Men, but riven from the bones of the earth in the ancient torment of the hills. A peak and isle of rock it was, black and gleaming hard: four mighty piers of many-sided stone were welded into one, but near the summit they opened into gaping horns, their pinnacles sharp as the points of spears, keen-edged as knives. Between them was a narrow space, and there upon a floor of polished stone, written with strange signs, a man might stand five hundred feet above the plain." ''Orthanc has much of a resemblance to Saruman's staff.



Pinnacle of Orthanc
The Pinnacle of Orthanc was the very top of Saruman‘s tower. Its corners were razor-edged points with room for at least one man to stand. It was accessed by a flight of thousands of stairs, which Saruman would use to reach the top and observe the stars.

It was here where Saruman imprisoned Gandalf at the start of the War of the Ring, which caused him to be delayed in meeting with Frodo. He was rescued by the great eagle Gwaihir, sent by Radagast the Brown.

Etymology
According to Tolkien, its name is both Sindarin for "Mount Fang", and Rohirric for "Cunning Mind". The latter is more likely to be its real meaning, as the word Orthanc is a real Old English word (Old English being the linguistic basis for Rohirric); the Sindarin name being no more than a poetic coincidence. In Old English, Orþanc means "cunning device", but Tolkien has said this is merely a coincidence.

External link

 * Orthanc at Tolkien Gateway