The Key of Orthanc (commonly referred to in the plural as "keys") granted entry to the impenetrable tower of Orthanc. The two great keys were black, intricate in shape, and secured together on a steel ring.[1]
History
Orthanc was built between SA 3320 and SA 3430.[2] Presumably as the tower was completed, its doors and the keys that unlocked them were fashioned.
During the rule of the early Stewards of Gondor in the Third Age, the depopulation of Calenardhon continued. Eventually, Orthanc became deserted, and after it was locked its two keys were removed to Minas Tirith, to be kept by the Stewards.[3]
In TA 2510,[4] Calenardhon became the kingdom of Rohan, though Gondor retained control of Isengard and Orthanc. During this time, Isengard was manned by a small troop of Gondorians led by a hereditary captain. Nonetheless, the keys were still kept by the ruling Steward.[5]
Over time, while retaining the keys, the Stewards forsook the tower as their thoughts looked eastwards. Eventually Isengard came under the control of the Dunlendings who led numerous raids on the Westfold. The Dunlendings were eventually starved out in the great famine after the Long Winter. King Fréaláf and the Steward Beren welcomed Saruman's offer to take command of Isengard and in TA 2759,[6] Beren gave the key of Orthanc to the wizard so that he could act as warden of the tower on Gondor's behalf.[4]
After the destruction of Isengard by the Ents, Gandalf told Saruman that if he handed over the key of Orthanc and his staff, he might soon be pardoned and receive both back. Saruman did not surrender them.[7]
A week before August 22, TA 3019,[8] when Aragorn II Elessar and his company arrived at Orthanc, Saruman had departed Isengard with Gríma Wormtongue. However, before he left, Treebeard had made him lock the tower and hand over the key of Orthanc.[1]
After the fall of Sauron, one of King Elessar's first tasks in the re-ordering of his realm was the restoration of Orthanc. He ordered that the palantír recovered from Saruman be returned to the tower. Having access with the key of Orthanc, it was then that the tower was searched and many secrets were revealed, such as the Elendilmir.[4]
Behind the scenes
While Tolkien capitalized the term Key of Orthanc,[9] it is clear from other passages that there were two keys to the great tower. It may be possible that Tolkien used the singular term to formally refer to the steel ring as a whole (connecting the two keys as one).
Translations
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Sleutels van Orthanc |
| Albanian | Çelësat e Orthanc |
| Arabic | اورثانك مفاتيح |
| Armenian | Որտհանկ ստեղները |
| Assamese | অ'থানকৰ চাবি |
| Asturian | Llaves de Orthanc |
| Azerbaijani | Orthancın Açarları |
| Basque | Orthanc-en gakoak |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Артханк ключы |
| Bengali | অর্থনকে এর কীগুলি |
| Breton | Alc'hwezioù Orthanc |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Ключове на Ортанк |
| Catalan | Claus de Orthanc |
| Cornish | Alhwedhow Orthanc |
| Croatian | Orthanc ključevi |
| Czech | Orthanc klíče |
| Danish | Orthancs nøgler |
| Dutch | Sleutels van Orthanc |
| Estonian | Orthanc võtmed |
| Filipino | Mga Susi ng Orthanc |
| Finnish | Orthanc avaimet |
| French | Clés d'Orthanc |
| Galician | Chaves de Orthanc |
| German | Schlüssel von Orthanc |
| Greek | Κλειδιά του Ορθανκ |
| Gujarati | ઓર્થાન્કની ચાવીઓ |
| Hebrew | מפתחות האורתאנק |
| Hindi | ऑर्थेंक की कुंजी |
| Hungarian | Orthanc kulcsai |
| Indonesian | Kunci-kunci Orthanc |
| Irish Gaelic | Eochracha Orthanc |
| Italian | Chiavi del Orthanc |
| Kannada | ಆರ್ಥಂಕ್ ಕೀಗಳು |
| Kazakh | Ортанк пернелер (Cyrillic) Ortank perneler (Latin) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Ортанк ачкычтар |
| Latin | Claves de Orthanc |
| Latvian | Orthanc atslēgas |
| Lithuanian | Orthanc raktai |
| Luxembourgish | Schlësselen vun Orthanc |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Ортанк клучеви |
| Malaysian | Kekunci-kekunci Orthanc |
| Maltese | Ċwievet ta 'Orthanc |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Ортанк түлхүүрүүд |
| Nepalese | ॐर्थन्च कुञ्जीहरू |
| Norwegian | Orthancs nøkler |
| Occitan | Claus de Orthanc |
| Polish | Klucze Orthank |
| Portuguese | Chaves do Orthanc |
| Romanian | Cheile Orthanc |
| Russian | Ключи Ортанк |
| Sardinian | Chielas de Orthanc |
| Scottish Gaelic | Iuchraichean Orthanc |
| Sicilian | Chiavi di Orthanc |
| Sinhalese | ඕතෑන්ක් යතුරු |
| Slovak | Kľúče od Orthanc |
| Slovenian | Orthanc tipke |
| Somali | Fureyaasha Orthanc |
| Spanish | Llaves de Orthanc |
| Sundanese | Konci-konci Orthanc |
| Swahili | Funguo za Orthanc |
| Swedish | Orthancs nycklar |
| Tamil | ஆர்த்தங்க் விசைகள் |
| Telugu | ఆర్థంక్ కీలు |
| Thai | กุญแจของออร์ธังค์ |
| Turkish | Ortank Anahtarları |
| Turkmen | Ortank Açarlar |
| Venetian | Ciaves de Orthanc |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Ключі Ортанка |
| Vietnamese | Các phím của Orthanc |
| Welsh | Allweddi Orthanc |
| Yiddish | שליסלען פון אָרטהאַנק |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lord of the Rings, Vol. III: The Return of the King, Book Two, Ch. VI: "Many Partings"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, "The Palantíri"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, "The Battles of the Fords of Isen"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", "The Stewards"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers, Book Three, Ch. X: "The Voice of Saruman"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers, Book Three, Ch. X: "The Voice of Saruman", "But you will first surrender to me the Key of Orthanc, and your staff...He has the Key of Orthanc."