Palantír

Palantír
The palantír of Orthanc, used by the wizard Saruman in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Plot element from the The Lord of the Rings franchise
First appearance	The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
Created by	J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre	Fantasy
In-story information
Type	Crystal ball
Function	Scrying Telepathic communication
Specific traits and abilities	Indestructible sphere of dark crystal
Affiliation	Elves Saruman Denethor

A palantír (pl. palantíri) is a fictional magical artefact from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy legendarium. A palantír (sometimes translated as "Seeing Stone" but literally meaning "Farsighted" or "One that Sees from Afar"; cf. English television) is a crystal ball, used for both communication and as a means of seeing events in other parts of the world or in the distant past.

When one looks into a palantír, one can mentally communicate with other such stones and anyone who might be looking into them; beings of great power can manipulate the greater stones to see virtually any part of the world. They were made by the Elves of Valinor in the Uttermost West, by the Noldor and maybe even Fëanor himself. Many palantíri were made, but only eight are specifically mentioned in Tolkien's published works. Fashioned of a dark crystal, they were indestructible by any means men possessed at the end of the Third Age; it was suspected that the fire of Orodruin, Mount Doom, might be able to destroy them. They were of various sizes; the smallest had a diameter of about a foot (30 cm), while the largest were much larger and could not be lifted by one man. Some, such as the Stones of Osgiliath and Amon Sul, had power over other stones including the ability to eavesdrop. The smaller stones required one to move around them, thereby changing the viewpoint of its vision, whereas the larger stones could be turned on their axis. The Master Stone was kept in the tower of Avallónë on Tol Eressëa, but no record is made of successful communication from any palantír of Middle-earth to this one. A wielder of great power such as one of the Maiar like Sauron could dominate a weaker user through the stone, which was the experience of Peregrin Took and possibly Saruman. According to Gandalf, it is beyond the skill of both Sauron and Saruman to create the palantíri and that Sauron cannot make the palantíri "lie", or create false images, though he could show selective images to create a false impression in the viewer.