What are the Palantir in The Rings of Power?

We continue to explore the universe of Tolkien's work on which Prime Video's popular new series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This time we are not talking about a place or character, but about a precious and mysterious object that we had already seen in the movies. It is called Palantir and its appearance in the fourth episode of the series has left no one indifferent, since thanks to it we have witnessed a terrible omen, in which we see Númenor fall.

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Palantir, the Seer Stone from the Lord of the Rings universe

A Palantir or Palantíri, also known as a Seer Stone, is a crystal sphere with magical powers capable of predicting the future. These stones not only offer vague details of what will happen next, but they can also offer clear images and represent the future in great detail. They also offer the ability to communicate, regardless of the distance between them. We have seen them on more than one occasion, but do we know their origin?

In Sindarin, the most widespread language among the Elves, its meaning is clear, as it refers to "those who see from afar". If we break down the term, "Palan" means distant, while "Tir" translates to watchful. Their first appearance took place in The Silmarillion, and later we saw them in Peter Jackson's trilogy of films. Probably one of the most iconic scenes we all remember is when Saruman the White uses it to communicate with Sauron himself.

They were created by the Noldor in Eldamar, with the intention of being given to the members of the House of Elendil, in Númenor. There are 8 of them, the last one being considered "The Master-stone" located in Tol Eressëa. In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we have witnessed how a Palantir shows the destruction of Númenor, one of the most important events in Tolkien's work.

Source | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power