Post #2809723

2026-04-21 05:05 UTC

@JoshuaACNewman@xeno.glyphpress.com @angusm@mastodon.social Right, the seven Palantíri were (Edit: not fashioned in, but brought to, thanks Graydon) Nûmenor and brought over sea with the Kings of Men. But by the in-universe time of the events of the book, four are lost. Denethor loses his mind after doomscrolling in the Minas Tirith palantir, because the feed is controlled by Sauron.

Replies (3)

@JoshuaACNewman@xeno.glyphpress.com 2026-04-21 15:19

@Two9A@hachyderm.io @angusm@mastodon.social Presumably the same fate as the rest.

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@graydon@canada.masto.host 2026-04-21 15:46

@Two9A@hachyderm.io @JoshuaACNewman@xeno.glyphpress.com @angusm@mastodon.social They weren't made in Numenor; they were brought from Numenor ("seven stars and seven stones and one white tree", the palantiri are the seven (seeing) stones) but were gifts from the elves and were in their origins the work of Fëanor. Who, yeah, greatest of the elves, but also one of those responsible for the disaster of the First Age. (More or less the Elves' Original Sin made flesh.) "All-seeing, inescapable, and obeying the greater will" aren't positive traits.

Open ##2809725
@raven667@hachyderm.io 2026-04-21 16:01

@Two9A@hachyderm.io @JoshuaACNewman@xeno.glyphpress.com @angusm@mastodon.social thats the irony, both the literary palantir and the company Palantir exist to facilitate doom scrolling that warps your perception of humanity, replacing hope, compassion, empathy and cooperation with a dark vision of all against all conflict. Its literally creating Denathors.

Open ##2809726