Are the Palantiri Named After Numenor's Tar-Palantir in Rings of Power?

**Warning – Spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power**

Galadriel shared Regent Miriel’s vision of Numenor’s downfall by way of a Palantir, and we reveal if the seeing stones were named after the kingdom’s ruler, Tar-Palantir. 

Episode 4 also saw Bronwynn and Theo arrive at the Elven tower while Arondir was tasked with delivering a message from Adar. Additionally, Elrond discovered what his friend Durin and the other Dwarves were mining in Khazad-dum.

Developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay for Amazon Prime and based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power will be set thousands of years before The Hobbit and its successor, starring Robert Aramayo, Morfydd Clark, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, and many more.

• MORE: Will the Dwarves’ Mithril Mining Wake the Balrog in The Rings of Power?

Are the Palantiri Named After Numenor’s Tar-Palantir?

No, the Palantiri, or seeing stones, were not named after the Numernorean king Tar-Palantir, but both share the same Quenya name. 

Palantir means “Farsighted” or “He who looks afar” and “tar” simply means “high”. According to Tolkien lore, Tar-Palantir possessed a gift of foresight but it is unknown if this was only because he had one of the seeing stones or if he was magically gifted.

One concrete piece of evidence proves the seeing stones were not named after the 24th King of Numenor, stating that the seeing stones were created more than an age before Tar-Palantir, which actually suggests that the king was named after the seeing stones instead.

The Palantiri’s Origin

The Palantiri (singular Palantir) were known in the common tongue as the seven seeing stones of Middle-earth.

The dark spheres were made by the Noldor in Eldamar and overseen by Feanor – the first King of the Noldor. Since Feanor lived during the Year of the Trees – an age before the First Age – and Tar-Palantir was born in the Second Age, this confirms that the Palantiri existed long before Numenor’s future king.

The seeing stones were brought to Middle-earth by Elendil and they became guarded in Towers throughout the Realms in Exile.

The Palantiri’s purpose was communication and foresight and it required an individual of tremendous strength to use one. Both The Rings of Power and The Lord of the Rings trilogy showed the stones’ power to predict several outcomes and share these visions with the user.

Saruman was seen using the Orthanc-stone in The Fellowship of the Ring, which later came into Gandalf’s possession. During The Return of the King, the Hobbit Pippin was drawn in by its power and temporarily possessed by Sauron who was using the stone to gain intel from the fellowship.  

• MORE: Is Sauron’s Sigil in The Rings of Power a Map or an Eye?

How Many Episodes are in The Rings of Power?

The Rings of Power has eight episodes to bulk out its Season 1 debut on Amazon Prime.

The series is scheduled to release every Thursday/Friday on Amazon Prime, and the following schedule confirms the finale will air on Friday, October 14, 2022.

Below, we have provided the show’s release schedule in full with dates to mark in your calendar. We will also update episode titles as they are announced:

• Episode 1: Shadow of the Past – Friday, September 2, 2022
• Episode 2: Adrift – Friday, September 2, 2022
• Episode 3: Adar – Friday, September 9, 2022
• Episode 4: The Great Wave – Friday, September 16, 2022
• Episode 5: TBA – Friday, September 23, 2022
• Episode 6: TBA  – Friday, September 30, 2022
• Episode 7: TBA – Friday, October 7, 2022
• Episode 8: TBA – Friday, October 14, 2022

By Jo Craig – [email protected]

The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime.