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Inderjit S
07-21-2003, 07:26 PM
In the Dangweth Pengolod Pengolod says to Ælfwine

Not even the seeing stones of old could wholly unite those that were sundered, and they and the masters that could make them were few Dangweth Pengolod; HoME 12

This is undoubtedly a reference to the Palantir so who do you think made the Palantir? Which of the skilled craftsmen could create them? It seems to me that there may have been more then the 7 stones known to M-E, as well as the master-stone in Eressea.

Gandalf mentions the possibility of Feanor making the Palantir that Pippin had looked into, maybe the Seven Stones were gifts from Feanor to his seven sons? Was it he that first made the Palantir? But Quendi and Eldar mentions his unwillingness to teach new 'crafts' to the Eldar (Though this was about him not teaching other Eldar Valinorean) what was the exception with the Palantir? Did he view them as helpful to the Eldar? Or maybe he learnt their making off his father in law, Mahtan, who the Published Silmarillion claims taught Feanor much about metal-work, and why couldn't such a great craftsmen teach Feanor other things? Maybe he learnt how to make it from Aule, or maybe Aule himself taught Feanor (He is mentioned in the Statute of Finwe and Miriel to be a 'lover of Feanor'(hehe)). It is evident that a privileged few craftsmen could make them, but one wonders who they were....

FoolOfATook
07-21-2003, 07:41 PM
Make of it what you will, but in the glossary/index of UT, Feanor's entry reads "Eldest son of Finwe, half-brother of Fingolfin and Finarfin; leader of the Noldor in their rebellion against the Valar; maker of the Silmarils and of the palantiri"

The entry for "palantiri" reads "(singular palantir). The seven Seeing Stones brought by Elendil and his sons from Numenor; made by Feanor in Aman."

The inde/glossary for The Published Sil has a similar entry "'Those that watch from afar', the seven Seeing Stones brought by Elendil and his sons from Numenor; made by Feanor in Aman" The entry goes on to indicate that the reader should go to page 64, which doesn't actually include the word "palantir" or "palantiri", but undoubtedly refers to the following lines:

The first gems that Feanor made were white and colourless, but being set under starlight they would blaze with blue and silver fires brighter than Helluin; and other crystals he made also, wherein things far away could be seen small but clear, as with the eyes of the eagles of Manwe."
-The Published Sil, "Of Feanor"

For the record, Gandalf's quotation in TTT that Inderjit alluded to reads

'The palantiri came from beyond Westernesse, from Eldamar. The Noldor made them. Feanor himself, maybe, wrought them in days so long ago that the time cannot be measured in years'
-TTT, "The Palantir"

And this comes a page later

Even now my heart desires to test my will upon it, to see if I could not wrench it from him and turn it where I would - to look across the wide seas of water and of time to Tirion the Fair, and percieve the unimaginable hand and mind of Feanor at work, while both the White Tree and the Golden were in flower!' He sighed and fell silent.
-TTT, "The Palantir" Gandalf, to Pippin, about the Palantir

Inderjit S
07-21-2003, 07:57 PM
I know that Feanor made some of the Palantir. But the indexes are works of C.T, not J.R.R.T who states that there were several makers of the Palantir. Remember Gandalf says that Feanor MAY have made the Palantir he was holding if he did make them all then why should there be any doubt?

FoolOfATook
07-21-2003, 08:01 PM
By no means I am attempting to use the indices as any sort of proof. I'm only using them as a useful starting place.

Gil-Galad
07-31-2003, 12:08 AM
So,did Feanor make all the palaniri or someone else created other "seeing stones"?

Ithrynluin
08-18-2003, 03:06 AM
I don't think there's any answer to this question. If we're to assume that Fëanor didn't make all 7 of them then I'd say that the palantir in the Tower Hills (that looked only to the sea and into the West) was NOT made by Fëanor but by some other gifted Elf who had great love for the Sea and for Aman. Just a speculation...

This thread might be of interest too - The uniqueness of the seeing stones (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11873)