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Originally Posted by Formendacil
Was Elendil the only one in Númenor with such Stones, a gift from the Elves to the Lord of the Faithful or had they belonged a long time to his family--before Amandil, perhaps, to the ancestors they shared with Inzilabêth mother of Tar-Palantír?
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I would think the Stones had belonged to the Lords of Andúnië for many years before Elendil's time, if only because it would have been very difficult for ships from Eressëa to land in Númenor by then. Perhaps they were a means of the Faithful for evading the machinations of the King's Men.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Formendacil
The general trend of Middle-earth history makes it hard to imagine the Realms in Exile possessing technology that Númenor never had... but even though that seems to be the case, the fact that the Noldor (and Fëanor singled out among them) are said to have forged them, one wonders why there were not palantíri in the halls of Nargothrond, Himling, and Hithlum for the communication of kings? Or perhaps there were, and we are simply never told...
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I think it's likely the Noldor in Beleriand possessed and used them. It would explain how the realms were able to coordinate battle plans in the wars against Morgoth. Conventional travel would have been impractical due to distance.