Which are the Two Towers?

[pohuist]

Originally posted by Walter
What always strikes me funny is, how we keep repeating the same arguments or facts over and over again, which somehow reminds me of a tibetanian prayer wheel. For example the passages in Letter 140 and 143 have been quoted 4 times already...

Maybe we should just start replying RTFT (Read That F..unny Thread) instead?

200%

 

[Grond]

As long as people continue to ignore prior quotes which undermine their position, I will continue to repeatedly post the same stupid quotes that prove mine.

 

[aragil]

That should be your new signature.

 

[Gildor the Elf]

Well, there's many towers in LotR :
Minas Morgul
Minas Tirith
Cirith Ungol
Osgiliath
Orthanc
Barad-Dûr
Helms Deep
and others, but I think it's Minas Morgul and Orthanc, because in TTT, the most talked tower was Orthanc, as Minas Morgul is too.

 

[WakanaTachibana]

Orthanac and Baradur are the Two Towers

 

[Grond]

Aaaarghhhhh!!! Please read this thread in its entirety before you come in a throw out two names. The author clearly states that the Two Towers would likely mean Orthanc and Cirith Ungol since the first book of the Volume deals with Saruman and the second book of the Volume deals with Frodo and Sam's passage into Mordor and his capture in the Tower of Cirith Ungol. He also states that it would really be left up to the reader to decide since there are so many towers to choose from.

Read the quotes from the author's own mouth. I won't post them for a third time as Walter, Aragil, et. al. would go apoplectic. I will simply say rmpq.

 

[pohuist]

Could someone please close posting on this thread. I think Grond said it all.

 

[Beorn]

Good idea pohuist. For those wishing the answer, check out:
this: http://thetolkien.forum/showthread.php?postid=85182#post85182

and this: http://thetolkien.forum/showthread.php?postid=88164#post88164

and this: http://thetolkien.forum/showthread.php?postid=90330#post90330

and this: http://thetolkien.forum/showthread.php?postid=116285#post116285

and this: http://thetolkien.forum/showthread.php?postid=125787#post125787

and this: http://thetolkien.forum/showthread.php?postid=132433#post132433



OR this: http://thetolkien.forum/showthread.php?postid=132481#post132481


The first bunch support Minas Morgul and Orthanc, the last one supports Cirth Ungol and Orthanc. Considering that there are two contradictory excerpts from text, I think the topic is still quite open.

(Now, we won't start discussing the correct order, will we? )

 

[Winch]

What are the two towers?

I'm confused. Where are the two towers the book is named for? It seems it's implied at least in the new movie that they would be Orthanc and Baradur being the seats of power of Saruman and Sauron. But the tower at Baradur is not the same as the tower at Cirith Ungol is it? At the end of FoTR it says the two towers are Orthanc and Cirith Ungol.

 

[Anamatar IV]

I'd trust the books. Orthanc and I forget the second one it mentioned (I think Cirith Ungol) and that page of my book is gone.

 

[Maeglin]

Oh no not a debate about this again, before you go any further read this, and could a mod please merge these 2 threads? thanks.

 

[Winch]

Hmmm sorry, I should have known this would have been discussed. I hadn't seen that thread. Seems to be a lot of different views. I just read FoTR again last week and at the end the editor had a little note about the story continuing in The Two Towers and specifically named them Othanc and Cirith Ungol.

 

[Maeglin]

hmm well I never was able to make up my mind after that thread I posted the link to, but originally I thought it was Orthanc and Cirith Ungol as well.

 

[Cian]

The note that was published in FOTR reads Orthanc and Minas Morgul rather (or should read I would think).

According to Wayne Hammonds Bibliography, Tolkien saw and approved this ... which agrees with Tolkien's own final illustration for the cover of TTT.

¤

 

[Winch]

The note in the back of FoTR I last read from our local libarary definately said Cirith Ungol. I have a big book called "The Atlas of Middle-Earth" by Karen Wynn Fonstad. It shows Cirith Ungol and the tower in pretty good detail but I don't see any mention of a tower at Minas Morgul (but I haven't read all the text of that book yet, I use it mostly as an atlas).

 

[Muffinly]

Actually I think Minas means Tower, but i'm not positive.

 

[lightingstrike]

I agree with Greymantle on this one. Yes, there was a part when we read in TT about the watch towers of Gondor playing an inportant part in the book. But, I have proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that the "Two Towers" are Brarad-dur and Orthanc. I am quite sure that almost all of you have the movie or DVD of The Fellowship. For those of you who own the DVD and have checked out the preview of the TT movie in the Bonus Features, you will remember that PJ specifically states that this movie is called The Two Towers and is refering to Orthanc, where Saruman is centered, and Brarad-dur, where Sarun is centered.

 

[Manwë Súlimo]

but that is the movies not the books, in the movies Arwen is in The Two Towers, so how accurate can it be? and I remember reading somewhere that it is Orthanc and Cirith Ungol, the two towers where everything takes place.

 

[Mablung]

Arwen is only in TTT in flash backs to Rivendell actually so it's not as bad as you think. Anyway Orthanc and Cirith Ungol are my opinion too Barad Dur is hardly seen in it.

 

[Húrin Thalion]

Actually I think Minas means Tower, but i'm not positive.

Entirely correct. The sindarin word for tower is Minas while the quenya translation is mindon. While I was looking around for a good wordlist I found some rather interesting glossarys that showed that quenya is very much like sindarin, king is Aran in both languages for example. Well that is something for the languages of Middle earth forum I think...

Also I have always assumed that the two towers would be Orthanc and Barad-Dûr for these towers are very central in the story and also there is the struggle between Saruman and Sauron as many have said before me.

Húrin Tahlion