Warning Beacons of Gondor

The beacons [1] were permanently manned fire stations in Gondor and were positioned on the top of the peaks of the range of White Mountains. The northern beacons ran along the Great West Road. Nardol, Amon Din, Calenhad, Eilenach, Erelas, Amon Anwar, Min-Rimmon, and others were some of the oldest of the beacons. The total distance estimated for these was about 150 miles. These stations always kept signal fires ready and some horses to deliver couriers. At the beginning of the day, they used to light up the first beacon from Minas Tirith and others lit up throughout the day and night till the next day During the Second and Third Ages, the Warning Beacons of Gondor served the purpose of warning the Southern Gondor of any danger for the northern part of Calenardhon and similarly the reverse. However, when Calenardhon was given to the Eotheod, they were used for warning the people in Anorien of any potential danger. The messages for help between Rohan and Gondor were sent by messenger with a Red Arrow instead of beacons.

It is only possible to assume the positions of the southern beacons but the description of the White Mountains and their extent to 20-30 miles suggest that there should be ten beacons along the southern foothills. During the War of the Ring, the Warning Beacons of Gondor were lit as Minas Tirith was under the siege. As the Rohirrim went to help Gondor, they passed all the beacons on their way. The tomb of Elendil stood disguised at the westernmost part of the beacon hills.

• In ‘The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King’ by Peter Jackson, there is a change in the story that the beacons were not lit when Gandalf and Pippin come to Minas Tirith. This was because Denethor did not want to send any help. In this film, a beacon lies above the city and as a symbol of summoning, Gandalf had asked Pippin to take over the guards and light the fireplace. When he did that, it was shown that all other beacons lighted one after the other until the last one could be seen by Aragorn. It was thus that he helped him convince Theoden to help Gondor.
• In the film adaptation, some people believe that there were more than seven beacons as in the book. Actually, in the movie, each beacon was shown getting lit from various angles so that the close up appears as if lit from the previous shot. Seeing this way, a viewer can count seven stations. But the movie adaptation still varies from Tolkien’s writings as the first beacon is shown to be above the city and not on the top of Amon Din. [2]​
• In the video game ‘The Lord of the Rings Online’, Halifirien could be seen from a distance, and the regions of Gondor together had ten beacons.​

1. ^How Fast Is The Beacon of Gondor?
2. ^The Beacons of Minas Tirith