Tower Hall

From Tolkien Gateway
Tower Hall
Building
Peter Xavier Price - The Tower Hall of Denethor (2).jpg
"The Tower Hall of Denethor" by Peter Xavier Price
General Information
Other namesHall of the Kings
LocationCitadel of Gondor in Minas Tirith
TypeBuilding
DescriptionLong and lofty hall used for audiences with the King or Steward
GalleryImages of the Tower Hall

The Tower Hall,[1] Hall of the White Tower,[2] Hall of the Tower[3] or Hall of the Kings[4] was the throne room[5] of the Kings of Gondor, the Ruling Stewards[6] and the Kings of the Reunited Kingdom[4] in Minas Tirith.

Description[edit | edit source]

The Tower Hall was at the base of the Tower of Ecthelion,[7] which stood in the centre of the Citadel,[8] the topmost seventh circle of walls of Minas Tirith, beyond the Court of the Fountain.[9] A visitor first passed through an outer door guarded by silent door-wardens and walked down a long and empty paved passage. Next came the inner door, tall and fashioned of polished metal, which was opened by unseen means. Inside, rows of tall pillars, carved monoliths of black marble crowned with capitals exhibiting figures of beasts and leaves, upheld the vaulted ceiling of gold and flowing traceries. Flanking the pillars were spacious aisles lit by deep windows and between the pillars were tall images of long-dead kings made of cold stone.[6]

At the far end of the hall was a dais of many steps which supported a high throne with a marble canopy shaped like a crowned helm. Behind this was the image of a flowering tree set in gems. Upon the lowest step of the dais was an unadorned black stone chair, the seat of the Steward.[6]

The War of the Ring and thereafter[edit | edit source]

On 9 March T.A. 3019[10] Gandalf and Pippin reached Minas Tirith and met Steward Denethor II in the Tower Hall, where Pippin pledged service to the aged Steward.[11] On the next day Gandalf and Pippin returned to the Hall where the wizard and the steward discussed the Rohirrim and their policies.[12]

In early May T.A. 3019,[13] after victory in the War of the Ring, the new King Elessar sat upon the high throne in the Tower Hall. There he received embassies and pronounced judgements, such as his merciful banishment of Beregond to the White Company, Lord Faramir's guard in Ithilien.[14]

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Siege of Gondor", p. 806
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Siege of Gondor", p. 818
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Houses of Healing", p. 861
  4. 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Steward and the King", p. 968
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 543
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", pp. 753-4
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Tower Hall, p. 543
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Sauron Defeated, "Part One: The End of the Third Age: VII. Many Partings", p. 67 citing from a plan of the Citadel that was drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien on a manuscript
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", p. 752
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for the year 3019, March 9, p. 1093
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", p. 753-6
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Siege of Gondor", pp. 806-7
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Chief Days from the Fall of Barad-dûr to the End of the Third Age", entry for the year 3019, May 1, p. 1095
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Steward and the King", pp. 968-9