The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
The earlier White Tower (dating from III 1900) was rebuilt by Ecthelion I in III 2698
Location
The Citadel of Gondor, on the highest tier of Minas Tirith
Origins
Rebuilt from the White Tower of Calimehtar by Steward Ecthelion I
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Ecthelion I descended from the House of Húrin
Important peaks
Overshadowed by the peak of Mindolluin
Pronunciation
Ecthelion is pronounced 'ekthe'lion'
Meaning
Ecthelion means either 'fountain' or 'spear-point' (see note 2 to the entry for Ecthelion I)
Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 9 March 2021
  • Updates planned: 2

Tower of Ecthelion

The White Tower at the peak of Minas Tirith

"...the Tower of Ecthelion, standing high within the topmost wall,1 shone out against the sky, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, tall and fair and shapely, and its pinnacle glittered as if it were wrought of crystals..."
The Return of the King V 1
Minas Tirith

Though a White Tower had graced the highest point of Minas Tirith since ancient times, it was rebuilt by Steward Ecthelion I some three centuries before the War of the Ring, and so gained his name. The Tower of Ecthelion was used to bear the standard of the City, and - at least during the last years of the Third Age - held the palantír known as the Anor-stone.


Notes

1

Many earlier editions of The Lord of the Rings have the Tower standing '...within the topmost walls', rather than the singular 'wall'. The reference is to the bounding wall of the seventh and highest circle of Minas Tirith, and so the plural 'walls' in earlier editions appears to have been a simple typographical error.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 9 March 2021
  • Updates planned: 2

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