How Did Sauron Use the Palantir? (& How Many Did He Have?)
Throughout the course of The Lord of the Rings movies, you may have noticed mysterious dark orbs that show up several times. If, upon seeing them, you wondered what they are and what their purpose is in the movies, you would not be the only one. Palantiri are incredibly powerful in the right hands, and it just so happens that Sauron had the right hands. Let’s see why the Dark Lord used Palantir.
Palantiri are magical orbs of great value and magical potency
Palantiri, also known as seeing stones, are magical stones that aid their users through the magical ability they possess. These dark spheres which vary in size, aid with many things, most notably with communication with other users over far distances.
Feanor most likely invented them in Eldamar, and were later transferred to Middle Earth. Three were kept in Arnor, two of which were later lost, and the third one was placed in the care of the elves. The remaining four were kept in Gondor. One of these was later acquired by Sauron.
Why did Sauron need Palantir?
Sauron acquired his stone once the Nazgul turned Minas Ithil into Minas Morgul. He was aware of the fact that the location of a few stones was unknown and used that to his advantage.
He used Palantir to influence the visions they showed other users, like Denethor. He couldn’t make to stones lie, but he managed to influence them to show a warped image of visions. He used this to weaken his opponents and make them easier to win against. He also needed Palantir to communicate with Saruman while creating his army of orcs, seeing as he could not travel such great distances from Mordor.
Sauron controlled unsuspecting users, including Saruman, through the Palantir
Sauron used Palantir to see further into any distance. This helped him to monitor his enemies. Although this is extremely useful, the method cannot be used constantly because it is tiring and requires much concentration.
In the case of Saruman, Sauron was able to use it to control him. This is why it was said using the Palantir was very dangerous. Since the location of some stones is not known, it was suggested not to use them.
Because you do not know who is on the other side, it is safest not to use them. Someone with great power, like Sauron, could easily dominate someone with a weaker mind. Since Saruman eventually turned on his nature and joined Sauron in a promise of greater power, I guess he can qualify as someone with a weaker mind.
