Orthanc
Orthanc is a tower in
J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world of
Middle-earth, built by the Númenóreans. The tower of black stone stands at the center of
Isengard's fortifications. It is the residence of
Saruman through most of
The Lord of the Rings. After the tower is attacked by
Ents, Saruman (and
Gríma Wormtongue, who arrives at the tower later) are imprisoned within the tower until eventually released by
Treebeard.
In Tolkien's constructed languages, "Orthanc" had a dual meaning: Mount Fang in Elvish and Cunning Mind in Rohan's language.
In Peter Jackson's movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers the two towers referred to are Sauron's Barad-dûr and Orthanc. However, Tolkien's writings leave the matter ambiguous; one other suggestion is that the towers of the title are Orthanc and Minas Morgul on Gondor's border with Mordor.