Origin of Wizards Tower in Legend and Literature?

[johnsemlak]

There was no big difference between "castle" and "tower" in former times. Remember that the old castle of the kings of England in London is simply called "The Tower". Medieval castles, especially the French type, had a fortified tower as central element, the so-called "donjon". This tower contained the living space and the throne hall of the noble. It had extraordinarily thick walls and, most of the time, only one well-defended small entrance.

I certainly agree the meaning of the word tower has evolved a bit. I remember being slightly suprised on how 'short' the Tower of London actually was.

Anyone got the Oxford English Dictionary? That might be useful for this.

The one thing I would point out though is that the physical image of a 'wizards tower' in Tolkien and Howard (basically, an obelisk) is certainly different than a standard European castle. Somewhere along the line someone envisioned powerful wizards in such towers.

 

[johnsemlak]

bump, any more ideas on this one?

 

[Gez]

Well, along the other possible sources...

Astrologers (and now astronomists) liked towers, mountain tops, and other elevated places to look at the stars. The archetype of the astrologer, like the one of the alchemist, is tied to the one of the wizard.

Towers just like staves, wands, and swords, are phallic symbols; and thus symbol of power -- and not necessarily sexual power.

 

[Vigilance]

Having hit the books again-

The Faery Queene, an Arthurian epic poem composed around Shakespeare's day (the 16th century) contains a reference to the Caer-Merdin, or Merlin's Tower.

So we can bump the origins of this tradition back at least 300 years from Howard and Tolkien

Chuck

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I'm not certain that Tolkein's "towers" were really the thing we associate with wizards. Let's take a look at a few of the towers that are mentioned in the Lord of the Rings:

Amon Sul--the ruined watchtower. This is probably a classic tower.

Minas Tirith/Minas Anor--The tower of the Guard or the White Tower. (The Tower of the Sun prior to the conquest of Minas Ithil by the Witch King). This is clearly a city and although it is very vertically oriented (especially in Peter Jackson's depiction), it bears more resemblance to a castle or fortified city (which is what it is) than the classic tower.

Minas Ithil/Minas Morgul--The Tower of the Moon/The Tower of Death. While this does bear more than a superficial resemblance to the classic tower in Jackson's presentation, it doesn't seem at all clear that this is the best way to understand it. Given its origin as the sister city to Minas Anor, it is likely that it is as much of a castle or fortified city as a tower.

Barad Dur--The Dark Tower. Sauron's Fortress is called a tower, but the reference to Orthanc and Isengard seeming to be a mere outbuilding or bastion of the tower suggests to me that it is no single tower in the style of the classic wizard's tower of modern literature but rather a fortress dominated by a single tower.

Orthanc--Clearly an obelisk-like tower. However, as Saruman's habitation, it is more properly considered the center of Isengard which was Saruman's fortress. Considered together, Isengard and Orthanc are more like a castle with a very tall keep than the classic tower.

The Towers of the Teeth--I must say I got the distinct impression that these were more border keeps than classic towers. And first men lived in them then orcs--never wizards.

It seems to me that the image of wizards in towers is not properly traced to Tolkein. His towers were often towers in the sense of the Tower of London rather than the lone, freestanding spire of much fantasy literature.

Merry Christmas.

I certainly agree the meaning of the word tower has evolved a bit. I remember being slightly suprised on how 'short' the Tower of London actually was.

Anyone got the Oxford English Dictionary? That might be useful for this.

The one thing I would point out though is that the physical image of a 'wizards tower' in Tolkien and Howard (basically, an obelisk) is certainly different than a standard European castle. Somewhere along the line someone envisioned powerful wizards in such towers.

 

[s/LaSH]

If you want to go tentative, try the Tower of Babel. Perhaps not the traditional image of a tower, more the 'big pile of rock' that evolved into step and slope pyramids if you follow some sources, but nevertheless, a big tower in Babylon or thereabouts. Possibly used for astronomy, but who really knows?

The Babylonian region is generically 'Persian', and the astronomer-mystic tribe known as the Magi were powerful throughout Persia in the ancient world.

Stop me if any of these words or roles are sounding vaguely on-topic...

 

[Nightfall]

I do recall that while the king before the Pendragon in Mallory's lore, DID try to build a tower and was told by wizards to make it stand they must use Merlin's blood.

 

[Nifft]

On a wild guess... Arabian mythology?

The've got the minarets.

-- N

 

[William Ronald]

Having hit the books again-

The Faery Queene, an Arthurian epic poem composed around Shakespeare's day (the 16th century) contains a reference to the Caer-Merdin, or Merlin's Tower.

So we can bump the origins of this tradition back at least 300 years from Howard and Tolkien

Chuck

Caer Myrddyn is mentioned, as I recall in the Mabonogion, a series of Welsh tales whose origins predate Arthurian legend. In the Mabonogion, the home of the wizard/bard Gwydion is Caer Gwydion. Caer is generally used in the sense of castle but can be interprepted losely as a tower.

Also, I seem to recall a tale about Simon Magus, who is mentioned in the New Testament, trying to fly off of a tower.

I can't remember what sort of structure Circe in the Odyssey lived in.

 

[jester47]

Orthanc--Clearly an obelisk-like tower. However, as Saruman's habitation, it is more properly considered the center of Isengard which was Saruman's fortress. Considered together, Isengard and Orthanc are more like a castle with a very tall keep than the classic tower.

Yes but orthanc is still a tower. Saruman in Orthanc (as opposed to Isengard) is THE classic wizard in a tower depiction.

An Aside-

As for towers in LotR, the places considered towers in that book are several. The second part, The Two Towers is aptly named because there are several pairings of "towers" in the book.

Orthanc - Barad Dur
Minas Morgul - Minas Tirith
Cirith Ungol (this one had two watchtowers in the book, one tall one short... I think)

Back on topic-

I checked with my local authority on literature (my mother is a professor of English with a big concentration in Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature.) and she states that the place to probably look is in Gothic Romance literature. Likely candidates (but she stresses there is no garuntee) were Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, and Goethe's Faust (marlowe's is older...). She also suggested Cooleridge, and Monk Lewis. She mentioned that Owen Glendower (a hermit in Henry IV by Wil. S.) claims to summon spirits and that might show a line of influence from somewhere. Also she suggested Anne Radcliffe and Charles Brockden Brown (both are no garuntee and serious maybes).

Undoutedly the image comes from thinking men throughout the ages that sought higher places to study the heavens. From Galileo all the way back to Babylonian astronomers. Hermits on hills and mountains and Martin Luther hiding in a castle in Germany.

But in literature there is a deeper level to it. While there are very few literal towers and wizards in lit, there is the seeker who muast work in isolation in order to deal with the unknown, the unknowable and the forbidden. Prospero in his cell, merlin in his cave, hermits, Dr. Frankenstein, Saruman, the Grey Mouser, The secret of Nimh, Frobozz in the underground realm of Zork. The tower as we know it today (a spire) is somthing that we associate with the inaccessible. The tower is the symbol of the inaccessible and the wizard is the symbol of one who works there. (by the way, anyone work in really complicated stuff on the top floor of a skyscraper?). So, if you look for other symbols that represent the same things (islands, mountains, mad scientists, hermits) then you find a very very long literary tradition that comes from people studying and pulling off amazing things with what they learn from studying.

I just looked up and realised that I had a great resource on my shelf- the dictionary of imaginary places. Let me look in there. (looks) Nope, nothing initially. However I did notice that it is missing anything from Moorcock, Leiber and Howard.

Aaron.