The Lord Of The Rings: 10 Most Powerful Items In Middle Earth
9. The Fire of Orthanc
This is certain to send shivers down the backs of those who played the video game War in the North: hordes of fire baring goblins racing forwards to blow themselves up using the Fire of Orthanc. To those unfamiliar with the game, perhaps this item would be better known as Saruman's blasting powder, the explosive solution he concocted to tear apart the Deeping Wall at Helm's Deep.
During the events of The Two Towers, the wizard Saruman begins terrorising the people of Rohan. He corrupts their king, pillages their land, and off's the king's son. Then to top it all off, just when the people of Rohan think that they're safe inside the impenetrable keep of Helm's Deep, Saruman brings a gun to a sword fight.
The Fire of Orthanc is essentially gunpowder, Saruman's own homemade bomb, which was so powerful that it breeched the fortress with ease. Throwing an explosive instrument into the mix doesn't exactly seem fair when everyone else is limited to bows and arrows. The invention of this was ground breaking, especially to those defending Helm's Deep.
Still, the commitment of the Uruk-Hai torch bearer lunging headfirst into the drain to blow himself up is always funny to watch.