“Nobody goes off trail. And nobody walks alone” the Harfoot motto goes, as they leave behind the sick and anyone whose wheel breaks. “The sea is always right!” the Numenoreans chant, which if I were feeling generous I’d call bitter irony given the fate of that seafaring nation. But I’m not feeling generous.

Lord of the Rings’ palantíri may seem like regular fantasy crystal balls, full of evil influence, but they weren’t always that way.