Tolkien's Two Towers Were Orthanc and Minas Morgul, Not Barad-dûr

The film makes its choice explicit: Saruman declares 'the union of the two towers' as Orthanc in Isengard and Sauron's stronghold, Barad-dûr. Tolkien, however, left extensive notes showing he intended the two towers to be Orthanc and Minas Morgul, not Barad-dûr.

On the dust jacket for The Two Towers Tolkien illustrated a white tower beneath a moon alongside a dark tower bearing Saruman's white hand, a clear reference to Minas Morgul and Orthanc. He also appended a note to a final draft explaining that Vol. II is 'dominated by ORTHANC, the citadel of Saruman, and the fortress of MINAS MORGUL that guards the secret entrance to Mordor.' Tolkien admitted he disliked the title and debated other possibilities in correspondence, mentioning Cirith Ungol, Barad-dûr and Minas Tirith as contenders and calling the two books in Vol.

II 'widely divergent.' The way the story had to be published made a single, tidy pair of towers difficult to settle.

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