Symbols of power, loneliness and mystery, towers feature almost as characters themselves in many stories. Here are a few that have stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Rapunzel’s Tower
Part prison, part enchanted home, Rapunzel’s woodland tower (as well as her hair) is very much the main character in this fairy tale. Locked in a tower with no stairs and no door by an evil witch, Rapunzel is about to make good her escape with her prince. But their plan is discovered by the witch, and the unfortunate prince leaps from the tower, landing in a patch of thorns which blind him. (Spoiler: don’t worry - it’s a happy ending). In some versions of the tale, the witch ends up stuck at the top of the tower herself, so the tower is at some point gaoler to all three characters. Apart from anything, the tale is responsible for the fact that almost all of us will find it impossible not to shout “Rapunzel, rapunzel! Let down your hair!” whenever passing a tall, thin building. It’s the law.
The Two Towers in Lord of the Rings
Although these two towers are the title of the second of the Lord of the Rings books, no one is quite sure which two towers exactly are referred to. There is a confusing plethora of towers in the novels ait turns out. Most readers assume the towers are Barad Dur (the dark tower) and the opposing Minas Tirith (tower of the watch). Tolkien himself foresaw this confusion and wrote to his publisher, confirming that he referred rather to Orthanc (Saruman’s tower) and Cirith Ungol (an entrance to Mordor). More confusingly still, the illustration Tolkien chose for the original book jacket pictured what is clearly Orthanc alongside Minas Morgul. Struggling to follow? Don’t worry - even Gandalf is confused at this point. Anyway, the important thing about the Two (or possibly five) Towers is that they are symbols of might and magic. In a land of hobbits and other very small people, towers are pretty awesome.
Malory Towers
If you were once a fan of boarding school books, you’ll no doubt have been charmed firstly by Malory Towers’ swimming pool (naturally carved from the rocks and filled with sea water) but secondly by the building’s architecture with its four towers at each of the corners. North Tower, South Tower, East Tower and West Tower house the boarding accommodation for around 60 Malory Towers girls each and represent a haven for its inhabitants, who formed strong bonds to the pupils and teachers they shared a tower with. Blyton knew what she was up to. If you’re going to write about a wonderful boarding school, you definitely need it to have fairytale towers and endless spiralling staircases. The plot of the stories follows the girls in North Tower more or less exclusively. South Tower girls get an occasional mention. If you were West or East you’re basically a baddy. Like in The Wizard of Oz.
The Tower of Flints, Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake’s eerie trilogy is set in the castle of Gormenghast, and rising out of it ‘like a mutilated finger from among the fists of knuckled masonry’ is the Tower of Flints, covered in patches of black ivy and inhabited by owls. A symbol of profanity as well as decay, it’s a microcosm of the Groan family itself and also represents a place of escape both to and from madness for the characters. Let’s be honest; every completely bonkers Gothic trilogy needs a completely bonkers Gothic tower in it.
The Tower (or tunnel) in Annihilation
It’s true that towers are never quite what they seem in fiction, and in the strange, almost post-apocalyptic world created by Jeff Vandermeer, it makes sense that everything is inverted and unexpected. So what is referred to as ‘the tower’ is in fact a tunnel that plunges deep into the earth, inhabited by a weird creature that writes in moss on its walls. If you feel like this is cheating in tower terms, don’t worry - there’s a towering and equally creepy lighthouse in this novel, too.
If you’re feeling inspired to visit a tower in real life, don’t miss our ‘Outing’ in our January issue that is all about towers from follies and monuments to lighthouses and churches. The issue is in shops now.
