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[Tikidiki]

Il n'est pas sûr que l'utilisation même des palantiri suscite des contreparties physiques comme le font les Anneaux de Pouvoir. Peut-être son utilisation intensive avait-elle un effet (mais elle était facilitée dans le cas d'un propriétaire légitime comme Denethor). Mais c'est surtout ce que montre le palantir, en l'occurrence la victoire militaire de Sauron que Denethor voit comme inéluctable (avec raison), liée à sa solitude après la mort de sa femme, qui change Denethor. L'essentiel est montré dans les Contes et Légendes Inachevés dans le chapitre ad hoc.

But Gandalf's mind was at the same time earnestly busy with the Stones, considering the bearings of the revelation at Dol Baran upon many things that he had observed and pondered: such as the wide knowledge of events far away possessed by Denethor, and his appearance of premature old age, first observable when he was not much above sixty years old, although he belonged to a race and family that still normally had longer lives than other men.
(...)
In the case of Denethor, the Steward was strengthened, even against Sauron himself, by the fact the Stones were far more amenable to legitimate users: most of all to true "Heirs of Elendil" (as Aragorn), but also to one with inherited authority(as Denethor), as compared to Saruman, or Sauron. It may noted that the effects were different. Saruman fell under the domination of Sauron and desired his victory, or no longer opposed it.Denethor remained steadfast in his rejection Sauron, but was made to believe that his victory was inevitable, and so fell into despair.
CLI 3 Palantiri

Denethor "apparait" prématurément vieux (à comparer avec l'apparente jeunesse de Bilbon), ce qui aurait en effet pu avoir un effet sur sa longévité. Mais comme il n'est pas mort de mort naturelle, il semble difficile in fine de comparer sa longévité avec celle de Faramir (qui est mort en 82 Q.A. selon Peoples of ME).