Of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin

[Starflower]

this is by far my favourite essay of the Unfinished Tales, but it is woefully incomplete. Why are we not told "the seven names of the Hidden City" ? We only catch a very fleeting glimpse of what Tuor saw when the gates opened, but why did the Professor never tell us more? Why did he abandon the story at its climax? And what happened to Voronwe? Did he escape the sack of the City in the end? Was he punished for bringing an outsider- not to mention a mortal besides- to Gondolin when it was specifically forbidden for anyone who left the City to return, and were they allowed to return, not to bring another living being with them . And what about Tuor's early days ? Very little is told excpet that he was fostered by Elves after the death of his mother.

 

[Flame of Udûn]

Read HOME II, that has the whole of the Tuor story.

 

[Starflower]

well if I had HoME II I would not be asking this question now would I? Can we discuss the questions I raised - why does Tolkien mention 'the seven secret names of the city', but never mentions them ? What did happen to Voronwe in the end ?

 

[Aulë]

this is by far my favourite essay of the Unfinished Tales, but it is woefully incomplete. Why are we not told "the seven names of the Hidden City" ? We only catch a very fleeting glimpse of what Tuor saw when the gates opened, but why did the Professor never tell us more? Why did he abandon the story at its climax? And what happened to Voronwe? Did he escape the sack of the City in the end? Was he punished for bringing an outsider- not to mention a mortal besides- to Gondolin when it was specifically forbidden for anyone who left the City to return, and were they allowed to return, not to bring another living being with them . And what about Tuor's early days ? Very little is told excpet that he was fostered by Elves after the death of his mother.

The seven names:

HoME 2: The Fall of Gondolin
"Rejoice that ye have found it, for behold before you the City of Seven Names where all who war with Melko may find hope." Then said Tuor: "What be those names?" And the chief of the Guard made answer: "'Tis said and 'tis sung: 'Gondobar am I called and Gondothlimbar, City of Stone and City of the Dwellers in Stone; Gondolin the Stone of Song and Gwarestrin am I
named, the Tower of Guard, Gar Thurion or the Secret Place, for I am hidden from the eyes of Melko; but they who love me most greatly call me Loth, for like a flower am I, even Lothengriol the flower that blooms on the plain.' Yet," said he, "in our daily speech we speak and we name it mostly Gondolin."

Voronwe: yes, he did escape. There are two stories of what happened to him afterwards. In one of them, he sailed away with Tuor into the West. In the earlier version, he sailed away with Eärendil.

 

[GuardianRanger]

I haven't read HOME, by no means am I remotley considered an expert on the languages of Middle Earth. But I have to wonder:

but they who love me most greatly call me Loth,

Is there any connection (in name only) between the "Loth" of Gondolin and the "Loth" of Loth Lorien? I know the cities are not related (except that there inhabitents were elves,) I'm mostly thinking about the names.

 

[Aulë]

Is there any connection (in name only) between the "Loth" of Gondolin and the "Loth" of Loth Lorien? I know the cities are not related (except that there inhabitents were elves,) I'm mostly thinking about the names.

Well Lothlórien means "Land of the Golden Blossom" (referring to the mallorn trees that grew within), and probably was named after Lórien in Valinor, rather than Loth/Gondolin.

'Loth' means flower, and would be a common prefix used in names.

 

[Inderjit S]

The members of the Barrow Downs Silmarillion Revision Board managed to write an 'updated' version of the 'Fall of Gondolin'-juxtaposing several different versions of the story as well as other related texts-Silmarillion Revision Board