The Fall of Gondolin refers to the battle by the Gondolin forces led by King Turgon against the Morgoth. This battle had resulted from an act of treachery by Maeglin, who revealed the secret locations to the enemy. A majority of the Gondolindrim had lost their lives in this battle, although a small number of people could make good their escape using a passage that was unknown to the enemy. These included Tuor, Idril, and Earendil, their son.
History
A few decades had passed since the battle of Nirnaeth Arnoediad, which was the fifth in the War of the Jewels before the stage was set for the fall of Gondolin. The battle of Nirnaetth Arnoediad had proved to be a watershed one for the Morgoth, who had gained a conclusive victory over their enemies. The captain of Angband, Gothmog, had succeeded in capturing Hurin, the most admired among the human warriors of the time. In a situation where the Union of Maedhros had been decimated and the Noldor had been rendered powerless, only the Gondolin remained to be vanquished for a complete victory to the Morgoth. Unfortunately for him, however, he was unaware of the exact location of Gondolin.
Morgoth was aware of the fact that Hurin, whom he had captured, was familiar with Gondolin, where he had lived for many years. Subjecting Hurin to the worst forms of torture produced no result, as Hurin merely mocked the Dark Lord, refusing to budge. The enraged Morgoth cursed Hurin’s family and cast a spell upon him, making him see the travails of his family. After pursuing this course for several decades, Morgoth feigned pity on his enemy, who had been completely vanquished by him, and condescended to release him from his custody. The real purpose of the release was far from any emotion such as pity as the release was made in the expectation of inflicting further misery on his enemy, who had also been placed under a curse.
Further, the long years of torture had left Hurin an embittered man. The expectations that had fueled Morgoth in releasing Hurin proved to be true as Hurin tried to go back to Gondolin. Although Hurin, who had cried out for help to Turgon. Whose delay in acknowledging it had resulted in Hurin going away, the ploy worked for Morgoth as he could divine the general location of Gondolin through his spies who had followed Harin. Knowing the region where Gondolin existed, Mordoth increased his vigilance in Sirion in an attempt to discover its exact location, reasoning that either this would help him to locate the place itself or lead him to someone who knew it. Meanwhile, in the year FA 551, Maeglin, a cousin of Turgon, who was combing the land beyond the Encircling Mountains in quest of metal deposits, although the king had ordered him to desist from doing so, was captured and taken to Morgoth.
Morgoth used the opportunity to extract the information about Gondolin from Maeglin. Maeglin was not a coward but the torture that Morgoth threatened to inflict on him was of a kind that could shake the bravest of men. Maeglin wilted under the pressure and divulged all the information in his possession about Gondolin. Morgoth wanted to make sure of the continued and complete loyalty of Maeglin, and to this end, promised to make him the ruler of Gondolin and get him married to his cousin Idril, whom he had pined for all his life in a one-sided love affair. Since the relationship between him and Idril was perceived to be consanguineous and hence precluded any idea of marriage, Maeglin had had to suffer in silence when Idril’s marriage to Tuor, a mortal highly esteemed by the king. Matters were made worse by the fact that Idril herself despised Maeglin. Under these circumstances, the carrot-and-stick policy of Morgoth worked well. Maeglin was instructed to go back to Gondolin and await orders to aid the capture of the city from within when the time for it came. Morgoth did not strike immediately but preferred to wait for several years before proceeding, preparing for the assault in the most meticulous manner.
Armed with the crucial information about the weaknesses of Gondolin from the accounts he had gathered from Maeglin, Mordoth moved stealthily in the least guarded positions of the city by creeping over the Encircling Mountains. The timing was also carefully chosen to coincide with festivities in the city. This enabled the forces of Morgoth to assume strategic positions all around without being found out. When the Elves finally came to know of the siege, it was too late, and there was little hope for them. Despite this, the Elves bravely held on to their city for several days in a battle that raged on in the most frightful and gory manner. The heroism shown by the Elves during this brought forth a few legendary figures among whose ranks were the likes of Ecthelion and Tuor, in whose praise posterity was to compose many poems and songs. The courageous warriors were not the only ones to attain legendary status.
Weapons used by them, particularly swords like Orcrist and Glamdring shared in the glory and gained their reputation, which was to make them the most dreaded weapons among the Orcs. The valor and heroism of the Elves could not sustain them for long against Morgoth’s army, who heavily outnumbered and overpowered them. Morgoth’s army had the further advantage of including the Orcs and other Dark creatures, who had the support of Balrogs and a breed of Dragons that Glaurung had parented. These fought alongside Morgoth’s army. The battle claimed many valuable lives, including those of Turgon, Noldor’s High King, who went down defending the city’s fortress, another hero of the battle was Ecthelion of the Fountain, who had a one-to-one fight with Guthmog, Angband’s High Captain. In the duel that was fought in the vicinity of the Fountain of the King, Guthmog snatched Ecthelion’s sword and was preparing to kill him, when Ecthelion dramatically assaulted Guthmog and pierced him with a spike over his helm. This made Gothmog lose his footing as he plunged into the fountain.
In this process, he dragged Ecthelion along with him and both were drowned. Seeing that adverse turn of the battle, Turo and Idril tried to get away through a secret passage along with all the people they could gather. They were interrupted in their attempt by Maeglin, who tried to abduct Idril. A fight ensued between him and Tuor in which Maeglin was thrown down from the passage, causing him to fall to his death. As they were escaping, they encountered a further hindrance when a Balrog accosted them. Glorfindel fought with it and both of them died in the process. The heroism of the defenders and their diligent attempts to save their city was to no avail. Morgoth succeeded in overpowering and plundering Gondolin, making his victory complete over his enemies. With this, the last of the elven kingdoms that operated in exile came to an end.
Morgoth was aware of the fact that Hurin, whom he had captured, was familiar with Gondolin, where he had lived for many years. Subjecting Hurin to the worst forms of torture produced no result, as Hurin merely mocked the Dark Lord, refusing to budge. The enraged Morgoth cursed Hurin’s family and cast a spell upon him, making him see the travails of his family. After pursuing this course for several decades, Morgoth feigned pity on his enemy, who had been completely vanquished by him, and condescended to release him from his custody. The real purpose of the release was far from any emotion such as pity as the release was made in the expectation of inflicting further misery on his enemy, who had also been placed under a curse.
Further, the long years of torture had left Hurin an embittered man. The expectations that had fueled Morgoth in releasing Hurin proved to be true as Hurin tried to go back to Gondolin. Although Hurin, who had cried out for help to Turgon. Whose delay in acknowledging it had resulted in Hurin going away, the ploy worked for Morgoth as he could divine the general location of Gondolin through his spies who had followed Harin. Knowing the region where Gondolin existed, Mordoth increased his vigilance in Sirion in an attempt to discover its exact location, reasoning that either this would help him to locate the place itself or lead him to someone who knew it. Meanwhile, in the year FA 551, Maeglin, a cousin of Turgon, who was combing the land beyond the Encircling Mountains in quest of metal deposits, although the king had ordered him to desist from doing so, was captured and taken to Morgoth.
Morgoth used the opportunity to extract the information about Gondolin from Maeglin. Maeglin was not a coward but the torture that Morgoth threatened to inflict on him was of a kind that could shake the bravest of men. Maeglin wilted under the pressure and divulged all the information in his possession about Gondolin. Morgoth wanted to make sure of the continued and complete loyalty of Maeglin, and to this end, promised to make him the ruler of Gondolin and get him married to his cousin Idril, whom he had pined for all his life in a one-sided love affair. Since the relationship between him and Idril was perceived to be consanguineous and hence precluded any idea of marriage, Maeglin had had to suffer in silence when Idril’s marriage to Tuor, a mortal highly esteemed by the king. Matters were made worse by the fact that Idril herself despised Maeglin. Under these circumstances, the carrot-and-stick policy of Morgoth worked well. Maeglin was instructed to go back to Gondolin and await orders to aid the capture of the city from within when the time for it came. Morgoth did not strike immediately but preferred to wait for several years before proceeding, preparing for the assault in the most meticulous manner.
Armed with the crucial information about the weaknesses of Gondolin from the accounts he had gathered from Maeglin, Mordoth moved stealthily in the least guarded positions of the city by creeping over the Encircling Mountains. The timing was also carefully chosen to coincide with festivities in the city. This enabled the forces of Morgoth to assume strategic positions all around without being found out. When the Elves finally came to know of the siege, it was too late, and there was little hope for them. Despite this, the Elves bravely held on to their city for several days in a battle that raged on in the most frightful and gory manner. The heroism shown by the Elves during this brought forth a few legendary figures among whose ranks were the likes of Ecthelion and Tuor, in whose praise posterity was to compose many poems and songs. The courageous warriors were not the only ones to attain legendary status.
Weapons used by them, particularly swords like Orcrist and Glamdring shared in the glory and gained their reputation, which was to make them the most dreaded weapons among the Orcs. The valor and heroism of the Elves could not sustain them for long against Morgoth’s army, who heavily outnumbered and overpowered them. Morgoth’s army had the further advantage of including the Orcs and other Dark creatures, who had the support of Balrogs and a breed of Dragons that Glaurung had parented. These fought alongside Morgoth’s army. The battle claimed many valuable lives, including those of Turgon, Noldor’s High King, who went down defending the city’s fortress, another hero of the battle was Ecthelion of the Fountain, who had a one-to-one fight with Guthmog, Angband’s High Captain. In the duel that was fought in the vicinity of the Fountain of the King, Guthmog snatched Ecthelion’s sword and was preparing to kill him, when Ecthelion dramatically assaulted Guthmog and pierced him with a spike over his helm. This made Gothmog lose his footing as he plunged into the fountain.
In this process, he dragged Ecthelion along with him and both were drowned. Seeing that adverse turn of the battle, Turo and Idril tried to get away through a secret passage along with all the people they could gather. They were interrupted in their attempt by Maeglin, who tried to abduct Idril. A fight ensued between him and Tuor in which Maeglin was thrown down from the passage, causing him to fall to his death. As they were escaping, they encountered a further hindrance when a Balrog accosted them. Glorfindel fought with it and both of them died in the process. The heroism of the defenders and their diligent attempts to save their city was to no avail. Morgoth succeeded in overpowering and plundering Gondolin, making his victory complete over his enemies. With this, the last of the elven kingdoms that operated in exile came to an end.
Accounts
Although it was the first tale to be written by Tolkien, The Fall of Gondolin is in reality the third among the Great Tales. Next to “The Children of Hurin”, it presents the most complete account. This First Age event is based on the chapters “The Fall of Gondolin” in the Book of Lost Tales Part Two, and “Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin” in The Simarillion. Both these versions speak about the establishment of Gondolin, Tuor, and Edain’s arrival there, the betrayal by Maeglin of the city and its secrets to Morgoth, and the city’s decimation by the armies of Morgoth. An unpublished poem of Tolkien titled “The Lay of the Fall of Gondolin” also provided relevant information. With the help of the information provided in these versions.
Christopher Tolkien published The Fall of Gondolin in 2018. Additional details such as the feats of Tuor and Ecthelin in battle and the names of all the captains of the Houses of Gondolidrum, are provided in “The Book of Lost Tales.” Another partial version about “The Fall of Gondolin” was printed more recently in the Unfinished Tales bearing the label “Of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin.” [1] This account provides greatly expanded details. It appears that Tolkien, for some unknown reason, failed to proceed with a more detailed account of the story, a rewritten version of which he is believed to have initiated. This could be the reason for Christopher Tolkien’s inclusion of the retitled story in Unfinished Tales.
Christopher Tolkien published The Fall of Gondolin in 2018. Additional details such as the feats of Tuor and Ecthelin in battle and the names of all the captains of the Houses of Gondolidrum, are provided in “The Book of Lost Tales.” Another partial version about “The Fall of Gondolin” was printed more recently in the Unfinished Tales bearing the label “Of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin.” [1] This account provides greatly expanded details. It appears that Tolkien, for some unknown reason, failed to proceed with a more detailed account of the story, a rewritten version of which he is believed to have initiated. This could be the reason for Christopher Tolkien’s inclusion of the retitled story in Unfinished Tales.
Background
J.R.R. Tolkien, in 1917, began writing the narrative for “The Fall of Gondolin,” on the reverse of a sheet containing marching music of the military. This was written from an army barracks. This was his first comprehensive work regarding the legends connected with Middle-earth The only complete account of the Fall of Gondolin that is available to us is this first narrative that Tolkien wrote in 1917, which he revised several times. This has been circulated after death in “The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two.” [2] This could blossom into the narrative in The Silmarillion through the efforts of his son Christopher, who edited and compiled it from various sources.
References
Categories:
Conflicts of the First Age
Event
War of Jewels
