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Gondolin was a hidden city of the Elves located approximately in the middle of the land of Beleriand in Middle-earth. It was founded by Turgon the Wise, a Ñoldorin king in the early First Age. It endured the longest of all the Ñoldorin kingdoms in exile, lasting nearly four centuries during the Years of the Sun.

Its people were the Gondolindrim.

History[]

Gondolin S Morello

Gondolin, by Sara Maria Morello

As recounted in The Silmarillion, the Vala Ulmo, Lord of Waters, revealed the location of the Vale of Tumladen to the Noldorin Lord Turgon in a dream around the year FA 50. Under this divine guidance, Turgon travelled from his kingdom in Nevrast and found the vale in FA 53. Within the Encircling Mountains just west of Dorthonion, and east of the river Sirion, lay a round level plain with sheer walls on all sides, and a ravine and tunnel leading out to the southwest known as the Hidden Way. In the middle of the vale there was a steep hill which was called Amon Gwared. There Turgon decided to found a great city that would be protected by the mountains and hidden from the Dark Lord Morgoth.

For nearly seventy-five years, Turgon and his people built Gondolin in secret. After it was completed in FA 116, he took with him to dwell in the hidden city his entire people in Nevrast — almost a third of the Ñoldor — as well as nearly three quarters of the northern Sindar. It was forbidden to leave Gondolin, but Turgon sent forth messengers including Voronwë to seek the Valar's aid in the wars against Morgoth, to no avail. Later in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, Turgon led his army to the aid of his brother Fingon, and escaped the ensuing defeat with his army thanks to the sacrifice of Húrin and Huor.

Gondolin gates, RD

Gondolin, by Ralph Damiani

Huor and Hurin, Gondolin

Eagles bearing Huor and Húrin to the city, by Donato Giancola

Years later, Huor's son Tuor came to Gondolin with a warning from Ulmo: to depart before the city was destroyed. Feeling secure behind his city's strong walls, Turgon ignored the warning. The city stood for nearly 400 years until it was betrayed to Morgoth by Maeglin, Turgon's nephew, and sacked shortly thereafter by the Dark Lord's forces.[3]

Gondolin was described as this - "Now the streets of Gondolin were paved with stone and wide, kerbed with marble, and fair houses and courts amid gardens of bright flowers were set about the ways, and many towers of great slenderness and beauty builded of white marble and carved most marvelously rose to the heaven. Squares there were lit with fountains and the home of birds that sang amid the branches of their aged trees, but of all these the greatest was that place where stood the King's palace, and the tower thereof was the loftiest in the city, and the fountains that played before the doors shot twenty fathoms and seven in the air and fell in a singing rain of crystal; therein did the sun glitter splendidly by day, and the moon most magically shimmered by night. The birds that dwelt there were of the whiteness of snow and their voices sweeter than a lullaby of music."[4] In accounts given in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, inner features of the city such as the Road of Roses and Arch of Inwë are described by Tolkien.

Road of Roses

Gondolin's Road of Roses, by Nicolas Chacin

The-Fall-of-Gondolin

The Fall of Gondolin, by John Howe

The Hidden Way to the city was protected by seven gates, all constantly guarded: the first of wood, then stone, Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, and Steel.[5][6]

Etymology[]

It was originally called Ondolindë, which is Quenya for "The Rock of the Music of Water", after the springs of Amon Gwareth. The name was later changed to its Sindarin form which meant Hidden Rock.[7][8]

Inhabitants of interest[]

Houses of Gondolin[]

Twelve Houses of the Gondolindrim
Leader House Emblem Notes
Turgon House of the King A star, the moon, and the red heart of Finwë Nolemë Comprised of the King's family and bodyguard.
Egalmoth House of the Heavenly Arch Rainbow, Opal, Jewelled Boss A very wealthy house; comprised the other part of Gondolin's archers.
Galdor House of the Tree Tree upon green Wielded clubs and slings.
Glorfindel House of the Golden Flower Rayed Sun Fought in the Great Market during the Fall of Gondolin, then defended the Elves retreating to Idril's Secret Way.
Ecthelion House of the Fountain Silver Fountain and Diamonds The guard of the fountains, primarily those of the king
Maeglin House of the Mole Sable attire, mole on a sable field Comprised of miners loyal to Maeglin
Salgant House of the Harp Silver harp on sable field House of musicians
Duilin House of the Swallow Fan of purple feathers Gondolin's best archers
Tuor House of the White Wing Swan-wing upon a blue field The bodyguard of Tuor, and the smallest house
Penlod House of the Pillar A pillar Little is told of them.
Penlod House of the Tower of Snow A tower Little is told of them.
Rog House of the Hammer of Wrath Black hammer and anvil on a red field The largest and most valiant house, comprised of those blacksmiths that were not under Maeglin, as well as former thralls of Morgoth.
Gondolin Matěj Čadil

Gondolin, by Matěj Čadil

Other versions[]

"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 the Guard, Gar Thurion or the Secret Place."
The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter III: "The Fall of Gondolin"

Gondolin was known as the "City of Seven Names". Its Gnomish names were:

  • Gondobar ("Stone House")
  • Gondothlimbar ("House of the Stone Folk")
  • Gwarestrin ("Tower of Guard")
  • Gar Thurion ("Secret Place")
  • Loth ("Flower")
  • Lothengriol ("Plain Flower-Blossom", "Lily of the Valley")

Furthermore, in the city was once invented and used a runic alphabet known as Gondolinic Runes.[10]

Gallery[]

BattleforGondolin
Troops of Morgoth on their way to assault Gondolin
Gondolin by Bmosig
Gondolin, by Bmosig
Tuor-and-Gondolin
Tuor's arrival in Gondolin
Mapofgondolin
Gondolin's location in Beleriand

See also[]

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ጎንዶሊኒ
Arabic غوندولين
Armenian Գոնդոլին
Belarusian Cyrillic Гондолін
Bengali গোন্দোলিন
Bulgarian Cyrillic Гондолин
Chinese (Mainland) 刚多林
Chinese (Taiwan) 剛多林
Chinese (Hong Kong) 貢多林
Georgian გონდოლინი
Greek Γκόντολιν
Gujarati ગોંડોલીન
Hebrew גונדולין
Hindi घोन्दोलिन
Japanese ゴンドリン
Kannada ಗೊಂಡೋಲಿನ್
Kazakh Гондолин (Cyrillic) Gondolïn (Latin)
Korean 곤돌린
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Гондолин
Macedonian Cyrillic Гондолин
Malayalam ഗൊണ്ടൊലിൻ
Marathi घोन्दोलिन
Mongolian Cyrillic Гондолин
Nepalese गोन्डोलिन
Pashto ګونډولین
Persian گوندولین
Punjabi ਗ਼ਓਨ੍ਦੋਲ੍ਇਨ
Russian Гондолин
Sanskrit ङोन्दोलिन्
Serbian Гондолин (Cyrillic) Gondolin (Latin)
Sindhi گنڊولين
Sinhalese ගොන්ඩොලින්
Tajik Cyrillic Гондолин
Tamil கொண்டோரின்
Telugu గొండోలిన్
Thai กอนโดลิน
Ukrainian Cyrillic Ґондолін
Urdu گونڈولان
Uzbek Гондолин (Cyrillic) Gondolin (Latin)
Yiddish גאָנדאָלין


References[]

  1. The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Gondolin"
  2. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part Two: The Later Quenta Silmarillion, XII: "Of Turgon and the Building of Gondolin"
  3. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion
  4. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, III: "The Fall of Gondolin"
  5. The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Gondolin"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Unfinished Tales, Part One: The First Age, I: "Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin"
  7. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XV: "Of the Noldor in Beleriand"
  8. The Silmarillion, Index of Names
  9. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIII: "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
  10. "Sí Qente Feanor and Other Elvish Writings", Parma Eldalamberon, n. XV
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