Turgon

Turgon was a Ñoldorin Elf of Gondolin, second son of Fingolfin, brother of Fingon, Aredhel, Argon, and father of Idril. In Middle-earth, Turgon was the King of Gondolin and the High King of the Ñoldor. For hundreds of years of the First Age, Turgon remained hidden from the eyes and ears of the great enemy until a betrayal from within caused his downfall.

Turgon is described in The Book of Lost Tales, Part 2 (The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 2) as this - "Then Turgon king of Gondolin robed in white with a belt of gold, and a coronet of garnets was upon his head".

Biography


In Eldamar Turgon was friendly with the sons of Finarfin and opposed Fëanor's plan to pursue Morgoth after the theft of the Silmarils, but at last he chose to follow them to Middle-earth and became one of the exiles. His wife Elenwë was lost crossing Helcaraxë, but Turgon and his daughter Idril came to Nevrast, where he built Vinyamar and gathered to him one-third of the Ñoldor of Fingolfin and a large number of Sindar.

In the year 50 of the First Age, Turgon was instructed by Ulmo to prepare a secret kingdom and was shown the hidden valley of Tumladen in the Encircling Mountains. After 52 years of secret labor, Turgon led his people into Gondolin, where he ruled for over 500 years, largely ignoring the events of the Wars of Beleriand.

Aside from the misadventure of Eöl, the splendor of Turgon's reign in Gondolin was undisturbed until Dagor Bragollach (Battle of Sudden Flame), when Turgon was brought his father's body by Thorondor. Two years later Thorondor brought him Húrin and Huor, whom he fostered for a year and then allowed to return to Dor-lómin. At this time, Turgon foresaw the doom of the Ñoldor, and he secretly sent mariners to try to obtain the mercy of the Valar. None of these missions was successful and only one of the mariners, Voronwë, survived the Shadowy Seas paving the way for Tuor's coming to Gondolin.

For some reason Turgon joined the Union of Maedhros with a ten thousand strong army and fought alongside his brother Fingon in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (Battle of Unnumbered Tears), but the sacrifice of Húrin, Huor, and the Third House of the Edain enabled him to retreat without revealing the location of Gondolin. When Tuor came to Gondolin in FA 496, Turgon welcomed him, but in his pride, he refused to follow the advice of Ulmo to flee to the Havens of Sirion. Now the full malice of Morgoth was directed toward Turgon, last of the House of Finwë to control a realm in Middle-earth. At last, aided by the treachery of Maeglin, Morgoth discovered the location of Gondolin, and Turgon was slain defending the city.

Etymology
Turgon's name is a Sindarinized form of his Quenya name Turukáno, which probably means something like "valiant lord". His father-name was Sarafinwë, which means 'Wise Finwë'.

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