| This article refers to the Elf of Gondolin. For other namesakes, see Galdor (disambiguation). |
Galdor was an Elf of Gondolin in the First Age.
Biography[]
Galdor was the Lord of the House of the Tree. He was a great warrior, second only to Turgon in valor. He followed the House of Fingolfin and House of Turgon during the Exile of the Ñoldor, but he did not fight in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë. When he arrived in Middle-earth, he fought in the Battle of the Lammoth and Dagor Aglareb. After he fought in Dagor Bragollach he took refuge in Gondolin with several Ñoldor and Sindar elves. He was ordained there soon after and became the lord of the house of the Tree. He then joined Gondolin's army and fought in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad. The house of the Tree was large, and it (along with the house of the Hammer of Wrath) was the first to confront the enemy in the Fall of Gondolin. Galdor fought with an iron-studded club, and may also have used a sling like others in the House of the Tree. In the wrath of their onset they caused the Orcs to "fall like leaves."
Galdor saved the lives of Tuor and Ecthelion during the Fall of Gondolin. Tuor, bearing the wounded Ecthelion, came to the Square of the Well, which Galdor and his Elves were defending. As Tuor came he stumbled beneath Ecthelion and fell; had it not been for Galdor coming to his aid, Tuor and Ecthelion would have been slain by the Orcs. He was leading the company of refugees but was attacked by an ambushing Orc-party. Despite the surprise of the attack, he fought off the Orcs efficiently, though he lost some of his kin, who were mostly killed by falling rocks rather than Orcs.
Galdor escaped the Fall of Gondolin and came to the Mouths of Sirion with the other refugees. He survived the onslaught of the Sons of Fëanor in the Third Kinslaying. After he fought in War of Wrath he migrated to the island of Tol Eressëa and reportedly still lives there.
Other versions of the legendarium[]
In late writings (see The Peoples of Middle-earth), Tolkien speculated that this Galdor and Galdor of the Havens may have been the same,[1] but he ultimately rejected the notion: if Galdor had remained behind, he would either have completely declined the call of the Valar, and thus fallen, or would have had to leave and then return, like Glorfindel did, which would make him far more powerful than he appears in The Lord of the Rings.[2]
For this reason Tolkien speculated that "Galdor" was simply a common Sindarin name.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Asturian | Galdor del Árbol |
| Azerbaijani | Ağacın Galdoru |
| Catalan | Galdor de l'Arbre |
| Croatian | Galdor iz Drveta |
| Czech | Galdor ze Stromu |
| Danish | Galdor fra Træet |
| Dutch | Galdor van de Boom |
| Faroese | Galdor av Trænum |
| French | Galdor de l'Arbre |
| Galician | Galdor da Árbore |
| German | Galdor vom Baum |
| Greek | Γαλδορ του Δέντρου |
| Hebrew | גאלדור של העץ |
| Hungarian | A Fán Galdorja |
| Italian | Galdor dell'Albero |
| Japanese | 樹のガルドール |
| Korean | 나무의 갈도르 |
| Marathi | झाडाचा गालडोर |
| Norwegian | Galdor av Treet |
| Polish | Galdor z Drzewa |
| Portuguese | Galdor da Árvore |
| Romanian | Galdor din Copac |
| Sardinian | Galdor de s'Arbure |
| Serbian | Галдор из Дрво (Cyrillic) Galdor iz Drvo (Latin) |
| Sicilian | Galdor di l'Arburu |
| Slovak | Galdor zo Stromu |
| Slovenian | Galdor iz Drevesa |
| Spanish | Galdor del Árbol |
| Swedish | Galdor av Trädet |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Галдор аз дарахт |
| Telugu | చెట్టు యొక్క గాల్డర్ |
| Turkish | Ağacın Galdor'u |
| Turkmen | Agajyň Galdory |
References[]
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, chapter XIII: "Last Writings", Glorfindel, note 1
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, chapter XIII: "Last Writings", Glorfindel, note 3