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 late 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, 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, by Ralph Damiani
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.
Gondolin's Road of Roses, by Nicolas Chacin
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.[1][5]
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.[6][7]
Inhabitants of interest[]
- Aredhel - Princess of Gondolin and sister of Turgon
- Elemmakil - Captain of the Dark Guard of the Gate of Wood[5]
- Enerdhil - A possibly mythical jewel-smith of the city[5]
- Voronwë - Mariner that accompanied Tuor to the city[5][8]
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, by Matěj Čadil
In 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.[9]
Gallery[]
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See also[]
- Gar Ainion, a place in Gondolin
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[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Gondolin"
- ↑ 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"
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, III: "The Fall of Gondolin"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Unfinished Tales, Part One: The First Age, I: "Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin"
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XV: "Of the Noldor in Beleriand"
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Index of Names
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIII: "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
- ↑ "Sí Qente Feanor and Other Elvish Writings", Parma Eldalamberon, n. XV