The Fall of Gondolin
Alan Lee
Christopher Tolkien
In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar.Central to this enmity of the gods is the city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. It was built and peopled by Noldorin Elves who, when they dwelt in Valinor, the land of the gods, rebelled against their rule and fled to Middle-earth. Turgon King of Gondolin is hated and feared above all his enemies by Morgoth, who seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city, while the gods in Valinor in heated debate largely refuse to intervene in support of Ulmo's desires and designs. Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, the instrument of Ulmo's designs. Guided unseen by him Tuor sets out from the land of his birth on the fearful journey to Gondolin, and in one of the most arresting moments in the history of Middle-earth the sea-god himself appears to him, rising out of the ocean in the midst of a storm. In Gondolin he becomes great; he is wedded to Idril, Turgon's daughter, and their son is Eärendel, whose birth and profound importance in days to come is foreseen by Ulmo. At last comes the terrible ending. Morgoth learns through an act of supreme treachery all that he needs to mount a devastating attack on the city, with Balrogs and dragons and numberless Orcs. After a minutely observed account of the fall of Gondolin, the tale ends with the escape of Tuor and Idril, with the child Eärendel, looking back from a cleft in the mountains as they flee southward, at the blazing wreckage of their city. They were journeying into a new story, the Tale of Eärendel, which Tolkien never wrote, but which is sketched out in this book from other sources.Following his presentation of Beren and Lúthien Christopher Tolkien has used the same 'history in sequence' mode in the writing of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, it was ‘the first real story of this imaginary world’ and, together with Beren and Lúthien and The Children of Húrin, he regarded it as one of the three 'Great Tales' of the Elder Days.
Copyright (#ulink_a6edbcd0-a8c8-5269-adb9-75a7e36ee10b)
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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018
All texts and materials by J.R.R. Tolkien © The Tolkien Estate Limited 2018
Preface, Notes and all other materials © C.R. Tolkien 2018
Illustrations © Alan Lee 2018
, TOLKIEN
and FALL OF GONDOLIN
are registered trade marks of The Tolkien Estate Limited
The Proprietor on behalf of the Author and the Editor hereby assert their respective moral rights to be identified as the author of the Work.
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Source ISBN: 9780008302757
Ebook Edition © August 2018 ISBN: 9780008302788
Version: 2018-09-20
Dedication (#ulink_44dec4b2-0d4b-5250-b374-26f80e252502)
To my family
Contents
Cover (#uf7c76c45-9cc2-5edb-be1d-e78813eca78c)
Title Page (#ub9545546-4354-510a-952a-55a77e44c2a0)
Copyright (#ucabc3713-80a9-5009-848a-5f3ee1f1d270)
Dedication (#u5dc33124-57eb-5fb6-afff-e1f761346b43)
List of Plates (#u43d1f173-4a89-5004-a0f6-f32b6c93e962)
Preface (#ud0eb3423-f328-576a-9c94-ef6cd24edeb7)
List of Illustrations (#u60b6e4c7-0850-5580-b254-51a5d68a7c38)
Prologue (#u1d1f5b72-0933-5b82-83d0-183fcc77857c)
THE FALL OF GONDOLIN (#ulink_12c4041e-6cc1-5d3e-b1ef-4586231f5ea2)
The Original Tale (#uf59dba43-dc80-5312-a98d-c1c81847615a)
The Earliest Text (#litres_trial_promo)
Turlin and the Exiles of Gondolin (#litres_trial_promo)
The Story Told in the Sketch of the Mythology (#litres_trial_promo)
The Story Told in the Quenta Noldorinwa (#litres_trial_promo)
The Last Version (#litres_trial_promo)
The Evolution of the Story (#litres_trial_promo)
Conclusion (#litres_trial_promo)
The Conclusion of the Sketch of the Mythology (#litres_trial_promo)
The Conclusion of the Quenta Noldorinwa (#litres_trial_promo)
Footnotes (#litres_trial_promo)
List of Names (#litres_trial_promo)
Additional Notes (#litres_trial_promo)
Glossary (#litres_trial_promo)
Map of Beleriand (#litres_trial_promo)
The House of Bëor (#litres_trial_promo)
