I have decided to read the entire Tolkien legendarium, every story, every fragment, and every editorial note that shaped Middle-earth from its earliest myths to the War of the Ring. The Fall of Gondolin is where I am beginning my published reviews, even though it is one of the last stories in the timeline of my own reading order. I have already read much of The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, and Beren and Lúthien, and I plan to circle back to review each of them as I continue through The History of Middle-earth volumes edited by Christopher Tolkien.
This is not just a re-read; it is a full immersion into how Tolkien’s world evolved, from the first sketches written in the trenches of World War I to the sprawling mythology that became The Lord of the Rings. Each review will track both the stories themselves and how Tolkien’s ideas changed across drafts, revealing the mythic depth behind the fantasy we think we know.
And so, fittingly, I am starting with The Fall of Gondolin, the first story Tolkien ever wrote about Middle-earth, a tale of betrayal, courage, and the first glimpse of the great themes that would define all the ages to come.
The Fall of Gondolin
The first story Tolkien ever wrote, the betrayal and fall of Gondolin, where dragons and Balrogs brought down a hidden city, but hope lived on through Tuor, Idril, and their son Eärendil.
TL;DR
The Fall of Gondolin was the first Middle-earth story Tolkien wrote in 1917. It tells of Turgon, King of Gondolin, who built his hidden city after the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. The tale follows Tuor, orphaned, raised by elves, captured by Easterlings, and later chosen by Ulmo, the Vala of the seas.
Ulmo sent Tuor to warn that Gondolin could not remain hidden forever. In Unfinished Tales, Tuor’s journey to the sea is told in detail: guided by elves and gulls, he became the first mortal to behold the ocean, where Ulmo appeared and gave him a charge to find Gondolin. Tuor was then joined by Voronwë, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, a wreck brought about by Ulmo’s storm, seemingly so Tuor would find a guide.
On their travels, Tuor and Voronwë passed close to Túrin Turambar, Tuor’s cousin, without either man knowing their kinship, a near-meeting that underlines Tolkien’s theme of fate and missed chances. In Gondolin, Tuor wed Idril Celebrindal and fathered Eärendil, ancestor of Elrond and Elros.
Doom came through betrayal, and Gondolin fell to Morgoth’s armies of Balrogs and dragons. Turgon refused to abandon his city and died beneath the collapsing tower. Idril’s foresight saved the survivors, who later faced tragedy at the Havens of Sirion. Yet Tuor and Idril were granted the rare grace of sailing West.
Edited by Christopher Tolkien, The Fall of Gondolin is arranged chronologically, beginning with Tolkien’s earliest draft of the fall and moving through later revisions, including the unfinished “prequel” in Unfinished Tales that recounts how Tuor came to the city gates.
Full Review of The Fall of Gondolin
After the Battle of Unnumbered Tears (Nirnaeth Arnoediad), the hidden city of Gondolin was raised in secret, protected by the power of Ulmo, the Vala of the seas, the only one of the Valar who consistently aided Elves and Men in Middle-earth. Its fate turned when Maeglin, son of Eöl the Dark Elf and Aredhel, was captured and tortured by Morgoth. Maeglin, consumed by envy and his unrequited desire for Idril, betrayed his people by revealing the way into Gondolin.
The Story of Tuor
Tuor, son of Huor of the House of Hador, was orphaned when his father fell in battle against Morgoth. Raised by the Elves of Mithrim, he was later captured by Easterlings. After three years in bondage, Tuor escaped and lived as an outlaw, wandering the wilds of Beleriand.
As told in Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Tuor’s road eventually brought him west. Guided at first by elves and later by white gulls, he became the first mortal to behold the sea, and he was enchanted by it. At the shore, Ulmo, Lord of the Waters, appeared to him and charged him to bring a warning to Turgon: Gondolin could not remain hidden forever.
Tuor was then joined by Voronwë, the lone survivor of a shipwrecked voyage to Valinor. The wreck had been caused by a storm of Ulmo’s making, a storm that ensured Voronwë would survive and be in the right place to guide Tuor. This providential meeting is one of many moments where Tolkien shows how apparent chance is often the will of the Valar.
On their journey east, Tuor and Voronwë unknowingly passed near to Túrin Turambar, Tuor’s own cousin. Neither recognized the other, nor realized the kinship that bound them. This “missed meeting” is a poignant detail: two cousins, both tragic figures in Morgoth’s shadow, crossing paths yet kept apart by fate. Tolkien wove such near-connections throughout his legendarium, underscoring how chance and destiny intertwine.
Together, Tuor and Voronwë reached the hidden entrance to Gondolin, where Tuor delivered Ulmo’s message.
In Gondolin, Tuor wed Idril Celebrindal, Turgon’s daughter, famed for her wisdom and foresight. Their son, Eärendil, would later become the father of both Elrond and Elros, binding the fate of Gondolin to the great destinies of Elves and Men.
Gondolin’s Doom
When Morgoth’s armies descended, they came with fire and ruin: orcs, corrupted men, Balrogs, and dragons. Though Tuor urged retreat, Turgon refused to abandon his beloved city, choosing instead to remain within its walls. He withdrew to the great tower of the King’s House, where he fought until its foundations gave way and the tower fell, crushing him and his household. Thus perished Gondolin’s last king.
But Idril’s foresight had long prepared a secret escape route, one Maeglin did not know. Through it Tuor, Idril, and the surviving remnant of the people of Gondolin fled, eventually reaching the sea and finding refuge under Ulmo’s protection.
About The Fall of Gondolin
The Fall of Gondolin, as edited by Christopher Tolkien, gathers multiple versions of the tale written across J.R.R. Tolkien’s lifetime. The book is presented in chronological order, beginning with the 1917 tale of the city’s destruction, the first complete story of Middle-earth ever written. Later sketches and retellings expand or reshape that narrative, showing Tolkien’s evolving imagination. The final and most developed prose fragment is the Unfinished Tales account of Tuor’s journey to the sea, his meeting with Ulmo, and his road to Gondolin’s gates, essentially a “prequel” written decades after the original fall but left unfinished.
This arrangement shows how Tolkien first imagined the city’s fall, then later circled back to enrich Tuor’s backstory. It also highlights one of Tolkien’s most enduring themes: the interplay between fate and free will. Tuor’s encounter with Voronwë, engineered by Ulmo’s storm, feels like providence rather than accident, a reminder that what appears as chance is often the design of higher powers. The near-meeting of Tuor and Túrin likewise illustrates Tolkien’s fascination with fate, where paths cross but purposes remain veiled until their appointed time.
Written originally in 1917 while Tolkien served in World War I, The Fall of Gondolin stands as the very first full tale of Middle-earth. For those immersed in the legendarium, it offers not only a story of tragedy and survival but also a window into Tolkien’s creative process, showing how his earliest ideas grew into the foundation of an epic mythology.
After Gondolin: The Havens of Sirion
The survivors of Gondolin eventually reached the Havens of Sirion, where they joined with refugees from Doriath. There, Tuor and Idril made a new home, and Eärendil grew to manhood by the sea. For a time it was a refuge of peace, but its fate was bound to the Silmarils. When the jewel of Beren and Lúthien came into the hands of Eärendil’s wife Elwing, the Sons of Fëanor descended in the Third Kinslaying, leaving the Havens in ruin. Yet from this tragedy came hope: Elwing escaped with the Silmaril, Eärendil sailed into the West, and the Valar were finally moved to act against Morgoth.
The Fate of Tuor and Idril
Unlike most mortals, Tuor was granted a rare grace: he and Idril eventually sailed into the West together. In some accounts, Tuor was counted among the Eldar, the only man ever to be given such a fate, and he dwells with Idril in Valinor beyond the reach of death. Their story brings Gondolin’s saga full circle, from ruin and betrayal to one of the few mortal-elf unions blessed with peace in the Undying Lands.
A Line Toward Númenor and Rivendell
Tuor and Idril’s son, Eärendil, became the greatest mariner of Middle-earth, sailing into the West with the Silmaril to plead for the Valar’s aid. From him came both Elros and Elrond, who were granted the unique choice of the Half-elven: to be counted among Men or Elves.
Elros chose the life of Men, becoming the first King of Númenor, leading to the great rise and fall told in the Akallabêth. His line stretched on through the Dúnedain and at last to Aragorn, who reclaimed Gondor in the Third Age.
Elrond chose the life of Elves, remaining in Middle-earth as a lord of wisdom and memory. He founded Rivendell as a refuge and stronghold, preserved much of the lore of the Elder Days, and guided the Free Peoples through the Second and Third Ages. His counsel proved vital in the Last Alliance against Sauron and later in the Council of Elrond, which set the Fellowship of the Ring upon its path.
Thus, from Gondolin’s ruin sprang not only Númenor’s glory and downfall, but also Rivendell’s enduring role as a haven of hope, with both branches of Eärendil’s line shaping the fate of Middle-earth across its ages.
Part of the Reading Middle-earth series on SciFiSland.com, exploring Tolkien’s legendarium book by book.
