Gondolin

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==
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. 
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.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion
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."The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, III: "The Fall of Gondolin" 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.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.The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Gondolin"Unfinished Tales, Part One: The First Age, I: "Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin"
==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.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XV: "Of the Noldor in Beleriand"The Silmarillion, Index of Names
== Inhabitants of interest==
*Aredhel - Princess of Gondolin and sister of Turgon
*Elemmakil - Captain of the Dark Guard of the Gate of Wood
*Enerdhil - A possibly mythical jewel-smith of the city
*Voronwë - Mariner that accompanied Tuor to the cityThe Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIII: "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
==Houses of Gondolin==
== In other versions ==
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."Sí Qente Feanor and Other Elvish Writings", Parma Eldalamberon, n. XV
==Gallery ==
==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==
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Category:Elven cities
Category:Elven kingdoms