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| In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Gondolin was a hidden city of the Elves founded by Turgon in the First Age. Its name is described by Tolkien as a Sindarinized form of Quenya 'Ondolinde', meaning "Hidden Rock".
As recounted in The Silmarillion, the Vala Ulmo, the Lord of Waters, revealed the location of the Vale of Tumladen to the Ñoldorin Lord Turgon in a dream. Under this divine guidance, Turgon travelled from his kingdom in Nevrast and found the vale. Within the Echoriath, 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 Gwareth, the "Hill of Watching". There Turgon decided to found a great city, designed after the city of Tirion in Valinor that the Ñoldor had left when they went into exile, that would be protected by the mountains and hidden from the Dark Lord Morgoth.
Turgon and his people built Gondolin in secret. After it was completed, 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. He originally named the city 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.
The Hidden Way was protected by seven gates, all constantly guarded; the first of wood, then stone, bronze, iron, silver, gold, and steel. The city stood for nearly 400 years until it was betrayed to Morgoth by Maeglin, Turgon's nephew, and sacked by the army of Morgoth the Dark Lord.
As well as Orcs and dragons, that army included iron machines powered by "internal fires" used as personnel carriers and to surmount difficult geography and fortifications and to break down fortifications: that is one of various suspicions that Morgoth knew modern technology and industrialized. That army attacked Gondolin over the northern mountains and not through the Hidden Way.
The imagery of the Fall of Gondolin certainly bears similarity to the siege of Minas Tirith.
The seven names of Gondolin are told to Tuor: "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." Some of these names, however, are contrary to the Sindarin Tolkien later supposed to be used in the First Age (for example, the 'Gondothlim' became the 'Gondolindrim': so 'Gondothlimbar' should be 'Gondolindrimbar', 'The Dwelling of the Gondolindrim'.
More plausible name suggestions are:
1. Gondobar (Ondomar) : 'The Dwelling in Stone'
2. Gondrimbar (Ondormar) : 'The Dwelling of the Gon(dolin)drim'
3. Gondolin (Ondolindë) : 'The Rock of (The Water's) Song'
4. Gondost (Ondosto) : 'The Fortress on the Rock'
5. Gwarethminas ( ? ) : 'The Guarded Tower'
6. Thurigardh ( ? ) : 'Secret Place'
7. Lothladen (Lótëlanda) : 'Flower of the Plain'
As can be seen, Ondosto was a town in the Forostar of Númenor: even there, older names were recycled.
Gondolin was also divided into twelve Houses, all of which had their own leaders (although the 'House of the Tower of Snow' and the 'House of the Pillar of Snow' only have one leader, and very similar names). At the time of the Fall of Gondolin, these were:
| House | Leader | Emblems | Notes
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| White Wing (Bar-en-Alphram, 'House of the Swan Wing') | Tuor | Swan-wing upon a blue field | The bodyguard of Tuor, and the smallest house.
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| Mole | Maeglin | Sable attire, mole on a sable field | Comprised miners loyal to Maeglin.
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| Swallow (Bar-en-Duilin, 'House of the Swallow') | Duilin | Fan of purple feathers | Gondolin's best archers.
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| Heavenly Arch | Egalmoth | | A very wealthy house; comprised the other part of Gondolin's archers.
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| Pillar and the Tower of Snow | Penlodh | | Not much known about them. Their commander was slain during the Fall of Gondolin. He may have been connected to or related to Pengolodh the Wise (who however was said to have gone to Eressëa at the end of the First Age).
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| Tree (Bar-en-Galadh) | Galdor | Tree upon green | Wielded clubs and slings.
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| Golden Flower (Bar-en-Lothglor) | Glorfindel | Golden flower upon green field |
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| Fountain (Bar-en-Eithel | Ecthelion | | The guard of the fountains, primarily those of the king. Warriors of this house defended the seventh gate of Gondolin. Loved silver and diamond, and marched into battle to the playing of flutes.
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| Harp | Salgant | Silver harp on sable field | House of musicians. However, their leader was a coward.
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| Hammer of Wrath (Bar-en-Damba, 'House of the Hammer') | (Rôg, according to the original version; but the name seems 'unelvish'. Furthermore, in the 'Unfinished Tales' account of the creation of the Elessar, the master craftsman of Gondolin is not Rôg but Enerdhil: so he may be a more likely candidate for this position) | Black hammer and anvil on a red field | The largest and most valiant house. They were comprised of those blacksmiths that were not under Maeglin, as well as escaped thralls of Morgoth. They perished to the last elf during the Fall of Gondolin.
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| House of the King (Bar-en-Aran) | King Turgon | A star, the moon, and the red heart of Finwë Nolemë | Comprised of the King's family and bodyguard.
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"Gondolin"