The Fall of Gondolin: Tolkien's First Great Tale

Gondolin, the Hidden Rock, stood for nearly four hundred years as the greatest city of the Elves—a place of white towers and singing fountains said to rival Valinor itself. Founded by King Turgon and protected by seven magnificent gates, it remained the last great stronghold against Morgoth while other Elven kingdoms fell. But when Turgon refused Ulmo's warning to abandon the city, pride became blindness. Maeglin, Turgon's nephew, suffered unrequited obsession for his cousin Idril that turned to darkness. Captured and tortured by Morgoth, he betrayed Gondolin's location and defenses. On a night of festival in F.A. 510, dragons and balrogs attacked. In the terrible street fighting that followed, Ecthelion slew Gothmog Lord of Balrogs in the King's fountain, Glorfindel died fighting a balrog at Eagles' Cleft, and Turgon perished defending his tower. Yet 580 survivors escaped through Idril's mysteriously prescient secret tunnel, carrying the Silmaril to the Mouths of Sirion. There, Tuor and Idril's son Eärendil grew up to become the Star of Hope, fulfilling Ulmo's prophecy that from Gondolin would come salvation. Written by Tolkien in 1917 after the Somme, the tale transforms war trauma into eucatastrophe—utter destruction becoming the seed of ultimate victory.