Turgon's Folly - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Nar · 06-04-2002, 09:57 AM

I'll consider the other interpretation of Maedhros' question, that he meant to ask why Turgon trusted Ulmo in the beginning, when he was guided to that hidden lake bed, but not at the end, when he was warned that the fortress city would eventually be breached.

What happened in between? Turgon became a founder, a builder, and a creator. He was Noldor, and the act of building his beautiful Gondolin awoke the fire of Feanor in his heart. He made the same mistake of placing his own sub-creation, glorious as it was, over all else, including the love he knew Ulmo bore him and his, and the utmost wellbeing of his people and kin. He risked them for a city, for architecture. He was honestly mistaken about the best course and the soundness of Ulmo's intelligence, but he also weighed the value of his city too heavily when he should have thought only of his people within it.

However, Turgon's mistake was much less serious than Feanor's and his sons'. It certainly led to a fatal error in his strategy for the defense of his people, but I don't think it rose to Feanor's level, selfishly denying the possibility that others also loved THEIR creations with a love as true as his own, including Eru and Arda, but also other sub-creators such as the Teleri with their white ships and Yavenna with the possibility of her healing the two trees.

Turgon's was an ironic choice because remaining in Gondolin was to all appearences the prudent, cautious conservative thing to do, but given Ulmo's advice, it was deeply reckless. I have a lot of sympathy for Turgon's mistaken strategy, though-- he was facing Morgoth and all his horrible army, who wouldn't want to hide in the safe, good place they had found and made so beautiful. I wonder if Tolkien was thinking of the French generals' disasterous reliance on the supremely well fortified Maginot Line in WWI when he devised Turgon's strategy, which was so prudently reckless.

06-04-2002, 09:57 AM	#4
Nar Wight Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 228	I'll consider the other interpretation of Maedhros' question, that he meant to ask why Turgon trusted Ulmo in the beginning, when he was guided to that hidden lake bed, but not at the end, when he was warned that the fortress city would eventually be breached. What happened in between? Turgon became a founder, a builder, and a creator. He was Noldor, and the act of building his beautiful Gondolin awoke the fire of Feanor in his heart. He made the same mistake of placing his own sub-creation, glorious as it was, over all else, including the love he knew Ulmo bore him and his, and the utmost wellbeing of his people and kin. He risked them for a city, for architecture. He was honestly mistaken about the best course and the soundness of Ulmo's intelligence, but he also weighed the value of his city too heavily when he should have thought only of his people within it. However, Turgon's mistake was much less serious than Feanor's and his sons'. It certainly led to a fatal error in his strategy for the defense of his people, but I don't think it rose to Feanor's level, selfishly denying the possibility that others also loved THEIR creations with a love as true as his own, including Eru and Arda, but also other sub-creators such as the Teleri with their white ships and Yavenna with the possibility of her healing the two trees. Turgon's was an ironic choice because remaining in Gondolin was to all appearences the prudent, cautious conservative thing to do, but given Ulmo's advice, it was deeply reckless. I have a lot of sympathy for Turgon's mistaken strategy, though-- he was facing Morgoth and all his horrible army, who wouldn't want to hide in the safe, good place they had found and made so beautiful. I wonder if Tolkien was thinking of the French generals' disasterous reliance on the supremely well fortified Maginot Line in WWI when he devised Turgon's strategy, which was so prudently reckless.