Tolkien's Battles

[piosenniel]

About the battle:

I liked the way Tolkien built to a climax.

He started with a scene of innocence, the festival, and brought in, wave upon increasing wave, the unrelenting advance of overwhelming evil and destruction. Each description of the encroachment of Morgoth's forces is followed with a thrilling description of the Gondothlim's response. These descriptions of the heroic response to the invasion are couched in grand language, which brings hope they will prevail, but the forces of darkness beat them back again and again. Yet still the warriors of Gondolin rally,though

Now is the face of that chieftain grim, and he looks not to live long

As to the particular scene of Ecthelion and the balrog,Gothmog - that hero blazes up like a flaming star of hope - the great Gothmog is killed, the troops of the enemy waver in their advance and the warriors of Gondolin rally with their king and think to turn the battle. But, by their own action, they kill one of the fire-drakes who, falling into the Fountain (which I took to be one of the primary symbols of Gondolin), destroys it and crushes their hope.

Then dread fell on all for the doom of the fountain . . . Then said the king: "Great is the fall of Gondolin"

It is after this that the other symbols of Gondolin's strength are smote down - the king secludes himself in his tower, the two trees are despoiled, and at last, the tower itself is brought down and the king killed.

Behold the tower leapt into a flame and in a stab of flame it fell, for the dragons crushed the base of it and all who stood there. Great was the clanguor of that terrible fall, and therein passed Turgon, King of the Gondothlim, and for that hour the victory was for Melko.

Melkor wins for this short time, but still hope endures.

The heroic action does not end with the fall of the city; it continues through the escape of some of the citizens lead by Tuor and Glorfindel.

And here on their harrowing escape as they battle their way through the enemy troops, another hero blazes up - Glorfindel fights a balrog who seeks to bar the way. I won't quote that, suffice it to say the description is again wonderful - the scene builds upon itself, one driving against the other in succession until at last the balrog is killed and Glorfindel, 'the most dearly beloved', perishes.

Now that I've maundered on, I'll be a little more succinct - what made it so good for me was the way Tolkien set the scenes, moved the action along, kept the promise of light prevailing over darkness, and, most important imo, used the English language so well and so masterfully.

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to read this great battle again!

[ July 30, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]