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| Unhappy love caused Maeglin to betray Gondolin. |
This is the tale
of Ecthelion of the Fountain
And the fall of Gondolin, the city of the mountain.
Many great deeds were done during its fall
And Ecthelion did the greatest of them all.
Unhappy love caused Maeglin to betray
Gondolin, and he showed Morgoth the way.
But Maeglin the treacherous never Idril did win;
He was thrown from the Caragdûr like his father had been
Morgoth’s forces attacked Gondolin by surprise
During The Gates of Summer*, just before the sunrise.
And while the Gondolindrim awaited the rise of the Sun
The entire city of Gondolin was overrun.
The Elvish warriors held back the great Orcish horde
Until the coming of Gothmog, the Balrog-Lord.
His burning rage filled the Elves with great fear,
And they all retreated back to the square.
There they gathered under their Captain, Ecthelion,
The bravest warrior on the west side of Gelion.
And when Gothmog the Balrog-Lord arrived at the square
One of the greatest duels ever seen, began there.
So Ecthelion fought with Gothmog on the King’s Square,
And for several hours the fight lasted there.
But stronger was Gothmog and fiercer was his will,
He threw down the Elf and raised his black axe to kill.
But then a raging fire awoke in Ecthelion’s heart,
And in seconds it filled him, and got him to start.
He rushed against Gothmog and he bowed his head
And with the pike on his helmet he stabbed Gothmog dead.
But victory was short-lived after the Balrog-Lord’s death.
Ecthelion fell down and abandoned his breath.
And from the wounds he’d received he finally died
On the square of his King, at his enemy’s side**.
And the battle raged on until the coming of Night
And all the Elf-warriors were slain in the fight.
Last to fall was Turgon, Gondolin’s Lord,
Who fell in his Tower, wielding Glamdring, his sword.
Many think Ecthelion’s death was in vain,
That he with all his bravery, nothing did gain.
But Ecthelion and his men’s bold sacrifice
Allowed women and children to escape with their lives.
So honour the deed of Ecthelion the Brave!
The valiant Elf who unselfishly gave
His own life there, for his people and his King.
Forever, in your hearts, let his name ring!
* While this may seem grammatically incorrect I assure
you it is not. "The Gates of Summer" is a holiday in Gondolin, during
which the Gondolindrim celebrate the coming of Summer. They stand on the
walls and sing as the Sun rises.
** This is not quite correct. Ecthelion did stab Gothmog with the pike
on his helmet. Gothmog then fell on top of Ecthelion and they both fell
into the fountain on the square and they drowned. However: As I had not
yet read HOME 1 and -2 when I wrote the poem I did not know
this. I had only heard that Ecthelion stabbed Gothmog with the pike on
his helmet. That inspired Me to write the poem. And when I eventually
found out how it really happened I had not the heart to change it. Especially
not since stanzas 6-8 are the first ones I composed, and the heart of
the poem.
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