UT discussion - 1st Age - Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin

[Varnafindë]

Summary

Tuor was born after his father Huor's death in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. His mother heard about the battle, but there were no news of her husband. Then she wandered into the wild and was given aid by some of the Grey-elves (the Sindar), and Tuor was born at their dwelling west of Lake Mithrim. She gave him the name that his father had chosen for him, and begged of the Elves to foster him. And when she finally heard that Huor had fallen, she left her son with the Elves and found the site of the battle, and there laid her down and died.

Tuor was fostered by the Elves, and by the age of sixteen he was strong and tall and valiant. He told his foster-father Annael that he wanted to take revenge upon the Orcs and the Easterlings, but Annael wouldn't let him, but told him that they would now leave that area and seek other Elves in the South, hopefully through a secret way called the Gate of the Noldor, made in the days of Turgon.

The name Turgon stirred Tuor, without him knowing why. Annael told him that Tuor's father and uncle had helped Turgon escape from the Battle, and Tuor said that he would then try to seek Turgon. Annael said that his abode was unknown, but perhaps they might meet some in the South who could help him. Tuor left with Annael and his people, but they were discovered and separated, and Tuor was taken prisoner by the Easterlings and became a slave for Lorgan, their chieftain.

After three years as a slave, Tuor managed to escape, and for four years he lived as an outlaw in the wilderness, slaying many of the Easterlings, but mainly looking for the Gate of the Noldor, never finding it.

One day he decided to leave those lands, and as he sang an Elven-song, a spring broke out of the ground at his feet, and a stream ran before him. He followed the stream down from the hills of Mthrim and towards the West into the plain of Dor-lomin. After three days of walking, he came to a wall of rock, and the stream disappeared into it. Tuor thought that he was lost. But the next morning he met two Noldorin Elves who told him that the tunnel where the stream had disappeared, was the Gate of the Noldor, and they showed him where to walk to enter it. When he told them that he wanted to search for Turgon, one of them said that if Ulmo, the Lord of Waters, meant for him to find Turgon's dwelling, he would surely be led there.

At the other end of the tunnel there was a great ravine, and he followed it for three days. Then he heard a strange sound, and guessed that it would be some unknown bird, and he followed it up from the ravine towards the South. It turned out to be three great gulls, and as they led him, he came to the coast by Nevrast and saw the Great Sea. Here the sea-longing arose in him for the first time.

Tuor rested for a long while in Nevrast, and one day in the late Summer (or rather early Autumn) he saw seven white swans. He loved swans, and rose to greet them, but they made as to drive him away. Tuor took this as a sign that he had stayed for too long, and he began to follow the swans. For seven days they led him towards the South, until they reached Vinyamar, Turgon's old halls in Nevrast. In these halls Tuor found a hauberk and weapons, and decided to take those arms to himself, with whatsoever doom they bore. He arrayed himself in the hauberk and helm, took the sword and shield and went down to the sea.

There Ulmo, the Lord of Waters, showed himself to him, and told him that he had chosen him to go to Turgon as his messenger, and that the arms that he had found, had been prepared for him to be a token that he was the chosen one. Tuor said that he was willing to be Ulmo's messenger, and Ulmo told him that the last hope of the Noldor lay in Tuor, and that he was meant to bring a hope and a light into the world. Then he promised him a guide, and gave him a cloak, part of his own mantle, and disappeared.

There was a great tumult of the sea, and Tuor fled back to Turgon's halls, and slept there that night. The next morning everything was quiet, and he found an Elf sitting on the beach. This was Voronwë, who had been on one of the ships that Turgon had sent out to try to get across to Valinor to ask for the aid of the Valar. His ship was lost in the storm, but Ulmo had saved him to be Tuor's guide. Voronwë agreed to guide Tuor to the gates of the Hidden Kingdom, but he could make no promise that they would be accepted. Tuor asked for no more than to be led to the gates, though, and said that if Turgon refused to receive him, then his errand would be ended.

Voronwë then told Tuor about Turgon's plans and how he himself had gone on one of the ships that Cirdan the Shipwright had helped them build. Then they left Vinyamar, and Voronwë set them off on the long road towards the Hidden Kingdom.

(TBC)

For the first two or three weeks nothing much happened - they walked by night and rested by day, and Autumn turned to an early Winter. When they reached what had been the pool of Ivren, they saw that the land was defiled and desolate, and they saw tracks of what Voronwë knew must be the "Great Worm of Angband", Glaurung the Dragon. At the same time a Man passed by them in the distance between the trees, crying out in grief, and carrying a black sword. They didn't know that this was Turin, Tuor's cousin, searching for survivors after the fall of Nargothrond. Tuor never saw him again.

The next day there was snow and frost, the beginning of what would be the Fell Winter. Tuor was worried that they would have very far to go, but Voronwë told him that Turgon's Hidden Kingdom was here in the North, not in the far South, as was commonly believed. Although they still had far to go, they were going on a fairly straight route.

They crossed several streams, and then they had to cross the Highway, running down to Nargothrond. Here they were heard and scented by some Orcs - but they hid in Ulmo's cloak, and escaped unseen. Voronwë did not allow Tuor to attack the Orcs, because no-one was allowed to approach the Gates of the Hidden Kingdom with enemies at their heels, and this rule Voronwë would not break, not even at Ulmo's command.

When they were safely away from the Orcs, they approached the River Sirion. Voronwë was worried that the Orcs might still be on their tracks, though, but then the Eagles of Crissaegrim, who were watching the Hidden Kingdom, flew past them, and he knew that the Orcs wouldn't dare to come closer. They found the Ford of Brithiach and crossed Sirion safely.

On the other side they came to an empty river bed. This was what Voronwë had been searching for, the Dry River, which led to the Gates of the Hidden Kingdom. They followed it for many miles, and at last, more than a month after they had left Nevrast, they came to a steep mountain. Here an opening led them into a sort of a tunnel, and Voronwë led Tuor through the dark.

Then they met with Turgon's guards. Voronwe had been sent out by the King, so he would have had the right to return, but he lost that right by bringing a stranger. Both he and the stranger would be taken to the King as prisoners. But when the guards realised that Tuor was a mortal, they were unsure as to whether they ought to slay him immediately.

Tuor then told them that he came on an errand from Ulmo, and that he wanted to speak that errand to Turgon himself. The Captain of the Guard then decided that he couldn't decide on such great matters, and would take them to the Warden of the Great Gate.

They were then led as prisoners through all the seven gates of the Hidden Kingdom, until at the last gate, the Gate of Steel, they met Echtelion, Lord of the Fountains, who was at that time Warden of the Great Gate. Tuor claimed the right to enter as the messenger of the Lord of Waters, and Echtelion saw his cloak and was filled with awe, and opened the Gate.

Then Tuor passed through, and for the first time he saw Gondolin. For a long time he was just looking at it, and then his cloak fell down, and all around him saw the livery of Nevrast which had been left for Ulmo's messenger centuries ago. Then Echtelion declared that it was clear truth that he came from Ulmo.

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And then Tolkien stopped writing ...