Ulmo Appears To Tuor
Tuor had wandered far and long through Middle-Earth, ever westward seeking the hidden city of
Gondolin. He could not explain exactly why he was seeking for it; he was following a hunch, a
passing idea or feeling. When he heard the Elves speak of the hidden city and of Turgon its king,
a great desire had filled his heart to seek for it. He did not know what Gondolin was or where to
begin looking, but he felt it calling him and drawing his heart.
He came at last to a deserted, ruined city near the sea. It was Vinyamar; Turgon had dwelt there
long before, prior to moving with his people to Gondolin -- but Tuor could not have known that. Tuor
believed he had discovered Gondolin, ruined and abandoned. It must have been destroyed in the wars
with Morgoth, he thought; the Elves must have been killed or fled. This brought a sadness to his
heart, but he did not despair. He imagined the splendor of long ago, of the beauty and the joys that
must have filled this city. As he wandered through the ruins, he came to the former halls of Turgon.
He entered the ruins and saw where great festivals of old had been held. A great throne stood at the
far end of the hall, and behind it hung a great sword and shield. He took them down and marveled at
their beauty; they had been made by the Noldor who came with Turgon across Helcaraxe and were the
finest works of art Tuor had ever seen.
As he buckled the swordbelt around his waist, he felt a deep longing again for the sea. He quickly left the halls of Vinyamar and wandered down to the shore. He could hear the sea singing to him; joy and longing, mingled together, filled his heart until he thought it would be burst. As he took a few steps into the water, the sky grew dark and the wind picked up. A great wave rose before his eyes; when the wave broke and crashed back against the sea, Tuor saw a figure of great height and majesty standing where the wave had been.
"Tuor!" roared a voice from the wave.
Tuor fell to his face before the figure in awe. "Who are you?" he exclaimed.
"I am Ulmo, Lord of Waters," replied the voice. "I have summoned you to be my messenger to Turgon in Gondolin."
"But Gondolin is abandoned," replied Tuor. "I have seen its ruins."
"The city you saw was not Gondolin, but Vinyamar; this was Turgon's old home. I guided Turgon from there to the hidden city of Gondolin years ago. As he was leaving, I instructed him to leave behind his sword and shield. You have them with you now, yes? Let me see them."
Tuor held up the shield and the sword before Ulmo.
"The Noldor were cursed when they left Valinor, the land of the Gods. That curse has brought much pain and heartache to them. Turgon has experienced this pain on a personal level; he lost his wife to the Helcaraxe when he first came to Middle-Earth. This curse lies heavy on the hearts of all the Noldor. I warned Turgon of the curse, to trust not in his own strength of arms. But he is too proud for my warnings. So I told him that I would send my messenger when the doom of Gondolin drew near; this messenger would come from Vinyamar bearing the sword and shield you now carry. That doom is near -- the curse of the Gods will soon overtake Gondolin -- and I send you as my messenger to warn Turgon."
Tuor looked at the sword and the shield he carried. His mind was racing. He now recognized that his
life was part of some bigger plan and purpose. His longing for Gondolin and for the sea had been
placed in his heart by Ulmo, who had orchestrated these events long before. That realization struck
him forcibly, and shook him deeply. As he looked back on his journey and his longings, he could see
clearly how Ulmo had guided him.
"How will I find this hidden city? And what will I tell Turgon when I arrive?"
"I will send you a guide, an Elf who will lead you to Gondolin. You are to tell Turgon that his doom is at hand. Morgoth will soon discover his city and destroy it. Turgon should leave Gondolin immediately and head south down the river to the sea."
"Will he listen to your messenger?"
"I do not know. There is little hope for the Noldor and for Men in Middle-Earth, but their last
hope lies within you. Even if Turgon should reject my counsel, your errand will not be in vain.
You will see: you are more than just Ulmo's messenger."
Before Tuor could ask the meaning of these words, another wave rose up and Ulmo was gone. Tuor came to his senses, lying on his back in the sea. Had it just been a dream? He reached for the sword and the shield, which lay near by. He stood up and, after taking one last long look at the sea, he turned his back to it and headed east to find Gondolin.
- "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin" in The Silmarillion (1977).
I took the main story from excerpts of this chapter. I expanded it considerably: I added dialogue between Tuor and Ulmo, and I provided my own views on what Tuor would have thought and felt during these events.
Read the excerpt (38 KB). - "Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin" in Unfinished Tales (1980).
Tolkien began a longer version of the Fall of Gondolin story after he finished the Lord of the Rings (1951), but he abandoned this story just after the point where Tuor arrives in Gondolin. The portion that he completed covers the events of my story (Ulmo's appearance to Tuor). I have used this story for additional information about events, feelings, and motivations. Some events, such as Tuor hearing of Turgon and Gondolin from the Elves, are mentioned in such brief passing that I do not include a reference. The main excerpt I used provides a dialogue between Tuor and Ulmo; I changed the dialogue to narrow the focus and bring out the elements of the story that are most meaningful to me personally.
Read the excerpt (44 KB).