Editing Gondolin (section)

=== Fall ===

{{further|Tuor and Idril|The Fall of Gondolin}}
{{anchor|Maeglin}}

The city stands for nearly 400 years until '''Maeglin''', Turgon's nephew, betrays it to [[Morgoth]]. Maeglin is captured while mining outside the Encircling Mountains, against Turgon's orders. Maeglin is promised Lordship as well as Turgon's daughter [[Tuor and Idril|Idril]], whom he had long coveted. The dark lord [[Morgoth]] sends an army over the Encircling Mountains during Gondolin's festival of The Gates of Summer, and sacks the city with relative ease. Morgoth's army consists of [[Orc (Middle-earth)|orcs]], [[Balrog]]s, [[Dragon (Middle-earth)|dragons]] and in early versions of the story iron machines powered by "internal fires". These are used to carry soldiers, to surmount difficult obstacles, and to defeat fortifications.<ref name="Garth 2003"/> Idril, noted for her intuition, had prepared a secret route out of Gondolin prior to the siege.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rawls |first=Melanie |year=1984 |title=The Feminine Principle in Tolkien |url=https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2031&context=mythlore |journal=[[Mythlore]] |volume=30 |issue=3–4 |pages=8}}</ref> While her father Turgon perishes as his tower is destroyed, Idril flees the city, defended by her husband Tuor, a prince of [[Edain|Men]].<ref name="Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin" group="T">{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, Ch. 23, "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"</ref>