"The Tragedy of The White Lady of Gondolin" (A translation from the Elvish by Bilbo Baggins)
"So it passed in the days of the Great Peace. The fair city of Gondolin knew no troubles, for it lay well-guarded within in its mountain fastness, and all paths to it were secret. The people of Gondolin were content to remain within, and knew naught but peace and happiness, save for the King Turgon's sister Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, who had dwelt in the city for two hundred years and grew restless. She wished to go abroad in the lands of Middle-earth, as she had been accustomed to do in Valinor.
"Her brother the King refused her at first, for he feared that someone might discover the way to his city, but the Lady would not be denied her will. At last, she departed from Gondolin with three lords of the King's household whom he trusted most to escort his sister.
"It was meant that Aredhel should ride to her brother Fingon, who dwelt in Hithlum, but she dissuaded her escorts from this path and instead sought the sons of Feanor, who were her kinsman and friends of old. The Lady's chosen path brought her onto perilous roads, and it was near the dark lands of Nan Dungortheb that she was parted from her escort and lost. The three lords sought the Lady Aredhel, but in vain, and perforce returned to Gondolin bearing sad news to the King of his sister's fate.
"But the Lady Aredhel, who was brave as she was fair, rode on alone through dangers untold and found her way to the land of Himlad, and past Celon, until she came to the sunless Wood of Nan Elmoth."
On the page opposite these last paragraphs, Bilbo had painstakingly drawn an illustration--either from his own imagination, or copied from the Elvish text: a fair Elven lady mounted on a white palfrey rode on a path through woods, apparently blithe and oblivious to the menacing eyes that watched her from the spaces between the trees.
"It was in Nan Elmoth that the Dark Elf Eol dwelt, and when he saw the lightsome beauty of the Lady Aredhel, his heart was foresworn to her. As he would have the Lady, he set enchantments among the trees of the wood so that, no matter the path she chose, she would be brought to him. When Aredhel, weary from her long riding, at last came to the doors of Eol's home, he made her welcome and bid her to become his wife.
"The Lady Aredhel did abide in that dark land without sun and walked only beneath the stars and moon at her husband's side for twenty years. In time, she bore Eol a son, a Child of Twilight that his father named Maeglin."
The story was familiar; Frodo was certain he had read it before, although this text was somewhat different from the tale as he remembered it. Perhaps some nuance of the Elvish was lost from Bilbo's translation, but he found it difficult to tell if Aredhel had become Eol's wife willingly, or if she was his prisoner. Twenty years was no time at all to an Elf, but somehow Frodo doubted that this dauntless lady, who rode wherever she pleased, would agree to stay even that long with a husband she disliked, enchantment or no.
He turned the page.
"As her son grew, the Lady Aredhel told him many tales of her kinsman and the beauty of Gondolin, and a desire was born in Maeglin's heart to see his mother's home. So often did he ask to be taken to see Gondolin that at last Aredhel consented. The lady and her son departed from Nan Elmoth while her husband was away, and rode to the city. Unbeknownst to them, Eol returned early to find them gone, and followed but two days behind.
"There was much joy and wondrous surprise in Gondolin when the Lady Aredhel returned, for all had believed her forever lost and despaired she would be seen among them again. Though Aredhel would not say whence she had come, nor where she had been these twenty years, King Turgon bid her welcome and praised her son Maeglin highly, calling him 'sister-son' and a worthy princeling of the Noldor.
"Maeglin bowed low before the King and vowed that Turgon should hereafter be his liege lord. But his eyes, all the while, dwelt upon the King's daughter Idril, for he found her most fair.
"But the joy at Lady Aredhel's return did not last long. In the midst of the celebrations, Eol was brought before the King. He had tracked his wife and son to the very gates of Gondolin, and was there captured.
"King Turgon would have Aredhel and Maeglin remain in the city, and would have remain Eol as well, lest he betray the location of Gondolin, but Eol refused to submit to the king's authority. He did not care for the secret ways of the city, but only desired to have his wife and son restored to him.
"Eol allowed that Aredhel might abide in Gondolin awhile, for he knew she would grow weary of the city as she had before and return to him when she wished, but his son must come with him now. Aredhel consented, but this Maeglin refused, for he had pledged himself to King Turgon and was also loth to leave his fair cousin Idril."
A second illustration showed a group of Elves gathered in a circular courtyard rather like the council chamber at Rivendell: The fair lady in white stood at one side of the circle with her hand beseechingly on the arm of a dark-haired Elf, presumably her husband, but Eol already had a hand beneath his cloak to reach for a short spear he wore tucked into his belt. A tall Elf, fair as the Lady and wearing a jeweled diadem on his brow, stood on the other side and scowled at Eol imperiously. This must be King Turgon. Between them was a young Elf, also dark-haired, but he stood with his back to his parents and held one hand out toward the king.
"When he heard his son's words," the story continued, "Eol was full wroth. 'Ill-begotten,' he called his son, and a 'betrayer of his blood.' He demanded that Maeglin obey him, but Maeglin had chosen his new master and neither father nor mother's pleas could sway him. Also, the King would not have him leave.
"Vowing that Turgon would not have what was his, Eol sprang upon him and revealed a spear that he bore concealed beneath his cloak. He cast it, but the Lady Aredhel stood in the path of its flight, for she would protect her son above all, and so was wounded.
"Eol was seized and kept captive until such time as King Turgon would pronounce judgement upon him. Lady Aredhel pled for Turgon to be merciful to her husband but, though her wound was small and her brother the King tended her through the night, she soon sickened and died.
"There was no mercy to be found in Turgon. When Eol was brought before him for judgement, the king commanded that Eol be thrown from the highest wall of the city and his body broken on the rocks beneath.
"Thus it was done, and thus ends the tragedy of the White Lady. Would she had spent her life in Gondolin, rather than meet such a fate! Had she not wed Eol and been mother to Maeglin, her line might not have ended, nor the kingdom of Gondolin fallen."
That last line sounded rather sententious, almost as if it had been added to the story later, but Frodo knew enough of Elvish history to know what happened to Maeglin and the city of Gondolin afterwards, and realized that it was essentially true.
But that was not what interested him most right now. His recent experiences as an investigator had given him an eye for suspicious circumstances--and surely there was something very odd about this tale of Lady Aredhel's death.
Site Info
We are the home of 1292 authors from among our 2552 members. There have been 2904 reviews written about our 3820 stories consisting of 10734 chapters and 29400445 words. A special welcome to our newest member, Rosamundeb.Categories
Skin Change
Donate
Help us keep one of the oldest running LotR archives available to all. Even the smallest donation helps!
Many thanks to our previous donors!
Many thanks to our previous donors!
