The Quests of Middle-earth - Page 3
© Michael Martinez
The finding of Gondolin was itself the result of a quest, a sort of mystical quest, much more like the quest of the Holy Grail than the quest of Jason. Turgon and Finrod were the most spiritually pure of the Elven princes, it seems. Neither had had a part in the Kinslaying at Alqualonde. Neither had helped Feanor betray his people. Finrod, being akin to the kings of the Teleri, had strong personal reason for not taking action against his mother's people. But Turgon didn't support his brother when Fingon, wrongly thinking the Teleri had attacked Feanor, rushed to Feanor's aid.
So Turgon was accorded a special grace. Although Ulmo sent dreams to both Turgon and Finrod, encouraging them to seek places where they could build hidden refuges, it was Turgon whom Ulmo led to the vale of Tumladen in the Echoriath. And there Turgon's people labored in secret for many years before leaving their homes in Nevrast forever. In Gondolin they achieved a measure of the ancient glory of Tirion in Aman. Of all Elven cities, Gondolin was the most enchanting, the most beautiful, the most blessed. The Valar did not entirely abandon the Noldor, but the greater part of their efforts to help the Noldor were focused upon Gondolin. Turgon found the Holy Grail, but in the end he proved himself unworthy because he ignored Ulmo's final warning and stayed in Gondolin. And what a terrible price Turgon's people paid for his pride. He never dreamed one of his own relatives would betray him.
The greatest quest of the First Age, of course, was the Quest of the Silmaril, Beren and Luthien's journey to steal one of the precious gems from the Iron Crown of Melkor. This quest contained all the classic elements, and it borrowed something from the pure adventure quest and something from the pure spiritual quest. Beren had to prove himself worthy of the Silmaril, and he couldn't do that without Luthien's help. She might have gone on dancing in the woods for many more years, oblivious to the hurts inflicted upon her people and his in the world outside, had Beren not stumbled through the Girdle of Melian.
Like Fingon and Turgon before him, Beren was of noble blood. His great-grandfather Boromir had been made first Lord of Ladros by Finrod. In human terms Beren had some "old blood" in him. He wasn't just some heroic knight-errant out seeking his fame and fortune. He had lost his people, his land, and his family. Beren's was the first quest to actually achieve something significant in the war between good and evil. The accomplishments came at great cost, of course. Finrod and several of his most loyal lords died trying to help Beren.
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