Gondolin, the hidden Kingdom, is listed separately from the other Noldor realms as it possessed no cavalry (a few horses were used for dispatching messages between the city and the Gate, and as mounts for commanders - eg. UT, p51), but not enough to qualify even for a single DBM element). Gondolin was the last of the great Noldor realms of 1A to fall to Morgoth.

Agression is rated as 0 since the one time they came out of hiding to fight in open battle, it was as part of a combined army that is covered by the main Noldor list. The Climate is Cold, as befits a land surrounded by tall mountains, chilly even in fair weather (Sil, p293).

The compulsory H(S) is because the only way into the kingdom for an invader was through the encircling mountains; Rd is compulsory as the plain that the city stood in was exceptionally densely populated. Its fertility is represented by the allowed O, V and E options. There seem to have been no water features large enough to be rated as Rv (small streams cutting through the ground as gullies are counted as RGo in DBM).

The CinC, King Turgon, is rated as Sp, since he fought with his guards, the 'Phalanx of the Guard' (Sil, p231). This elite force is rated (S), and may have had metal-faced shields like their leader (UT, p27). Other spearmen fought in ordered ranks and were mail-clad (Sil, p229, p231) and are therefore graded Reg (O).

Sub-generals are classified as either Sp (O), commanding spears, or as Bd (O), commanding axes (UT, p51). Tuor himself used an axe (UT, p19, 172). Axes, mostly Sindar (UT, p48), could use kite shields, and were also mail-clad, as were all the soldiers of Gondolin seemingly (UT, p45; Sil, p229). Mail could be silvered, gilded, blackened are even reddened. The ally-general represents the traitor Maeglin (Sil, p292). He is classified as a Bd since he wielded the renowned sword Anguirel (Sil, p243).

Archers, mail-clad, are also attested as guards (UT, p49), as some are described as both longbowmen and with large shields suitable for close-combat, they may be graded as Bw (S).

This page last modified January 31, 1999