Glingal and Belthil

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Glingal and Belthil were two trees made by Turgon in the image of the Two Trees of Valinor.

History[edit | edit source]

After building Gondolin upon Amon Gwareth, the Gondolindrim never ceased to work on embellishing the city. Turgon himself wrought two images of the Trees of old. These stood in his court, "and the Tree which he made of gold was named Glingal, and the Tree whose flowers he made of silver was named Belthil".[1]

It is also said that they shone with their own light, which filled all the ways of the city.[2]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Both names are Sindarin:

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

In The Book of Lost Tales they were called Glingol and Bansil, and they were not wrought with elven-craft, but were real trees, surviving shoots of the Two Trees destroyed by Melko. They stood in the Square of the King, on either side of the doors of the palace.[8]:160 During the Fall of Gondolin, the surviving houses of the Gondothlim barricaded themselves in the Square, and there was a rally of men beneath the two trees to hear King Turgon. There he proclaimed the fall of Gondolin, and refusing to fight against Doom, he cast his crown at the roots of Glingol. Later, when the Square was burned down by the enemy, "Glingol was withered to the stock and Bansil was blackened utterly".[8]:184-6

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Noldor in Beleriand"
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Of Turgon and the Building of Gondolin (Chapter 12)", p. 200
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Two: Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings, VI. Quenta Silmarillion", p. 210
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entries "GLING", "KAL", "LING"
  5. Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, entry "Glingal"
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Index of Names", entry "Belthil"
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entries "BAL", "SIL", "THIL"
  8. 8.0 8.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "III. The Fall of Gondolin"