Gate of Steel

Gate of Steel
Gate
"Gate of Steel" by Narfil Palùrfalas
Other names	Great Gate, Last Gate, Seventh Gate
Location	Orfalch Echor
Appearance	A mighty fence of steel with seven wide beams, flanked by towers
Creator	Maeglin 5th century, First Age

The Gate of Steel, also known as the Great Gate, was the seventh of the Seven Gates of Gondolin.

History

The Gate of Steel was the last gate both in order of entering and construction, having being built by Maeglin some centuries after the other six as an ultimate defence after the disaster of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Though all but impassable to an enemy, the Gate ultimately failed to prevent the Fall of Gondolin.

The gate was like a great steel fence across the Orfalch Echor. The fence had seven great needle-like pillars of steel and between these pillars there were seven cross-bars of steel and forty-nine vertical rods with heads like broad blades of spears. In the centre, above the midmost pillar, was raised a mighty image of the king-helm of Turgon, the Crown of the Hidden Kingdom, set about with diamonds. When Elemmakil struck the gate, rather than opening, the current Warden of the Great Gate, Ecthelion, rode from the north tower on a white horse with an esquire and a company of riders from both towers. The gate opened inward on either side of the pillar of the Crown. This gate followed the Gate of Gold, and when Tuor and Voronwë went through, they came to a high sward that looked over Tumladen. A host of the army of Gondolin were stationed on either side. The host consisted of representatives from each of the guards of the Seven Gates, likely including members of Elemmakil's own Dark Guard. The captains and chieftains of each Guard sat upon white and gray horses. As Tuor stood before them in the livery of Nevrast, they gazed upon him since many of them were with Turgon when he first set his armor upon the High Seat of Vinyamar.