House of the Harp
| House of the Harp | |
|---|---|
| Noble House | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Other names | Host of the Harp |
| Leader | Salgant |
| Locations | Gondolin |
| Affiliation | House of the Mole |
| Destroyed | Completely Fall of Gondolin |
| Physical Description | |
| Clothing | Silver and gold tassels |
- "On these men of the Harp unbidden fell with great eagerness and utterly redeemed the cravenhood of their lord."
- ― The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "The Fall of Gondolin"
The house of the Harp was one of the twelve houses of the Gondothlim, the kindreds of the elven city of Gondolin. Their story is recounted in the early version of the legendarium in The Book of Lost Tales.
History[edit | edit source]
The house was led by Salgant, and its people were brave warriors. Their garments were adorned with tassels of silver and gold, and a harp of silver shone in their blazonry upon a field of black, though Salgant himself bore one of gold.[1]:173
Salgant was allied with Meglin, leader of the house of the Mole, who had betrayed Gondolin to Melko. When the fall of the city began, Meglin gave Salgant the task of delaying Tuor and the house of the Wing, while he assaulted Tuor's home. However, a terrified Salgant rode from battle, and his folk did not help the house of the Mole as planned.[1]:177
Later in the battle, there was a terrible fight in the Great Market in the eastern part of the city; Orcs, under the leadership of Balrogs, fought against the house of the Golden Flower, led by Glorfindel. Knowing this by messengers, King Turgon sent the house of the Harp to their aid, but Salgant concealed this information from his house and sent them to the Lesser Market in the southern part of the city, where he lived. They fretted about, and broke from their lord to come before the king's hall, right in the moment that Glorfindel and his folk were chased by a press of foemen. There they redeemed the treason of their lord, as with their wrath they drove the enemy back into the market. But they were leaderless, and many of them were trapped, burned to death or poisoned by the breath of a dragon.[1]:182-3
Other names[edit | edit source]
Their Gnomish name was Thlim Salum, while in Qenya they were simply known as Salmar.[2]
In a later prose fragment, the Noldorin name Tumglin is given to a "folk of the Harp", but this is a Mannish house unrelated with Gondolin.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "III. The Fall of Gondolin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Alphabet of Rúmil & Early Noldorin Fragments", in Parma Eldalamberon XIII (edited by Carl F. Hostetter, Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, Patrick H. Wynne, and Bill Welden), p. 104
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "I. Prose Fragments Following the Lost Tales: (i) [Turlin and the exiles of Gondolin]", pp. 4-5
| Twelve houses of the Gondothlim |
|---|
| King (leader: Turgon) · Wing (Tuor) · Mole (Meglin) · Swallow (Duilin) · Heavenly Arch (Egalmoth) · Pillar (Penlod) · Tower of Snow (Penlod) · Tree (Galdor) · Golden Flower (Glorfindel) · Fountain (Ecthelion) · Harp (Salgant) · Hammer of Wrath (Rog) |
