House of the Pillar
| House of the Pillar | |
|---|---|
| Noble House | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Other names | Folk of the Pillar |
| Leader | Penlod |
| Locations | Gondolin |
| Affiliation | House of the Tower of Snow |
| Destroyed | Completely Fall of Gondolin |
The house of the Pillar 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]
This house is only briefly mentioned, as being united with the house of the Tower of Snow under Penlod, tallest of the Gnomes.[1]:173
During the Fall of Gondolin, they were stationed in the northern part of the city, where the balrog Gothmog had led the main attack. When the house of the Hammer of Wrath was completely destroyed outside the walls, the elves of the Pillar and the Tower of Snow suffered the next wave of attacks, receding deeper into the city. Finally, "Penlod perished there in a lane with his back to the wall, and about him many of the men of the Pillar and many of the Tower of the Snow".[1]:179 There is no other mention of them, but later it is said that survivors of all the kindreds were reunited in the Square of the King,[1]:183 so probably some of them survived as exiles following the destruction of the city.
Other names[edit | edit source]
Their Gnomish name was Thlim Taul, while in Qenya they were simply known as Tauler.[2]
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
| 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) |
