“Now the thought of Morgoth dwelt ever upon Turgon; for Turgon had escaped him, of all his foes that one whom he most desired to take or to destroy. And that thought troubled him, and marred his victory, for Turgon of the mighty house of Fingolfin was now by right King of all the Noldor; and Morgoth feared and hated the house of Fingolfin, because they had the friendship of Ulmo his foe, and because of the wounds that Fingolfin gave him with his sword. And most of all his kin Morgoth feared Turgon; for of old in Valinor his eye had lighted upon him, and whenever he drew near a shadow had fallen on his spirit, foreboding that in some time that yet lay hidden, from Turgon ruin should come to him.”
8. Rog - Strength 9. Galdor - Justice 10. Salgant - Wheel of Fortune 11. Penlod - The World 12. Idril and Tuor - Lovers 13. Voronwe - The Hermit 14. Earendil - The Star
1. Turgon - The Tower 2. Maeglin - The Magician 3. Glorfindel - The Sun 4. Ecthelion - The Moon 5. Duilin - Temperance 6. Egalmoth - Judgement 7. Gondolin - Back of the Cards
Tolkien peppered his work with minor characters whose brief appearances help create the illusion of depth for which the legendarium is renowned. Elemmakil is one such character. The guardian of the Gates of Gondolin who leads forth Tuor upon his arrival, Elemmakil was written into the legendarium relatively late in its history, playing a small but important role.
This month’s character biography, authored by @naryaflame, explores what the legendarium has to say about Elemmakil. While there is little to go on in the canon, Narya observes that Elemmakil plays the role of a “threshold guardian” and connects with many of Tolkien’s other uses of surveillance and light.
