The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - ** Fall of Gondolin Section 3 Structure**

Aiwendil · 10-14-2003, 01:20 PM

I see. But I don't think that there's necessarily a contradiction here, for two reasons. First (and most importantly) we don't know what precise words of Maeglin lie behind "revealing unto Morgoth the place of Gondolin and the ways whereby it might be found and assailed". Notice that, even here in the Q30 account, he not only gives the location but also information concerning how to assail the city. Why could this information not include the things he had already told the Orcs? Second, I don't think it's necessary that the information he first tries to give to Morgoth be exactly the information he gave to the Orcs; a person can certainly behave a bit irrationally when brought before Morgoth as a prisoner.

If that is deemed an insufficient argument by the majority, then I would vote for this minimal change: alter it so that instead of telling the Orcs all about the fashion of the city and so forth, he merely tells them its location. But I see no reason in any event to remove the anger of the Orcs or to have Maeglin tell them nothing.

10-14-2003, 01:20 PM	#31
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	I see. But I don't think that there's necessarily a contradiction here, for two reasons. First (and most importantly) we don't know what precise words of Maeglin lie behind "revealing unto Morgoth the place of Gondolin and the ways whereby it might be found and assailed". Notice that, even here in the Q30 account, he not only gives the location but also information concerning how to assail the city. Why could this information not include the things he had already told the Orcs? Second, I don't think it's necessary that the information he first tries to give to Morgoth be exactly the information he gave to the Orcs; a person can certainly behave a bit irrationally when brought before Morgoth as a prisoner. If that is deemed an insufficient argument by the majority, then I would vote for this minimal change: alter it so that instead of telling the Orcs all about the fashion of the city and so forth, he merely tells them its location. But I see no reason in any event to remove the anger of the Orcs or to have Maeglin tell them nothing.