Speaking of a Silly Poll

[drigel]

Originally Posted by alatar

Paradise, like the rest of the universe, succumbs sooner or later to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Originally Posted by Davem

And in the end, the fall of Gondolin was inevitable for so many reasons that scapegoating any individual is missing the point.

Well put. I would conjecture that the existence of Gondolin (unmolested) is as important as its demise. In a Turgon led Gondolin, we have a vision of what the Noldorian/Sindarian kingdoms would look like, if Morgoth was not in their world. An ideal of purety and strength that IMO was vital, necessary, and important to the psyche of the Exiles. The question of whether or not all those Noldor would have come to ME if it weren't for Morgoth can be debated, but the importance of the idea of Gondolin (IMO) can not be.

I would further conjecture that this archetype (if you will) was as imperative for the Exiles as the strategic importance was, in the battle against Morgoth. IMO, it was at the very least, as great an influence on the Exile's psyche as it was on Morgoth's sense of doom that was going to recieve as a result from Turgon. This is why I think (at least in my mind) the legacy of Gondolin exceeds the other Noldorian kingdoms of the 1st age.