--- description: Although J.R.R. Tolkien never published The Fall of Gondolin, he memorably referred to it "the first real story" of Middle-Earth. title: J.R.R. Tolkien's New Book Sets Up a Famous Scene You'll Know image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51ba700e5689bfa5/698938cf4ee262254a312b12/screen-shot-2018-08-27-at-1-05-41-pm.png?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How J.R.R. Tolkien's New Book Sets Up an Iconic _Lord of the Rings_ Scene  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Aug 25, 2018 1:01 PM CUT  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Aug 25, 2018 1:01 PM CUT **Warning:** This post contains spoilers for [J.R.R. Tolkien’s](http://time.com/4801203/jrr-tolkien-book-beren-luthien/ "undefined") new book, _The Fall of Gondolin_. Although J.R.R. Tolkien never published _The Fall of Gondolin_, he memorably referred to it “the first real story” of Middle-Earth in a [1955 letter to poet W.H. Auden](http://www.tolkienestate.com/en/writing/letters/letter-163-to-wh-auden.html "undefined"). This, of course, means that it was from _Gondolin_ that [_The Hobbit_](http://time.com/4941811/hobbit-anniversary-1937-reviews/ "undefined"), [_The Lord of The Rings_](http://time.com/5022296/lord-of-the-rings-amazon/ "undefined") and all other tales of Tolkien’s beloved imaginary world sprang. Edited by Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien, _Gondolin_ tells the story of the man Tuor’s journey to the hidden elvish city of Gondolin to defend the secret stronghold from the dark lord Morgoth—the predecessor and mentor of Sauron. Following 2007’s _The Children of Húrin_ and 2017’s _Beren and_ _Lúthien_, it is the last of Tolkien’s three “Great Tales” of the Elder Days of Middle-Earth.  The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien Houghton Mifflin Harcourt The text is rife with references to characters and creatures that come to play a role in _The Lord of the Rings_. But there is one passage in particular that seems to set up one of the most famous scenes from the _LOTR_ trilogy. After Gondolin is sacked by Morgoth’s forces, Tuor and the surviving Elves flee through the mountains. It’s there that a pursuing Balrog attacks the group and the Elf Glorfindel springs into action to defend his people. The full passage reads as follows: --- > “” --- If you’re a _Lord of the Rings_ fan, you probably noticed that this sequence is reminiscent of the notorious scene in _The Fellowship of the Ring_ when Gandalf battles a Balrog in the Mines of Moria — “You shall not pass!” — only to fall (seemingly to his death) when the beast drags him down from the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. See if you can spot all the other _Lord of the Rings_ references when _The Fall of Gondolin_ hit shelves on Aug. 30. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5376610/fall-of-gondolin-jrr-tolkien/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5376610/fall-of-gondolin-jrr-tolkien/"},"headline":"How J.R.R. 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