--- title: Fall of Gondolin Sets Up Balrog Lord of the Rings Scene description: Although J.R.R. Tolkien never published The Fall of Gondolin, he memorably referred to it "the first real story" of Middle-Earth. canonical: https://time.com/5376610/fall-of-gondolin-jrr-tolkien/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-25T13:01:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:15.538Z og:title: J.R.R. Tolkien's New Book Sets Up a Famous Scene You'll Know og:description: The Fall of Gondolin was "the first real story" of Middle-Earth og:url: https://time.com/5376610/fall-of-gondolin-jrr-tolkien/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51ba700e5689bfa5/698938cf4ee262254a312b12/screen-shot-2018-08-27-at-1-05-41-pm.png?branch=production&width=994&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 994 og:image:height: 559 og:image:alt: The-Fall-of-Gondolin-Facebook og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.R.R. Tolkien's New Book Sets Up a Famous Scene You'll Know twitter:description: The Fall of Gondolin was "the first real story" of Middle-Earth twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51ba700e5689bfa5/698938cf4ee262254a312b12/screen-shot-2018-08-27-at-1-05-41-pm.png?branch=production&width=994&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How J.R.R. Tolkien's New Book Sets Up an Iconic _Lord of the Rings_ Scene > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Aug 25, 2018 1:01 PM UTC  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Aug 25, 2018 1:01 PM UTC **Warning:** This post contains spoilers for [J.R.R. Tolkien’s](http://time.com/4801203/jrr-tolkien-book-beren-luthien/) 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). This, of course, means that it was from _Gondolin_ that [_The Hobbit_](http://time.com/4941811/hobbit-anniversary-1937-reviews/), [_The Lord of The Rings_](http://time.com/5022296/lord-of-the-rings-amazon/) 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. 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