The Flower, the Fountain, and the Flank Guard
An interesting parallel between the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and the Fall of Gondolin.
First, the retreat from the Angfaulith after the Battle of Unnumbered Tears (Nirnaeth Arnoediad):
Then Turgon took the counsel of Húrin and Huor, and summoning all that remained of the host of Gondolin and such of Fingon’s people as could be gathered he retreated towards the Pass of Sirion; and his captains Ecthelion and Glorfindel guarded the flanks to right and left, so that none of the enemy should pass them by. But the Men of Dor-lómin held the rearguard, as Húrin and Huor desired; for they did not wish in their hearts to leave the Northlands, and if they could not win back to their homes, there they would stand to the end.
As the Nirnaeth is decisively lost, Huor with his dying breath prophesies that the “hope of Elves and Men” shall come from Huor’s and Turgon’s lines (fulfilled eventually by the birth of Eärendil). And so the Men take upon themselves the deadly position of the rearguard: as Turgon’s army retreats into the narrow Pass of Sirion, they stay behind to guard the mouth of the pass so that not a single enemy soldier can follow Turgon back to the hidden city of Gondolin. Húrin, only one left standing, is then captured by Morgoth and tortured to the end of his days. Bleak.
Now, what are flank guards?
Glorfindel guards the right flank of the retreating column, and Ecthelion guards the left.
It’s an utterly exhausting task. They must run back and forth along the column, driving off any enemy soldiers trying to get between the army and the rearguard, or trying to move around the column. This critical and perilous assignment would be given only to the most capable and trusted of Turgon’s generals.
And all of this is done so that Gondolin can survive to fight another day.
Fast forward 38 years to the Fall of Gondolin. Nargothrond and Doriath are no more. Gondolin is invaded by orcs, fire-drakes and Balrogs. Idril leads as many people as she can into the Secret Way she has built into the Echoriath.
And what are Glorfindel and Ecthelion doing?
Once again, they are guarding the flanks.
Each of them is fighting a Balrog while Tuor and Idril lead survivors past them to safety.
As battle is lost, and Gondolin falls, they give their lives to hold off the enemy off just long enough for the people of Gondolin to escape.
Their purpose was never to defeat the enemy, but to help their people survive until the true savior could eventually bring about Morgoth’s downfall for good. It was to buy Gondolin— and the Elves— just a little more time to save themselves.
