elves of arda ✹ gondolindrim ✹ headcanon disclaimer ✹ @gondolinweek
Aikamblotsë was a Noldo of Valinórë, a skilled hunter and archer. He befriended the Ambarussa, the youngest sons of Fëanáro and hunters like himself, and spent much time in their company, especially with Telufinwë. As their relationship progressed, Aikamblotsë attempted to become more intimate with Telufinwë, but his friend was uninterested in such passions and rebuffed his advances. Hurt and fearful that his secret desires would be found out, Aikamblotsë distanced himself from Telufinwë and grew close to another grandson of Finwë: Turukáno Ñolofinwion. When the Noldor rebelled amidst the Darkening, Aikamblotsë was among the Host of Ñolofinwë, though as he remained by Turukáno’s side he did not participate in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë. He marched across the Helcaraxë, the old resentment against Telufinwë growing ever more bitter in his heart, and even when the Noldor reconciled he harbored a grudge against his once-friend. In Beleriand, Aikamblotsë took the name Eglamoth and was appointed an advisor to High King Fingolfin, where he worked closely with his colleague Duilin, an archer even more masterful than he. Great love grew between them, and they were wed in the thirty-fifth year of the Sun, at which time they entered the court of their friend Turukáno at Nevrast. When Turukáno began to order his new kingdom of Ondolindë, he offered positions of lordship to both Egalmoth and Duilin, which they were glad to accept. Upon removing to the isolated valley of Tumladen, Duilin returned to his previous name of Tuilindo, but Egalmoth chose to retain his Sindarin name, the meaning of which he found more poetic than the original Quenya despite its flawed Sindarization. In Ondolindë, Egalmoth became the Lord of the House of the Heavenly Arch. He sponsored much development in the great markets in the King’s Square, earning unaccounted wealth and arraying his people in a glory of colors. His emblem was the rainbow, which in Valinor had been a subtle symbol of uncommon desires; since now in Beleriand he was free to wed another nér and yet hold high status, he wanted to proclaim his pride in himself and uplift those of his people who felt similarly. Egalmoth and Tuilindo often hosted archery competitions, and after his husband bested him for the hundredth time in a row, Egalmoth dedicated himself to learning a new weapon in which he was unmatched. He fashioned a curved sword, the only one of its kind among the Noldor, and though the bow remained his preferred weapon he often proved his surpassing skill with his deadly blade. It was with the might of this sword that he slew many giant spiders when he, Glorfindel, and Ecthelion were lost in Nan Dungortheb whilst escorting Aredhel on her journey to Himlad; but though Egalmoth and his companions survived and returned to Ondolindë, Aredhel herself was lost and her fate would not be known for many years. The folk of the Heavenly Arch were a diverse mix of Sindar and Noldor, as can be exemplified by the Noldorin fisher Aranwë and his Sindarin wife Hithaer, sister of Círdan. Though Hithaer turned back halfway through the journey to Gondolin, followed by Aranwë as soon as he ensured the safety of his son Voronwë with the Encircling Mountains sight, Voronwë himself did arrive in the Hidden Realm and dwelt there for many long years before his king sent him out to sea to beg aid of the Valar. Alone of the mariners entrusted with this mission, Voronwë alone was saved by the grace of Ulmo for the purpose of leading the Man Tuor back to Gondolin with a message for the King. Another vassal to Egalmoth was Gaurin, a great stonemason who aided in the construction of the City of Stone, cleaving many rocks with gleaming strokes of his mighty glaive. Gaurin had once been known as Narmonodo, a member of Oromë’s Hunt, an archer and wolf-speaker who occasionally hunted with Egalmoth and naturally aligned himself with the Lord of the Heavenly Arch in Beleriand. Gaurin was a great warrior, fighting valiantly in the Fifth Battle, and was slain protecting his friend and lord as Egalmoth retreated from the Nírnaeth Arnœdiad. When Morgoth’s forces assailed Ondolindë and the city’s fall began, a great part of the folk of the Heavenly Arch were in the walls of the northern gate and endured the main assault. Egalmoth himself was in the south of the city, commanding engines in the wall alongside his husband and the House of the Swallow. As the fighting entered the streets and Tuilindo was slain, Egalmoth saw that they could not keep fighting in the battlements. He gathered his folk and those of his fallen husband, casting away his bow and drawing his curved sword, and led them in a great march upon the streets. Driven by fury and grief, Egalmoth and his followers defeated every band of enemies they encountered, rescuing many captives and leading them to the Square of the King. When Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, destroyed the barricades protecting the square, Egalmoth was wounded, and knowing he could fight no longer he led many of the Gondolindrim in a retreat through Idril’s secret way. Egalmoth alone of the Noldorin Lords survived the Fall of Gondolin, and he dwelt at the mouths of Sirion amid much grief and anger for many years. When the sons of Fëanor attacked the Havens, Egalmoth unleashed all his rage upon them and fought bitterly against his corrupted kin, slaying Amrod—once Telufinwë, his friend in their golden youth. As soon as Amrod’s head fell from his body, Egalmoth regretted the fatal blow and stared in horror at the destruction he had wrought, but he had little time for regret as Amras charged forth and slew him in retribution for the death of his twin. In time Egalmoth would heal from the wounds upon his fëa and be reborn in Valinórë, reuniting with Tuilindo and even reconciling with Telufinwë, but the story of his first life ended upon the bloody banks of the river Sirion where kin slew kin for the third and final time.