The tale of wars and sides of a city fallen."

So would read Homer's tale, throughout the world, if it was modernized. Homer's Iliad is a major archetype in world mythology, and has grown so archetypical that even in this century myth-maker J.R.R. Tolkien included it with his mythology. Infact the Iliad is comparable to Gondolin's fall through certain characters, mythological motifs, and plot.

Tolkien forms his major characters from a composite of Homer's heroes and heroines. First, Tuor, the mortal hero who finds Gondolin, can be seen as the blind poet's Achilles. Tuor like Achilles is favored by the gods especially the god of the sea and said to be the greatest warrior of the time. Both are men of speech and have total domination over the armies they control. Next, is the antagonist of the story - Meglin - who can be seen as Homer's Paris. Meglin like Paris wishes to have the beauty of the tale be his wife and does anything to attain this. Then there is Tuor's wife, Idril, who can be seen as Helen even though she is married to the hero and not a Menalus-like character. Agamemnon of Homeric myth also has a counter part, the king of Gondolin: Turgon. These kings are like each other in that they come to war because of a character's warning and needed help. Also they are the king or leader of a collective group of people - Homer's Achaeans and Tolkien's Noldor. Finally the last significant character of the poet's that Tolkien copied was Odysseus; who Tolkien named Earendil. Like Odysseus Earendil has a small part to play in the war, both because of their age. After the city's fall, Earendil makes a journey around the world to return to his loved one like the legendary Odysseus. For J.R.R. Tolkien to shape his characters he "borrowed" traits and the actions of Homeric characters at Troy.

Like all stories Gondolin has mythological motifs many of which occur in the Iliad too. The first is the idea of coveting a holy item away. This item in the Iliad/Gongolin myth is the ideal woman of beauty. Tolkien created Idril with the intent to be coveted. Another motif is the destruction of a sacred city because of its people's follies. This would be Homer's Paris taking Helen to Troy; and in Gondolin Meglin's meeting with Morgoth, an evil power, where he tells the secret of Gondolin's local. A motif that lingers throughout the whole of both tales is the interference of the gods. This is seen in as the gods send messages in many forms to the warriors in battle, and their choice of sides during the battle. Without including some of Homer's motifs Tolkien's fallen city would not have had much design to it.Gondolin's story of its fall and the battle that takes place is almost identical to the Iliad.

The stream of events that first occur are fluent in both: Indril/Helen are captured, a long siege occurs, and then battle breaks out at the walls of the city. The middle of the story is also similar, in regards to the plot: the Noldor/Achaeans lose ground, with the help of the king they regain it, and lose it again. Finally the city is destroyed and the survivors flee, this episode is similar to Virgil's Aenid. Tolkien makes these pains of creating the story to model his city's fall to that of Troy.

Even though Tolkien wrote in his own style he incorparated many Homeric ideas causing his myth to be similar to Homer's. J.R.R. Tolkien mimics Homer's Iliad through certain main characters, major motifs, and plot line.

"So ends the tale of the myth stolen by many:

Tale of betrayel, war, and fall - through the ages!"