The Fall of Gil-galad

The lay that tells of the loss of Ereinion Gil-galad in the Siege of Barad-dûr at the end of the War of the Last Alliance. Sam sings the first lines of it in the The Lord of the Rings.

The Poem

:"Gil-galad was an Elven-king.

Of him the harpers sadly sing:

The last whose realm was fair and free

Between the mountains and the sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen.

His shining helm afar was seen.

The countless stars of heaven's field

Were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,

And where he dwelleth none can say.

For into darkness fell his star;

In Mordor, where the shadows are."

Little is known of the lay itself. According to Aragorn, it was originally written in 'an ancient tongue' (presumably Quenya), but Bilbo Baggins later translated it into the Common Tongue, and taught it to Samwise Gamgee in his younger days. It seems to have told the story of the War of the Last Alliance, at least to the point where Gil-galad aided in the overthrow of Sauron, and was himself slain. Its contents, though, are largely unknown to us: Sam confirms that it was a long poem, but apart from three introductory stanzas, the text of the lay is lost. Aragorn does say that he knows more of the text, as does Frodo, but he refuses to share it at the time he discusses it with the hobbits.

Sam's verses of the song are given in Book 1, Chapter XI of The Lord of the Rings (A Knife in the Dark).

A musical version of those three verses was recorded by the Tolkien Ensemble on their album A Night in Rivendell.