Gate of Bronze

The location of the Gate of Bronze within the Orfalch Echor (not to scale)

The long narrow pass of the Orfalch Echor led through the Encircling Mountains to the Hidden City of Gondolin, and that secret way was blocked along its length by Seven Gates, each of a different composition. The first two Gates were of Wood and Stone, but beginning with the Third Gate, the Gate of Bronze, each of the remaining Gates was made of a different metal.

The Gate of Bronze was not simply constructed from bronze, but also intricately decorated in bronze and copper. The Gate itself bore engraved metal shields, and along the top of the wall enclosing the Gate stood three copper spheres, shimmering in red lantern light. The Gate was guarded by its own company of soldiers, mostly Sindarin Elves, each bearing an axe that was the traditional weapon of that people.

After the Gate of Bronze, the pass of the Orfalch began to stretch upward into the Encircling Mountains. After this Gate the road toward Gondolin was a long and difficult climb until the pass reached its highest point, guarded by the next of the Seven Gates, the Gate of Writhen Iron.