There were two realms in Beleriand known as the Hidden Kingdom, each ruled by a Hidden King, but each was hidden in its own particular way. Of these, Gondolin was the most deeply hidden, constructed in secret by Turgon, and concealed from friend and foe alike until the last century of the First Age. It was known outside Gondolin that Turgon ruled there as a Hidden King (indeed, after the fall of Fingon, Turgon was formally High King of the Noldor for a time) but none knew where his Hidden City was located.
The other Hidden King ruled a realm whose location was well known - it lay within the central forests of Beleriand - but whose boundaries were obscured to outsiders. This was Thingol, the ancient King of Doriath and overlord of the Sindar. Thingol's Queen Melian was a Maia of remarkable power, and she surrounded his forest kingdom with a mesh of enchantment known as the Girdle of Melian. While the Girdle remained, none1 could enter Doriath except at the King's will, and so Thingol's Hidden Kingdom remained protected until his death in I 502.
Notes
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There was a sole exception in Beren, a Man whose fate was so strong that not even Melian's power could prevent him from entering the girdled kingdom of Doriath.
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- Updated 29 April 2017
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