The Marsh Where the Dead Sleep by Narya

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Fanwork Notes

A poem, written for the Tolkien Short Fanworks January challenge. The formal challenge was 'cumulative'; the rhythm and structure of the poem was inspired by The House That Jack Built. The thematic challenge was 'building'. I was aiming for a slow build of tension – not sure if that counts!

This poem takes a few liberties with the Dead Marshes and its inhabitants as depicted in the book. It's influenced by, but not totally aligned to, the film version. I think it's probably a children's poem from the Fourth Age or later.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

“They lie in all the pools, pale faces, deep deep under the dark water. I saw them: grim faces and evil, and noble faces and sad. Many faces proud and fair, and weeds in their silver hair. But all foul, all rotting, all dead...”

- 'The Passage of the Marshes' from The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Major Characters:

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: Poetry

Challenges:

Rating: General

Warnings:

Chapters: 1 Word Count: 465
Posted on 1 January 2024 Updated on 1 January 2024

This fanwork is complete.


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