New Challenge: Crossroads of the Fallen King
Cross "The Silmarillion" with a second text or fandom in this month's crossover challenge.
SWG News
A Sense of History: Thálatta! Thálatta!
While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
Choose a Name for Our New Column!
Our temporarily titled "location bio" will focus on the landscapes and locations of Middle-earth. We need your help naming it!
New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Apprentice by Quente
Dior is in Menegroth learning to be his grandfather's heir -- but his grandmother decides to take him as apprentice too.
Written for the Tengwar Challenge, May 15: Súlë (spirit).
[Writing] Tengwar: To The Letter by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge.
All 36 prompts plus bonus chapter
[Writing] A blip on the radar by daughterofshadows
Humanity took to the skies. Eärendil and Ilmarë adjust.
[Writing] History abandons us by AdmirableMonster
During his incarceration in Roderick Burgess' basement, Dream receives a strange, ancient visitor.
[Writing] Tengwar Acrostics by Himring
Responses to the Tengwar Challenge in which first letters spell out the name of a tengwa.
1) Early Encounter (Nerdanel, Indis)
2) Numenorean Lullaby (Almarian, Aldarion)
[Writing] Tengwar Drabbles by cílil
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
[Writing] If i get home before daylight by BloodwingBlackbird
a traveler meets a stranger at a crossroads.
Current Challenge
Crossroads of the Fallen King
Create a fanwork that crosses with a second text or fandom. Read more ...
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Songs of Arda
Create a fanwork about music. Read more ...
New in References
Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
[]While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[]
With Gildor Inglorion we finally climb the stairs of Elostirion and look on the view, and what we see appears to reveal a hidden thread in the story of Frodo Baggins. This post reads two annotated translations of two Elvish songs to step through a crossroads in the narrative to arrive at the tower on the margin of the story, wherein is a stone that is a window onto Valinor.
Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]In a book as full of death as the Quenta Silmarillion, grief and mourning are surprisingly absent. The characters who receive grief and mourning—and those who don't—appear to do so due to narrative bias. Grief and mourning (or a lack of them) serve to draw attention toward and away from objectionable actions committed by characters.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Waybread (The Waybredlik) by Himring
[]Lembas speaks out.
[Series] Apr 1st Stories by Uvatha the Horseman
[]Once a year on April 1st, a canon character from LOTR or the Silmarillion gets pranked.
[Writing] Crossing Forest River by Dawn Felagund
[]Bilbo recounts, in verse, the attempt of Gandalf, Beorn, and him to cross the Forest River after the Battle of Five Armies. Written for the Hungarian Tolkien Society's 2024 Mailing Competition.
Around the World and Web
Mythcon 53: Fantasies of the Middle Lands
Mythcon 53 will be held 2-5 August 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the theme "Fantasies of the Middle Lands."
Teitho May/June Challenge: Joker
For the May/June Teitho challenge, you can pick ANY of our past challenges that stir your imagination and write a story or create art for it.
Monstrous May 2024
Monstrous May is a Tumblr event where, for each day of the month of May, there is a prompt involving and invoking the monstrous.
Fellowship of the Fics: Modern AU May
During May, Fellowship of the Fics offers modern AU prompt lists for setting, character occupation, and dialogue on Tumblr.
May challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The May challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic challenge: name; formal challenge: acrostic. As usual, these can be filled independently and freely combined with other prompts such as the SWG challenges. New participants welcome!
Fanworks Tagged with Eärendil
Let us taunt old care with a merry air / And sing in the face of ill by Rocky41_7
When Elwing lands in the Havens, she befriends a young princeling from Gondolin.
Carved in Bone by Maggie Honeybite
Elenwë tries to protect her daughter. A story about the connection between mothers and daughters which neither time nor distance (or death) can erase.
Restoration and Rebuilding Instadrabbling by Lindariel
Instadrabbles from the sessions on the SWG Discord server, 20-21 August 2022
Hope Against the Shadow by StarSpray
Arwen dreams of shadows, and stitches light.
[podfic] Haven by Chestnut_pod
The ship diminishes against the horizon, the sun rising to brighten the waves, the curve of Eärendil’s arm falling as his figure becomes smaller, turning away.
Uinen’s mercy, Elwing thinks, and bites her tongue rather than pray.
A podfic of a story by Simaetha.
San rotser simpetalla pinqe by Himring
Ecthelion returns from the Halls of Mandos.
He is perhaps not quite as fixed as you might expect but, having sat through a recital of "The Fall of Gondolin", he decides something urgently needs fixing for somebody else.
And so, one fine spring day...
Star Trails and Bird's Wings by Rocky41_7
Songs for Elwing, Earendil, and the family they lost.
Improbable Beautiful & Afraid of Nothing by StarSpray
The body wanted to look forward, however accustomed the spirit was to looking back.
Holiday Party Instadrabbling by Lindariel
From the Instadrabbling session on the SWG Discord server, 2 January 2022.
Maeglin's Choice by chrissystriped
After his release from Angband, Maeglin confides in Rog and events take a better turn.
Threads of Time by Kaylee Arafinwiel
Young Elwing seeks her Aunt Galadriel's reassurance after a disappointing judgement on her threadwork at the Arvernien Summer Faire.
Unexpected Nesting by Kaylee Arafinwiel
Earendil comes home to Elwing's Tower in Aewellond (the Bird-haven) to rest from his labors, and finds her just beginning hers. She's been...nesting in his absence.
He hadn't counted on Elwing's bird-skinchanging affecting her like this...
last made but first planned by Chestnut_pod
That was how it had begun, that hope for a tangible reminder of the past, of victory and hope against the odds. Two candles then for what was lost, and wine and bread for those still living.
[podfic] The foam like flowers on the shore by Chestnut_pod
They have no choice but to build a life together.
Of Peredhil and Seagulls by Kaylee Arafinwiel
Adolescent Earendil and Elwing have a conversation by the sea-wall, interrupted by a rather adorable friend.
[podfic] The White Tower by Chestnut_pod, Anna_Wing
Amrod and Amras, reborn in Valinor, come to see Elwing. Podfic of Anna_Wing's story.
[podfic] How far can you carry this? by Chestnut_pod
They make mountains upon the beach from sand and pebbles, because all Eärendil’s memories are of cold and pale walls of stone and walking for ever and ever.
When Elwing thinks of home it is dark forests and damp loam beneath her feet and running and stopping and hiding and running again, like rabbits.
[podfic] all they had to lend by Chestnut_pod
From a few hundred feet up, the swan ships could be seen to hesitate.
[podfic] a double dream by Chestnut_pod
She came through the night like a stone, hurled across leagues. He only knew that she had wings when she struck the deck.
Tattered and Split by StarSpray
The sea is huge, and grey, and loud, and Elwing hates it. She hates it and she fears it, and so once she is old enough to slip away from her nurses and her guardians, she goes down to the beach.
Ceven i Nesta by Chestnut_pod
It happened in the days of the First Age--
Or, how Elwing got those ships.
The Maeglin Stories by Ithilwen
A set of three tales covering the life of that darkest of Elves, Maeglin
RAFA \'verse by Independence1776
The RAFA \'verse is a series set around \"Rise Again From Ashes,\" a tale in which Maglor returns to Valinor in the Seventh Age. The series is complete and listed in suggested reading order, though the other stories chronologically take place before RAFA. Not all are in the main Maglor-and-Elrond-centric storyline.
Please pay attention to the warnings and ratings; they vary by story.
Tales of the Hidden City by Kenaz
Stories of Gondolin. This series began as a response to the Fanfic100 challenge on Livejournal, but 100 stories remains quite an ambitious number! These are very short stories-- ficlets, if you will-- about Gondolin and its denizens. Content runs the gamut from All Ages-rated genfic to explicit slash. Content warnings will be provided for each story.
Musings in the Sky by Rhapsody
This is my collection of Silmarillion drabbles. Either drabbled as a present or written for a challenge. Ratings vary from General to Adult.
