Welcome to the Silmarillion Writers' Guild

SWG Challenge - Scavenger Hunt - May 15 through June 15, 2026 - image shows an open book and scattered postage stamps beneath a magnifying glass
New Challenge: Scavenger Hunt. In this Matryoshka-with-a-twist, you will solve clues that point you to the challenge prompts.
May's Scavenger Hunt Challenge - Sign Up to Provide Prompts - banner includes an illustration of a cartoon treasure map and treasure chest
Sign-Up to Hand Out Scavenger Hunt Prompts. Our May challenge will be a Matryoshka built around a scavenger hunt. If you'd like to hand out prompts (and receive comments on your work for doing so!), you can sign up to do so.
Everyman - SWG Challenge - 15 April through 15 May 2026
New Challenge: Everyman. Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration.
Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Draws the Line: Fanworks, AI, and Resistance by Dawn and Grundy
Cultus Dispatches: Fanworks, AI, and Resistance by Dawn and Grundy. The fan studies column Cultus Dispatches returns with a history of how Tolkien fanworks fandom has reacted and resisted generative AI by drawing strong boundaries in a way that is not typical for the fandom.
Instadrabbling, April 4, May 2, June 6, 18:00/6PM UTC, SWG Discord, #instadrabbling
Instadrabbling Sessions for April, May, and June. Instadrabbling continues on the first Saturday of each month on our Discord server.

Latest News

New Challenge: Scavenger Hunt
In this Matryoshka-with-a-twist, you will solve clues that point you to the challenge prompts.

Sign-Up to Hand Out Scavenger Hunt Prompts
Our May challenge will be a Matryoshka built around a scavenger hunt. If you'd like to hand out prompts (and receive comments on your work for doing so!), you can sign up to do so.

New Challenge: Everyman
Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration.

Newest Fanworks

show me the limits of your deceit by skywardstruck

In an effort to worm his way into the ranks of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, Annatar makes moves to seduce Celebrimbor and his partner Narvi, hopefully without the other's knowledge. Things don't go according to plan... or do they?

summon forth the wounded night by skywardstruck

Maedhros is left behind by his family after the Kinslaying at Alqualondë after falling beneath the waves. Fingon, in a chance return to Alqualondë, finds an unconscious Maedhros and brings him to camp. The two will discover anew what their love means for them after the lies that split them apart.

Resonance by skywardstruck

Here's one of my art pieces for TRSB 2025! This cosplay photo set was so evocative, I was wondering what I could use it for, and then I realized that TRSB would be a perfect fit. The circlet and halo crown were made by me; the circlet has an Eye of Sauron design and the halo crown lights up. This is one of my favorite cosplays and I'm so overjoyed to share it as part of TRSB!

A Second Chance by skywardstruck

I had this cosplay photo taken of my Maglor and my friend moodrose's Galadriel at Katsucon 2025, and we managed to get set up just in time for the sunset! The rocky shore outside the convention center was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for this shot.

Remade by skywardstruck

Celebrimbor reunites with his family in the Halls of Mandos, hoping to reconcile with them.

New in References

Fandom Draws the Line: Fanworks, AI, and Resistance by Dawn Felagund, Grundy

By definition, fanworks fandom does not draw a lot of boundaries, but community archives and events have taken a strong stance against AI-generated fanworks due to ethical considerations and member input.

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.

Tolkien, Lunatic Physicists, and Abnegation by Cynthia (Cindy) Gates

This presentation for Mereth Aderthad 2025 discusses the parallels between the concept of abnegation in the scientific work surrounding the atomic bomb and in The Silmarillion. The relinquishment of self-interest in favor of the interests of others, abnegation was identified by Tolkien as a powerful act of spirit and reason. The legendarium has many examples of the complexities of abnegation, which…

Newest Artwork

Resonance by skywardstruck
A picture of an Annatar cosplay. A hand with gold claw rings and chains hanging from them reaches out through a bush. The One Ring sits in Annatar's palm. The background is blurred.

Here's one of my art pieces for TRSB 2025! This cosplay photo set was so evocative, I was wondering what I could use it for, and then I realized that TRSB would be a perfect fit. The circlet and halo crown were made by me; the circlet has an Eye of Sauron design and the halo crown lights up. This is one of my favorite cosplays and I'm so overjoyed to share it as part of TRSB!

tyelperintal has written a fanfic for this art which can be read here.

Cosplayer: skywardstruck
Halo crown and circlet: skywardstruck
Costume: voldadivnaya
Photo: stargirlpictures

Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed

A Second Chance by skywardstruck
Photo of Maglor and Galadriel cosplayers. Maglor is sitting on a rock by the water's edge, eyes wide open, reaching a hand out to Galadriel, who stands with her back to the camera, reaching out to Maglor's hand but not touching it. The sun is setting and the colors are faded. Maglor wears a red robe, red capelet, brown tabard, gray tunic, black pants and black and red embroidered shoes. He has silver eyes, thick black curly hair and a gold leaf circlet with a red teardrop jewel in the center. His hair blows

I had this cosplay photo taken of my Maglor and my friend moodrose's Galadriel at Katsucon 2025, and we managed to get set up just in time for the sunset! The rocky shore outside the convention center was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for this shot. This was a last-minute idea I had, but it really paid off, because we knew this photo would be perfect for TRSB, leaving plenty of room for the author to develop Maglor and Galadriel's relationship. starspray wrote a beautiful fanfic for this work which can be found here.

Maglor: skywardstruck
Galadriel: moodrose
Photo: aerlinn.cos
Maglor cosplay made by lady-creations-and-co, designed by me

Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed

Remade by skywardstruck
A digital stained glass-style illustration of Celebrimbor & his family. Celebrimbor is kneeling in the center. He wears a red robe with green holly accents and has long wavy black hair and brown skin. He holds a pink swirly flame in his hand, and above the flame is Curufin, seen from the shoulders up. The other Feanorians, who have sad expressions, are also seen shoulders up above their own pink flames, and they surround Celebrimbor in an arc.

Celebrimbor reunites with his family in the Halls of Mandos, hoping to reconcile with them.

Rating: General
Warnings: No warnings listed

Around the World and Web

Silmarillion Epistolary Week 2026
Silmarillion Epistolary Week is a Tumblr challenge dedicated to creating fanworks to tell the story of the Silmarillion in the style of an epistolary novel.

Week of Kiliel
A Tumblr event dedicated to the relationship between Kili and Tauriel.

April/May Teitho Challenge
Teithio is running a prompt challenge around the theme of "heartbreak."