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.
SWG News
New Challenge: Everyman
Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration.
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 Sessions for April, May, and June
Instadrabbling continues on the first Saturday of each month on our Discord server.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] A Very Fire by Deborah Judge
Feanor and Fingolfin, from their youth to their fall.
"I will do this gladly," Fingolfin said, whispering into Feanor's mouth, grasping for reasons and sense. "Gladly, if it will bring peace between us. If it will end the madness."
"The madness will not end," Feanor…
[Writing] After the Kinslaying by Deborah Judge
A Teleri fishing boat captain turns to farming on abandoned Noldor lands after her ship is stolen. A Noldor farmer returns with Finarfin to find that his land belongs to the Teleri now.
[Writing] Add Another Stone by StarSpray
The thing about forgiveness, he thought, was that it was so much easier when the object of it was far away—or dead. It was so much easier to let it all go when those responsible were far away and unable to do any more harm.
[Writing] How Tolkien Presents Ordinary People in "The Silmarillion" by Dawn Felagund
Inspired by collecting the prompts for the Everyman challenge, this essay considers how ordinary people are subsumed and silenced in The Silmarillion, which begins a three-book arc that ends with the rise of the humble and ordinary.
[Writing] Blessed are the Leave-takers by Isilme_among_the_stars
As prince Curufinwë Fëanáro makes an historical speech from the high court of the King upon Túna, those at the back of the crowd strain to hear.
A silly little scene inspired by Monty Python's "Blessed are the Cheesemakers" scene from The Life of Brian, written for …
[Writing] I Sit and Think of Times There Were Before by Erdariel
In his old age, Isildur's former esquire Ruinamacil, known to later histories only as Ohtar, writes his own account of his escape from the ambush at Gladden Fields and journey to Imladris, and the history of his friend whom Isildur ordered to flee with him.
[Writing] Until the Stars are All Alight by Dagstjarna
Reembodied in Aman, Celebrimbor decides to return to Middle earth to help heal the darkness and hurt wrought by the ring.
Current Challenge
Everyman
Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Just an Old-Fashioned Love Song
Use a popular love song as a prompt to inspire a fanwork about romantic or sexual love. Read more ...
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 parallel similar discussions held by physicists during and after World War II.
Featured Themed Collection
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Down the Long Years by Isilme_among_the_stars
Bilbo, the strange old hobbit with the wandering feet, senses something special in young Frodo the first time he sees the lad; as they become close, they find in each other a cameraderie not well understood by other hobbits. Five poignant moments between Bilbo and Frodo Baggins over the course…
[Artwork] The Mirror of Galadriel by skywardstruck
Smoke rises from the Mirror, where the Lady of Lothlórien awaits to share its visions.
[Writing] Bar-en-Eladar by Gabriel
Out of the shadow, light is born anew.
A Chieftain is dead. And whilst the events surrounding his death are unclear, a son tries to come to terms with his loss.
Around the World and Web
Week of Kiliel
A Tumblr event dedicated to the relationship between Kili and Tauriel.
Aspec Arda Week 2026
This week-long event celebrates asexual and aromantic spectrum interpretations and headcanons of Tolkien’s Legendarium.
April/May Teitho Challenge
Teithio is running a prompt challenge around the theme of "heartbreak."
Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2026
The Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang is back for another summer of collaboration between artists and writers!
Truly All Fanworks
This page includes all fanworks from the main SWG archive and the Beyond the Silmarillion section.
Pollen and Passion by Lferion
Glimpses of Nerdanel, Feanor, Ambarussa, and people important to them through time
Tales for Teitho by Kaylee Arafinwiel
The Silmfics I write for Teitho will go here, beginning with August 2019's "White Flower's Wilting".
In my end is my beginning. by Lilith
A collection of stories, ficlets, drabbles and other works related to Back to Middle-Earth Month 2020
Fear No Darkness by Independence1776
Silmarillion-Star Wars fusion where Maglor's a Jedi.
From Aman to Eregion by Raiyana
Combining all my Curufin/Telperína to Celebrimbor fics in one place
A Question... by Raiyana
The Life and Times of Erestor, Vampire.
Our little song by Leithriel
Just a collection of stories about my favorite characters/ships in Silmarillion
In Honour of Oshun\'s 100th character bio by Himring
Oshun has tirelessly written character bios featured every month in the SWG Newsletter and always brings something special to them.
The character bio in the newsletter of May 2019 is no. 100 of these!
From the Sun\'s First rising by Idrils Scribe
Tales of the Fëanorians in Beleriand.
Maglor and Daeron at 1am by anriondrakonion
For some reason, I get really inspired to write Maglor/ Daeron stories at 1am.
13th Birthday Instadrabbling by Dawn Felagund
The SWG turned 13 and was allowed to get social media and all kinds of creative madness broke loose as we gathered and instadrabbled in honor of 13 years of fandom, fiction, and of course, great friends. This collection includes drabbles, ficlets, and other flash fanworks produced for our 13th birthday.
Fëanor and Nerdanel Happy With No Angst At All by feanorusrex
The tiny beans being happy.
Violently Feminist Interpretations of Tolkien\'s Women by feanorusrex
Hey Tolkien can I get uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, some more feminist themes??
Silmarillion40 by Dawn Felagund
Collected fiction, art, and poetry from the Silmarillion40 event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the publication of The Silmarillion.
Subcreation: A Collection by Dawn Felagund
Tolkien\'s theory of subcreation states that it is part of our deepest human nature to create secondary worlds. This collection of drabbles, ficlets, one-shots, and sketches follows the thread of subcreation across the span of the legendarium. (Ficlet Collection)
The Tale of Turin by Kaylee Arafinwiel
Turin Turambar, Master of Doom by Doom mastered! We know the life of the son of Hurin, but more mundane events...hmm. So far I\'ve written of his coming to Doriath and a brief incident in his fostering there. As for more, we\'ll see...
Art/graphics by oshun
mainly B2MeM prompts
Fairy Tales of Middle-earth by DrummerWench
Short tales similar to real-world fairy tales, for various peoples.
In the Glow of the Mountain by Hoglorfen
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\"Mordorian romantic drama at its finest.\" ~ Times of Khand
\"Tragic yet titillating.\" ~ Númenor News Network
\"That shit\'s nasty!\" ~ PlayDwarf
\"Who the fuck nicked my lube?!\" ~Lurtz
\"*noisy retching*\" ~ RivendailyThis is a not-so-classic tale of \"Orc boy meets Elf girl\", which proves once and for all that having the Dark Lord as your third bed-partner is NOT a good idea. One does not simply walk into Mordor... or anywhere near it. This is a very dark tale, as tales set under the Eye are wont to be. For Darkness taints all it touches, but without it the little glimmers of Light would not be as powerful.
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This series started out as smut and I never intended to write any more than the first part. But then I got hit by an irresistible load of \"WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!\" and kept writing. Let\'s see where this takes us! PS. It\'s still smut, but now it\'s smut with a story. I hope. DS.
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Sleeping and Waking by Elwin Fortuna
Fëanor/Fingolfin kinky series involving dubcon somnophilia, intercrural sex, and a happy ending.
Tolkien Drabbles by Zdenka
All my Silmarillion-based drabbles are collected here. Please see the table of contents of each work for individual summaries, pairings, and warnings.
Antagonist by Harnatano - Lithenna
Here I will publish the short NSFW drabbles related to the main fic \"Anathema\" (because I want to keep this fic sfw).
So these drabbles aren\'t necessary to understand the main fic, and the main fic isn\'t absolutely necessary to understand these drabbles.
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled by The Wavesinger
My Finduilas/Nienor stories in the \'Somewhere I Have Never Travelled\' AU \'verse.
