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
When the Storm Breaks ...
Create a fanwork about storms, whether literal or figurative. 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.
Galadriel by oshun
Galadriel is a rare example of a character added to The Silmarillion after and because of The Lord of the Rings. The complexity of her character development post-LotR largely comes from trying to fit her character into the existing myth. Part 1 explores her life in the Years of the Trees and the First Age; Part 2 continues with the significant influence she wields over the legendarium in the Second and Third Ages.
Finwë by oshun
Finwë, the first King of the Noldor, the unchallenged and beloved patriarch of his people, is written with shoulders figuratively broad enough to bear the weight of leadership of the most contentious family and people within Tolkien's history of the Elves.
Finrod Felagund by oshun, pandemonium_213
The considerable virtues of Finrod Felagund are tempered with enough flaws to leave him an intruiging character.
Fingon the Valiant by oshun
The story of Fingon the Valiant epitomizes the fate of the exiled Noldor, involving elements of extraordinary personal heroism combined with a foreordained doom to form the gripping foundation for the principal story.
Fingolfin by oshun
The life story of Fingolfin is one of those central to the fierce and tragic tale of the fall of the Noldor.
Finarfin by oshun
Finarfin exhibits traits the opposite of what one expects of the Noldor, ironically causing the "least exciting" of Finwë's sons to stand out among them.
Fëanor by oshun
In a brief biography written for the Seven in '07 event, Fëanor emerges as a star in the backstory of Tolkien's legendarium.
A heart is a foolish thing by firstamazon
In Imladris, Erestor receives news and reminisces about the present and the past.
| Canon Source: The Silmarillion and Related Works |
| Major Characters: Elladan, Elrond, Erestor, Glorfindel |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: General, Hurt/Comfort | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: Creator Chooses Not to Warn |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 3, 328 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
Estë by Dawn Felagund
Estë is the goddess who sleeps through the book--or is she? Her character illustrates both the potential and ultimate shortcomings of so many female characters in Tolkien's legendarium.
Erestor by oshun
Erestor has long been a favorite character among Tolkien fans. This biography explores what little the texts tells of him and how some of the most popular Erestor-related fanons may have arisen.
Erendis, the Mariner's Wife by oshun
Although never mentioned in The Silmarillion, Erendis rivals the most significant women in Tolkien’s legendarium in forcefulness of personality and certainly in sheer number of words expended upon her behalf.
Eöl by oshun
Eöl is one of many First Age characters who walks the line between complexity and villainy.
Emeldir the Manhearted by Robinka
Even in the absence of many words about her in the text, Emeldir's story stands on its own merits.
Elwing by oshun
In addition to her place in the important lineage of the Peredhil, Elwing plays a key role when she chooses to withhold the Silmaril from the Fëanorians.
Eluréd and Elurín by oshun
Eluréd and Elurín enter the legendarium as the little lost princes whose tragic demise is recounted in the story of the assault upon Doriath.
Elros Tar-Minyatur by oshun
The first king of Númenor, Elros's heritage manifests itself in the portrayal of various central characters of The Lord of the Rings.
Elrond by oshun
The major events in the life of Elrond tie together the main threads of Tolkien’s great history from the First Age through the Fourth Age.
Elladan and Elrohir by oshun
Although not typically thought of as Silmarillion characters, Elladan and Elrohir's family tree is a veritable thicket of who's-who in the First Age. Part One of this two-part biography explores their family ties and the events in their lives up to the Ring War, while Part Two considers their role in the Ring War and the broader thematic importance of their storyline to the legendarium.
Elenwë by oshun
Elenwë joins the contingent of "another wife, another untold story," whose death heightened tensions between the factions of the Noldor.
Elendur of Númenor by oshun
The eldest son of Isildur, Elendur plays a vital role in keeping the One Ring out of enemy hands.
Elemmírë by oshun
Elemmírë, the Vanyarin Elf who wrote the Aldudénië, is intriguing as one of the rare Tolkien characters whose gender is not identified.
Eldalótë by oshun
Eldalótë, the wife of Angrod, is mentioned only in History of Middle-earth texts and not once in the published Silmarillion. This biography reviews what is known of this elusive character, including what linguistic clues can tell us about whether she accompanied her husband to Middle-earth.
Eilinel by Robinka
Eilinel is a little-known character, the wife of Gorlim the Unhappy, who is both central and nonexistent in the tale of the betrayal of Barahir.
Edrahil of Nargothrond by oshun
The capture of Edhrahil--one of Finrod's twelve companions--is among the most chilling in The Silmarillion.
Ecthelion of the Fountain by oshun
As one of the lords of Gondolin, Ecthelion appears in some of Tolkien's earliest writings about Middle-earth.
