Cultus Dispatches: Six Demographic Takeaways from the 2025 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey
Ten years of demographic data from the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey show consistencies in who reads and writes fanfiction, as well as a few key demographic shifts.
SWG News
New Challenge: Epic 80s
This month's challenge features hundreds of fresh prompts from the bodacious decade of the 1980s.
Cultus Dispatches: Communities Do Comment
Comment data from the SWG underscores community as an essential component to a robust commenting culture.
Instadrabbling Sessions for July, August, and September
Instadrabbling continues on the first Saturday of each month on our Discord server.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] A Thousand Winds that Blow by StarSpray
When uneasy dreams bring him back into Beleriand, Daeron finds a pair of twins who have lost their home, and an enemy who has lost himself. The Shadow's reach is growing ever longer, and if they are to survive, they must do it together.
[Writing] Shepherd Princess by Himring
A princess and her sheepdog. (Drabble featuring a young Ancalime.)
[Writing] From That Rubble by StarSpray
Fëanor shrugged, studying the contents of his wine glass. “Something must be done about that house. It will fall down eventually.”
“It does not follow that it must be you that tears it down single-handedly. Are you sure you do not want help?”
“It’s not as though I…
[Writing] A Song Amidst His Torment by Elrond's Library
Of course it was a trap.
Maitimo has to survive. He must. But what price is too high to pay for survival?
[Writing] Nasyalossë by Lovimmy3365
Erestor lay up against a tree, brown washed to black in the wet of the snow. The black disc of the new moon sailed across the dark sky. Erestor wished it were gone. He had no need to look into dark eyes any longer.
He was dying.
(AKA Erestor unwittingly travels back in time to the…
[Playlist] Yacht Rock Silmarillion by Dawn Felagund
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the characters in The Silmarillion were smoooooth like they were sippin' a Sex on the Beach on a party barge in the harbor at Alqualondë? The "Yacht Rock Silmarillion" retells The Silmarillion as though the characters all had perms…
[Writing] and let's be winners by mistake by atlantablack
"Move farther north," Caranthir says to her a month after the attack, gaze steady on her even as his hands continue briskly gutting fish. "There is plenty of land closer to my fortress, and my people can help protect yours if there is another attack."
Haleth looks up from her…
Current Challenge
Epic 80s
Create a fanwork using on of our righteous prompts based on popular culture from the 1980s. Read more ...
Random Challenge
It's Magic!
Incorporate elements of fantasy or magic into a fanwork. Read more ...
New in References
Six Demographic Takeaways from the 2025 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Data from the 2025 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey shows demographic changes in participant gender, age, and education and new revelations about neurodiversity.
Communities Do Comment: Expanding the 3C's of Commenting with SWG Data by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Expanding on my 2018 article "Why People Don't Comment," comment data from the SWG underscores community as an essential component to a robust commenting culture.
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.
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
Celedriel Week 2026
A Tumblr event week focusing on the relationship between Celeborn and Galadriel.
Esoteric Tolkien Week 2026
A fandom event dedicated to the strange, otherworldly, and inexplicable in Middle-earth and beyond.
Tolkien Disability Pride 2026
This Tumblr event focuses on ALL creative works focusing on disability in Tolkien's universe.
Scribbles and Drabbles 2026
Scribbles & Drabbles is a fic and art exchange with a minimum word count of 100 words.
Truly All Fanworks
This page includes all fanworks from the main SWG archive and the Beyond the Silmarillion section.
Irmo/Lórien by oshun
Irmo is the Vala who is the master of visions and dreams.
Írimë (Lalwen) by oshun
The youngest of Finwë's daughters, Írimë (like her sister) did not make it into the published text.
Indis by oshun
Indis is remarkable in that, as far as is written in any of the published works of Tolkien, she is the only second wife named for any major figure within the Eldar. Her story ensnares her, for better or worse, with the dramatic tale of the Finwean Noldor.
Huan the Hound of Valinor by oshun
The famed hound, Huan is one of the most if not the most truly noble beasts in The Silmarillion and a hero by the standards of almost any reader.
Hareth by oshun
On the surface, Hareth of the Haladin is yet another woman defined primarily by her [male] relations but who, with a closer look at the details of the text, begins to come to life and ask for a story of her own.
Haleth by oshun, Hrymfaxe
Among the women of the legendarium, Haleth is heroic and a leader of her people, the Haladin.
Haldad by oshun
The first known leader of the Haladin, Haldad was succeeded by his heroic daughter Haleth, the best-known person from his house.
Gwindor of Nargothrond by Lotrfan
Given a richer and more nuanced characterization in The Children of Húrin, Gwindor is a tenacious character who gives us insight into the lives of captives of Morgoth. The effects of his captivity haunt him as he becomes a pawn in the tragic tale of Túrin.
Guilin of Nargothrond by oshun
What we know of Guilin of Nargothrond occurs only through inference, as his personal history is never described in any of Tolkien's writings.
Gorlim the Unhappy by Robinka
Before he was the Unhappy, he was one of the nine faithful servants of Barahir and deeply in love: an oft-overlooked but tragic figure from The Silmarillion.
Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell by oshun
Glorfindel is one of several among Tolkien’s notable heroes who have provoked a substantial amount of controversy, most notably in the appearance of two essential Glorfindels and the ensuing debate over whether they are the same character.
Glaurung by oshun
Known as the Father of Dragons, Glaurung is the first of these mighty monsters to emerge in the legendarium.
Gil-galad by oshun
Gil-galad is first met by most reader in The Lord of the Rings, but his story is deepened and expanded in The Silmarillion.
Gilfanon by darthfingon
A character appearing only in The Book of Lost Tales, Gilfanon nonetheless survives later in the legendarium in the character of Pengolodh.
Gildor Inglorion by oshun
Gildor Inglorion is one of the many links between The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, providing a final glimpse in the Third Age of the exiled Noldor.
Gethron by oshun
Gethron is an aged man of the people of the House of Hagor who plays small but a not insignificant role of tragic story of Húrin Thalion and his family.
Gandalf (Olórin) by oshun, pandemonium_213
Whether in the guise of Gandalf the Grey or Gandalf the White, Tolkien’s most famous wizard plays the role of the nearly perfect guide, instigator, and mentor for the heroes of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
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.
