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] 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] 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] 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.
[Writing] a riot of shadow and shine by Elrond's Library
These were simply flashes, a hint of a wider, greater world. A tantalizing glimpse of more, always at the edge of awareness, never within reach. Míriel would grasp it, if something as intangible as the concept of color could overflow in bounteous wonder over her hands.
But…
[Writing] The Exchange by Elrond's Library
An exchange is made during the Great Journey
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
New Directions
Create a fanwork about a character you've never explored before by using our Character Biography collection. 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!
New and Updated Fanworks
Include Beyond the Silmarillion Fanworks
{podfic} What Lies Beyond The End by Melesta by Anérea
"The Silmaril falls slowly, so slowly, as if taking its time to caress the weightlessness of Ulmo’s waters. Does it seek relief also, Maglor wonders, to be free at last of all the hands that lusted after its blessed shine?"
Maglor casts his Silmaril into the Sea.
| Major Characters: Maglor |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (0) |
{podfic] Lake Helevorn: A Summer Romance by Himring by Anérea
Uncanonical take on Caranthir's canonical wife: in himring!verse she's not an elf.
| Major Characters: Caranthir, Original Female Character(s) |
| Major Relationships: Caranthir/Unnamed Canon Character |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (2) |
Entwined by Anérea
First Age 116: in the foothills of the Orocani Mountains—west of Hildórien and far, far east of Beleriand.
Woman meets man in four 100-word drabbles.
(The first in my Hildórien to Beleriand series exploring the ancestors of Adanel and her brother Magor, from whom came many of the Edain heroes of the first age, as well as the Peredhil.)
| Major Characters: Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Maiar, Men |
| Major Relationships: Original Character/Original Character |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet, General, Het, Romance | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 406 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
{podfic} Comfort Food by Himring by Anérea
Breakfast with the Feanorians, late in the First Age featuring Himring's OC Narye, ex-housekeeper of Himring.
| Major Characters: Elrond, Elros, Maedhros, Maglor |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (5) |
{podfic} Beyond the Western Shore by StarSpray by Anérea
In her wanderings through Aman, Minyelmë comes to the farthest shore.
| Major Characters: Original Female Character(s) |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (0) |
{podfic} Examined Lives by Sallyavestheday by Anérea
Erestor and Pengolodh negotiate their respective truths, after sailing for Valinor.
| Major Characters: Erestor, Pengolodh |
| Major Relationships: Erestor/Pengolodh |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (4) |
{podfic} Ulmo's Wife by pandemonium_213 by Anérea
It was written that Ulmo was alone, but delving deeper into the nature of the Valar and their adopted world reveals otherwise.
| Major Characters: Original Female Character(s), Ulmo |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Sexual Content (Mild) |
| Posted on | Updated on |
This fanwork belongs to the series
| This fanwork is complete. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (4) |
{podfic} Who You Are To Me by Anérea
The White Lady of the Noldor, seen by some of those who loved her best.
(Podfic of a triple drabble by Melesta)
| Major Characters: Aredhel, Celegorm, Eöl, Idril |
| Major Relationships: Aredhel & Celegorm, Aredhel/Eöl |
| Genres: Podfic | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: Character Death |
| Posted on | Updated on |
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| This fanwork is complete. |
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Material Things by Anérea
A drawble collection of Ardan objects
| Major Characters: No major characters listed |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Artwork Type: Drawble/Finished Sketch |
| Genres: | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (9) |
Amroth's Lament by Flora-lass
Amroth is in the sea. A 100-word poem.
| Major Characters: Amroth |
| Major Relationships: Amroth/Nimrodel |
| Genres: Poetry | Challenges: Kings & Queens, Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Character Death |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 100 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (10) |
Collection of Potluck Drabbles by Artano
This is a collection of true drabbles completed for the 'Four Words' drabble bingo card.
| Genres: Family, Ficlet, Fixed-Length Ficlet, Fluff, General, Hurt/Comfort | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Torture, Violence (Mild) |
| Chapters: 24 | Word Count: 2, 422 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (8) |
2024 Potluck Doodles by silmalope
Assorted prompt fills for the 2024 Potluck bingo boards, to varying degrees of completion! :)
| Major Characters: No major characters listed |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Artwork Type: Character/Portrait, Drawble/Finished Sketch, Drawing/Painting |
| Genres: | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (21) |
On Dwarves and Glass-making by Artano
A brief discussion on Dwarves inspired by the the Lycurgus Cup, completed for Tolkien Meta Week 2024.
| Major Characters: Dwarves |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Nonfiction/Meta | Challenges: Tolkien Meta Week |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 231 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (8) |
Suddenly and Unexpectedly by StarSpray
After a few minutes, though, he heard an answering voice. He looked up, falling silent. That had sounded like—but no, it couldn’t be. Eärendil saw movement on the path again, just the top of someone’s dark head coming up the last slope toward the tower. As whoever it was drew farther up the hill, more became visible, and Eärendil abandoned his flower weaving and scrambled upright, bare feet slipping over the stones as the grass and daisies tumbled over the cliff side down into the water below.
| Major Characters: Eärendil, Turgon |
| Major Relationships: Eärendil & Turgon |
| Genres: Family, General | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 1, 681 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (5) |
Places and Spaces - Potluck Bingo Art by Zara BalrogBalls
Artwork for Elleth’s Potluck Bingo board: starting off appropriately with Piecemeal Palace in Himring — Maedhros’ potlucky manor house, aka where Elrond & Elros grew up ✨
| Major Characters: Maedhros, Maglor, Elrond, Elros |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Artwork Type: Drawing/Painting, Illustration |
| Genres: | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (3) |
Getting Dirty by Elleth
A collection of NSFW ficlets for the "Keep It Clean" bingo card of the 2024 Potluck Bingo.
| Major Characters: Nerdanel, Eärwen, Anairë, Rían, Morwen, Aerin |
| Major Relationships: Anairë/Eärwen/Nerdanel, Aerin/Morwen/Rían |
| Genres: Femslash | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Sexual Content (Moderate) |
| Chapters: 2 | Word Count: 1, 217 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (8) |
mouths of fire by nycterisg
It is Curufin who crafts the three gems. Starting with the one of fire.
Or: Curufin copes with grief in true Noldorin fashion.
| Major Characters: Curufin, Fëanor |
| Major Relationships: Curufin & Fëanor |
| Genres: Alternate Universe, Family, Hurt/Comfort | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 3, 640 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (6) |
Tolkien's "Collected Poems": A Link Collection by Himring
A collection of links to material publicly available online on the The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, the edition by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, published in September 2024.
| Major Characters: No major characters listed |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Reference Collection | Challenges: Tolkien Meta Week |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is a work in progress. |
| View Fanwork | Comments (2) |
Libraries at the Edge of Middle-earth: Fanworks, Archives, and Communities as Heritage by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Tolkien fanfiction archives both preserve the "libraries of Middle-earth" in the form of keeping Tolkien's original words alive and promote conversations around heritage as community and fan identity that keeps those central texts relevant to diverse fans in a rapidly changing world.
Be All My Sins Remembered by Marchwriter
With Nargothrond’s might diminishing and the Elves’ borders hard-pressed, Finrod welcomes the first Men into his ranks, but when their chieftain, Bëor, becomes dearer to him than mere vassal, Finrod faces sending his lover or himself into deadly peril as the Enemy breaches the Elves’ leaguer.
| Major Characters: Finrod Felagund, Bëor |
| Major Relationships: Bëor/Finrod |
| Genres: Adventure, Drama, Slash | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Sexual Content (Mild), Violence (Mild) |
| Chapters: 3 | Word Count: 17, 641 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (0) |
The Road to Ruin by StarSpray
In his own wanderings, Daeron comes to the shore--and finds Maglor.
| Major Characters: Daeron, Maglor |
| Major Relationships: Daeron & Maglor |
| Genres: Drama, Hurt/Comfort | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings, Mature Themes, Suicide |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 5, 327 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (4) |
Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age by Anérea, Varda delle Stelle
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
Sixpence by Zara BalrogBalls
Four true drabbles from the perspectives of Maglor, Eärendil, Elwing and Elrond, vaguely connected by the state of being six (years old).
| Major Characters: Maglor, Elwing, Eärendil, Elrond |
| Major Relationships: No major relationships listed |
| Genres: Fixed-Length Ficlet | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: General | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 416 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (5) |
On a Night of Snow by Elleth
Fingon returns to Barad Eithel after a late-autumn hunt, finding someone unexpected with his wife. The night takes an even more unexpected turn for all three of them.
| Major Characters: Fingon, Unnamed Female Canon Character(s), Maedhros |
| Major Relationships: Fingon/Maedhros, Fingon/Unnamed Canon Character, Fingon/Maedhros/Unnamed Canon Character |
| Genres: Erotica, Poly, Romance | Challenges: Potluck Bingo |
| Rating: Adult | Warnings: Sexual Content (Graphic) |
| Chapters: 2 | Word Count: 8, 704 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
Not Wholly Unwilling by Ecthelion
For the marriage of the Eldar, what is "not wholly unwilling"?
| Major Characters: Aredhel, Eöl |
| Major Relationships: Aredhel/Eöl |
| Genres: Drama | Challenges: No challenge listed |
| Rating: Teens | Warnings: No warnings apply |
| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 1, 942 |
| Posted on | Updated on |
| This fanwork is complete. |
| Table of Contents and Single Chapters | Show All Chapters | Comments (2) |
