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
With a Bit of Fairy Dust
Unleash your imagination by looking at fairy tales of old and mix them with Tolkien's own Mythopoeia or make up your own fairy tales featuring your own characters or such stories told by your characters. 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.
Angbang Week 2026
Angbang Week is a tumblr event focusing on the relationship between Morgoth and Sauron, running from May 5-11, 2026
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!
SWG News
Character of Month: Amlach
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Amid the gritty heroism of the Edain, it is easy to think of them primarily as a people who arrived and became allied in the fight against Morgoth, a mission that prefigures Aragorn's role much later in the legendarium. Amlach is an intriguing character because he hints at the complexity of the political situation that lurked behind the rapid-fire and often aggrandized history that is The Silmarillion. Initially a skeptic in Marach's embrace of the Elvish mission against Morgoth, Amlach's mind is changed when he is the victim of a particularly sinister demonstration of Morgoth's dark powers.
In this month's Character of the Month biography, Himring explores the character of Amlach. Seemingly a minor character (he is mentioned just four times in the published Silmarillion), his story is not only intriguing in its own right but invites speculation about the political relationships between the various houses of the Edain and the different groups of Elves they would encounter upon their migration to Beleriand.
Tolkien Fanartics: Mapping Arda, Part I
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Tolkien cared very much for the geography of his second world, which extended to making multiple maps to help him visualize place and nail down details such as travel times. This proclivity has passed on to many of his fans. Many of us recall poring over the map in our first copy of The Lord of the Rings or flipping frequently to the back of of The Silmarillion to find a location on its map.
For other fans, Tolkien's cartography has inspired them to build beyond what he gave us by making their own maps of his world. Anérea's new series within the Tolkien Fanartics column focuses on fan-made maps of Tolkien's world. In the first part, she looks at maps that detail the building of Arda and of Aman, areas that, compared to the well-trodden paths of the Lord of the Rings, Hobbit, and even Silmarillion maps, require a lot more digging, conjecture, and imagination. In addition to finding stunning examples of maps of Tolkien's earliest legendarium, Anérea spoke with several artists about how they envision the maps they make, blending Tolkien's canon with their own imaginings.
You can read Anérea's "Mapping Arda, Part I: Terraforming" here.
New Challenge: Turgon's Rock Opera
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We built this city… we built this city on rock and roll! On the anniversary of the publication of The Silmarillion, we’re reflecting on the importance of music in Arda. From the song of the Ainur to Sam singing and Frodo answering, Tolkien’s legendarium rings with music. Many key moments or events would not be the same without it. We’re also taking inspiration from Gondolin, the hidden city whose names reference music and stone. (Close enough to rock for us!)
This month’s challenge prompts are rock songs. You are free to use any aspect of a prompt, whether it’s the title, the artist or band name, song or album cover art, the music, the lyrics, the video, or the general vibe! To receive a prompt, comment on our Dreamwidth, send us an ask on Tumblr, post in the #monthly-challenges channel on our Discord, or message us through the SWG site.
In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 October 2023. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.
Cultus Dispatches: Tolkien Fanfiction and Fanon
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Some of fanfiction's most beloved ideas, pairings, and details were never so much as imagined, much less written down, by Tolkien. Fanon, or fan-generated ideas and details, pervade fanworks, but these details are more than just inventions or even personalized touches added to the legendarium. In many cases, they are the fruits of conversations carried across decades.
Yet fanon hasn't always enjoyed a comfortable acceptance in all corners of the Tolkien fanfiction fandom. At times, despite its ubiquity, it has been dismissed as frivolous or even harmful to Tolkien's legacy. Yet evidence suggests these viewpoints have shifted over time.
In this month's Cultus Dispatches column, Dawn uses Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data to consider fanon and fan-generated ideas more broadly. Looking at both how readers and writers view fanon, she reveals shifting attitudes as the fandom matures.
You can read Talking amongst Ourselves: Tolkien Fanfiction and Fanon here.
A Sense of History: The Rock Garden
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This month's A Sense of History continues Simon J. Cook's series on Tolkien's renowned lecture-turned-essay "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics." Roundly considered to be a watershed moment in Beowulf studies, Tolkien uses an extended metaphor of a tower, some stones, and coterie of friends and neighbors to comment on the state of Beowulf criticism in 1936.
What often goes overlooked is that the people in the tower analogy were in fact real people: Tolkien's colleagues and fellow scholars, whose ideas about Beowulf he harbored various feelings about. In this month's column, Simon looks at an old draft of "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," which presents a simplified version of the tower analogy and sheds some light on whom the various figures in the metaphor represent.
You can read Simon J. Cook's "The Rock Garden" here.
Character of Month: Ómar-Amillo
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The work that would eventually be published as The Silmarillion has deep roots, having been first written down in the 1910s when Tolkien was still a young man fighting in World War I and beginning his career as a philologist. The earliest work on the "Silmarillion," published as The Book of Lost Tales, is a collection of characters, events, and ideas that, like mayflies, often survived only briefly beyond their birth before being replaced or stricken altogether. Ómar-Amillo is one such character, appearing only in the Lost Tales before Tolkien took his thoughts in a new direction.
This month's biography discusses the brief appearance of Ómar, who was a music god (along with several others ... part of the reason he possibly didn't stick around for long). As the brother of Salmar, Ómar illustrates the importance of music and the oral tradition in the legendarium, but his character and its eventual disappearance both also show how Tolkien's ideas about Arda aligned (and didn't) with the myths, legends, and histories of the peoples who inspired much of his work.
Tolkien Fanartics: Interview with Ylieke
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Ylieke's artwork is mostly portraits, but don't let that convince you that her work is in any way boring or routine. From within the page, her characters' expressions capture a moment that fairly begs the viewer to imagine the story that is occurring around that single captured glance. Fingolfin watches in defiance and terror as Morgoth's boot descends. Nerdanel's peaceful gaze contrasts Fëanor's surliness. Gandalf's eyes flash, astute with youth, from a wizened face.
For our latest Tolkien Fanartics column, firstamazon spoke with Ylieke about her techniques and training, her influences, and the direction she sees her work going in the future. (Spoiler alert: She has some exciting plans!)
New Challenge: Roaring Twenties
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Ah, 2019. That hopeful year when we all looked forward to a second go at the Roaring Twenties, before 2020 sent us all into lockdown to doom-scroll news about covid outbreaks, rising fascism and nationalism across the globe, increasingly terrifying climate change, and ever-more-bizarre (and believed) disinformation.
For this challenge, we're going to do our best to put all of that our of our minds for a grand episode of escapism to the Roaring Twenties with a bingo challenge. After all, Tolkien defended escapism and used his Roaring Twenties to do major reworking on the tale of Beren and Lúthien, an escapist text worthy of the optimism of the 1920s if ever there was one. Bingo cards are loaded with prompts from the 1920s, and you may pick your card(s), and use one prompt, complete rows or lines on the cards, or fill an entire card. We do not call numbers as part of regular bingo challenges, so choose the prompts you want and skip the ones you don't. If you choose multiple prompts, you can incorporate them into one or multiple fanworks.
Click here for the complete Roaring Twenties challenge, where, you will find bingo cards as well as text-only prompts. Remember that if you need assistance in putting together rows or other patterns using the text prompts, you can contact the mods and we're happy to help.
In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 September 2023. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.
Many thanks to Grundy for designing this month's bingo cards, banner, and stamps!
Cultus Dispatches: Tolkien, His Gnarly Canon, and His Authority
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If you've ever stumbled into a comment section that is discussing fanfiction—and leaning anti-fanfiction—you are familiar with the fact that you (if you are a fanfiction writer) are a criminal. At least, that is how the objections to people playing around with texts and characters they didn't create for fun and not for profit are often depicted by people who don't know any better. (Hey, we're a fanfiction archive! We're allowed to be biased on this point.)
The reason these discussions escalate so quickly into accusations of criminality (and other villainy) is because of the perceived incursion on other people's authority over the original text. This month's Cultus Dispatches column considers authority, Tolkien's canon, and fanfiction. Fanfiction writers may be character-thieving rapscallions (according to some), but most of them do consider (and sometimes even respect!) Tolkien's authority in some areas, making for a complicated dance of creative and canon choices. Using data from the 2015 and 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Surveys, Dawn looks at the attitudes of fanfiction writers toward factual details, morality, and Tolkien's perceived approval of their stories.
You can read Dawn's article "Tolkien, His Gnarly Canon, and His Authority" here.
A Sense of History: 1936
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How do you make sense of the future? In 1936, Tolkien delivered his pivotal address "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," and there would have been much thinking—and worrying—about the future.
In this month's column for A Sense of History, Simon J. Cook goes back to 1936, when Tolkien delivered "Monsters" (and was in the midst of significant work on the "Silmarillion" materials), to consider how he used imagination to plumb the past for clues to the courage that would allow him to face the future. From our vantage point in 1936, we see World War II looming large on the horizon—and also know that this war will end victoriously, on the side of right, although at great cost.
But from Tolkien's vantage point within 1936, there were stirrings of war but no certainty of victory. Simon makes the case that "Monsters and the Critics" describes looking to the past to answer the question of not how to win the coming fight but: How does a person bear up when the metaphorical dragon comes?
