SWG News

Read & Review: "The Battle of Maldon"

Posted by SWG Moderators on 23 June 2023. Last updated on 29 July 2023.

Although we know Tolkien as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, the progenitor of the modern fantasy genre, he would have likely defined himself by his academic work, as a professor and scholar of Old English. The recent posthumous volume The Battle of Maldon includes his prose translation of that text, a fanfiction (yes, really!) based on it, and a lecture on Old English poetry.

In the latest article in our occasional Read & Review column, Narya reviews The Battle of Maldon. What can you expect to find in its pages? And as a non-Middle-earth book by Tolkien, is it a book you should consider adding to your collection?

You can read Narya's review of "The Battle of Maldon" here.

Cultus Dispatches: Affirmational Fandom, Transformational Fandom, and Two Old Tolkien Fanfics

Posted by SWG Moderators on 17 June 2023. Last updated on 19 August 2023.

Although Star Trek and media fandom are often credited as the beginning of fanfiction, the first fanfiction texts are much older than that and oriented in book fandoms. (The first fanfics are older even than the term fanfiction!) The first two known Tolkien fanfics appeared in the 1960 fanzine I Palantir, and they couldn't be more different.

This month's Cultus Dispatches column analyzes these two old fics, in particular how they illustrate the fan studies concept of affirmational and transformational fandom. Transformational fandom is often depicted as the fertile field where fanworks grow, but Tolkien fanworks (and probably many other fandoms' fanworks as well) defy this, drawing on affirmational elements oriented in mastery of canon and consideration of Tolkien's authority. The earliest Tolkien fanfics not only show how both "types of fandom" can give rise to fanworks but how, even in fanworks that clearly belong to one or the other, elements of the other fandom approach are essential to making a particular story work.

You can read the article "Affirmational Fandom, Transformational Fandom, and Two Old Tolkien Fanfics" here.

New Challenge: The Secret Gate

Posted by SWG Moderators on 17 June 2023. Last updated on 14 July 2023.

Sherlock Holmes. Miss Marple. Lieutenant Columbo. Kurt Wallander. Benoit Blanc. Your preferred sleuth may vary, but there’s nothing like a good whodunnit. From the most arcane puzzle to the easiest open and shut case, all mystery novels require certain basic elements. This month’s challenge is a Matryoshka that presents you with the building blocks of a mystery novel. When requesting your prompts, make sure to specify the difficulty level you would like: Beginner (2 prompts), Easy (3 prompts), Medium (5 prompts), or Difficult (7 prompts). Contact the mods to request a prompt set or sets.

While the prompts are elements of a mystery, your fanwork does not need to be a mystery—use the prompts as you see fit. As June is Pride month, we have a special stamp for fanworks featuring LGBTQ+ characters.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 July 2023. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.

Many thanks to Varda delle Stelle for this month's lovely set of stamps!

Character of Month: Húrin, Part One

Posted by SWG Moderators on 3 June 2023. Last updated on 1 July 2023.

Throughout the legendarium, characters are called to bear up under extreme pressures exerted by forces of evil. We see, mostly in the Third Age Lord of the Rings, characters like Aragorn and Éowyn and Samwise whose steadfastness, loyalty, and courage approaches the superhuman, as well as tragic antiheroes (mostly in the First and Second Ages) like Fëanor and Maeglin whose life circumstances seem to funnel them into an inevitable fall to ruin.

In this month's character biography, Melesta makes the case that Húrin serves as a precursor to those valiant Third Age heroes while retaining "the tragic elements that define the major tales of the First Age." After all, Húrin's story is far from eucatastrophic.

But this month's biography, the first of two parts, focuses on the earlier events of Húrin's life, when he was a hope-filled hero in whom we see glimmers of the character of Aragorn. In addition to reviewing what we know of the canon of Húrin's early life (which is complex, as Húrin is one of Tolkien's earliest characters and therefore manifests from a labyrinthine collection of texts and drafts), Melesta discusses some of the connections between Húrin and the Edain with ancient and medieval history and what these can reveal of culture and theme.

You can read Part One of Melesta's biography of Húrin Thalion here.

AI Policy and New FAQs

Posted by SWG Moderators on 28 May 2023. Last updated on 1 July 2023.

For the past several weeks, our draft artificial intelligence (AI) policy has been open for comment and discussion over email and in the #town-hall channel of our Discord. Many thanks to those who contributed to the discussion; much of the feedback we received has been incorporated into the final policy, and the various perspectives and expertise you all were willing to share with us was appreciated as we navigated this complex issue. (The drafts of and documentation of changes to the policy can be found on the Wayback Machine here, under May 14, 21, and 28.)

You can read our finalized AI policy here.

We've also added two new FAQs to our site:

As always, contact the mods with any questions!

Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Voices - Using Canon in Fanworks

Posted by SWG Moderators on 27 May 2023. Last updated on 17 June 2023.

The SWG is a group that was built for fanworks creators, so if you are reading this, you've probably had the experience of sitting down to work on a Tolkien-based fanwork and being confronted with the issue of canon. What even is canon, in a corpus that includes dozens of volumes, works in various states of completion, and uncounted contradictions? How do you choose which canon to use? How can canon be used (and defied) as a creative choice? When is it okay to leave canon aside?

Fandom Voices is a project that is part of the monthly fandom studies column Cultus Dispatches in which Tolkien fans get to share their experiences and perspectives on a topic related to the fandom and its history. For the past two months, we've considered the question of canon through the responses of fans who participated in our survey on defining and using canon. Last month's column considered how Tolkien fans define canon. This month's looks at the use of canon to make fanworks.

You can read the second part of "Fandom Voices: Defining Canon and Using Canon in Fanworks" here.

Also note that our Fandom Voices surveys never close. If you didn't get a chance to share your views and want to, it is not too late! We will continue to add new responses to the collection as they come in (including pulling from new responses for the second part of the article. You can respond to the "Defining Canon" survey here.

Finally, we are in the midst of a series of Cultus Dispatches articles focusing on canon in the Tolkien fandom. Cultus Dispatches is always open to contributions from all members of the fandom, so if you know of a creator or fanwork that takes an interesting approach to canon, or if you have another idea related to canon and fandom, contact our moderators and pitch your idea! Our reference editors will support new researchers and writers through the process, so don't let unfamiliarity with research writing dissuade you from sharing your ideas with us.

New Challenge: Bestiary of Arda

Posted by SWG Moderators on 15 May 2023. Last updated on 17 June 2023.

Beasts and animals are a central part of the legendarium. They are faithful companions, frightening foes, or the alter-egos of shape-shifters. They are heroes, villains, and literally overhead and underfoot, contributing to the sights, sounds, and smells of Arda.

For this challenge, we consider the many animals that appear in Tolkien's works (or would have likely existed in Arda). We've put together a "bestiary" full of image and music prompts related to animals. You can select whichever prompt(s) you want for this month's challenge, and as always, any part of the prompt is fair game. (The song's title? That weird-looking thing in the background? The artist's intriguing signature??) Your fanwork does not need to include the animal featured in your prompt or any animal at all.

Find challenge prompts on the "Bestiary of Arda" challenge page.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 June 2023. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.

This month's banner and stamps were made by Anérea.

AI Policy Open for Public Comment

Posted by SWG Moderators on 13 May 2023. Last updated on 27 May 2023.

As artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving, we wanted to be sure the position of our group on AI is clearly expressed. The SWG moderators have put together a draft AI policy, which we are opening for comment through 26 May 2023.

Share any comments, questions, or concerns about the draft AI policy on the #⁠town-hall channel on the SWG Discord or by emailing the moderators.

Character of the Month: Tar-Míriel

Posted by SWG Moderators on 5 May 2023. Last updated on 3 June 2023.

Tar-Míriel is a tragic figure. That seems almost an understatement. As Grundy explains in this month's Character of the Month biography, "The most written of Míriel besides the facts of her birth, forced marriage, and usurpation is the description of her death."

As the (unwilling) wife of Ar-Pharazôn, Míriel had a ringside seat to some of the key events in one of the most cataclysmic episodes in the legendarium: the downfall of Númenor. Yet we hear remarkably little from her. Nonetheless, despite the minimal page-time she receives, she remains one of the more intriguing characters of the Second Age to fanworks creators. (We have more than fifty fanworks about Tar-Míriel here on the SWG!) This month's biography details her tragic life, considers the broader context in which she lives, and explores the textual history of her inclusion in the legendarium.

You can read this month's biography of Tar-Míriel here.

Tolkien Fanartics: Interview with Busymagpie

Posted by SWG Moderators on 29 April 2023. Last updated on 14 July 2023.

Busymagpie's art shows eloquent and expressive character portraits, most often depicting characters in moments of comfort and bliss. In this month's Tolkien Fanartics column, Anérea interviewed Busymagpie about her work: her approach to art, her evolution as an artist, and of course, her OTP, Maedhros/Fingon, all accompanied by a selection of her work.

Having started serious work on her art at the age of fourteen, Busymagpie has been drawing every day ever since. Mostly self-taught, she says of her work, "Art, and fanart in particular, is a way for me to tell stories." And her work does exactly that. Whether a cozy family gathering, a tender moment between a couple, or sometimes something spicer, her grasp of character and expression brings Silmarillion characters to life on the screen.

You can read this month's interview with Busymagpie here.