Cultus Dispatches: Revelations from Marquette's Fanzine Dataset
In September 2026, Marquette University released a dataset about their Tolkien fanzine collection. Analysis of the data reveals what these fanzines contained and show how pre-internet Tolkien fandom responded to the publication of "The Silmarillion."
SWG News
New Challenge: Unquote
Choose a prompt from our selection of misheard, miswritten, and misrepresented unquotes that are in no way part of the actual "Silmarillon."
Site Etiquette Update: Fandom and Money
We have updated our policy in our Site Etiquette around linking to sites that collect money.
Character of the Month: Eönwë
This month's biography focuses on Eönwë, who started with a variety of identities but settled into the role of Manwë's herald, exemplifying the values of strong leadership and justice.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] A Language Deeper than Words by gaydhros
Colour now has returned to him. His cheeks and nose are pink with the early morning chill, his grey eyes are bright, and he is well enough to manage daily walks along the lakeshore with Fingon, a few dawn-quiet moments stolen together before the rest of camp wakes.
[Artwork] Fingolfin‘s Last Stand Monument by Fuin
Fingolfin‘s Last Stand Monument on the Square of the High Kings in Tirion, digital art.
[Artwork] Thangorodrim by Fuin
Night spreads from the peaks of Thangorodrim, digital art.
[Writing] Silmarillion Non-Con November 2026 by AngbandThrallNo.1035
This is my collection of ficlets for the various prompts of Non-Con November 2026, I'll update the tags as I upload my fics, each prompt will be a new chapter. This writing event specifically focuses on the absence of consent, so keep that in mind!
Day 1: Groping (Maeglin/Dark!…
[Series] Instadrabbling, 2026-Present by SWG Moderators
We get together from time to time on the SWG Discord and produce spontaneous fanworks based on randomly chosen prompts. This collection includes drabbles, ficlets, and other flash fanworks produced as part of our instadrabbling sessions beginning in 2026.
[Writing] Disco Demolition by kimikocha
“We’ve worked together,” says the stranger with fire in his hair. “We’re investigators.”
Everything he says is technically true.
Inspired by Disco Elysium and written in the game's style, but not a crossover. Familiarity with the game isn't necessary for this fic.
Current Challenge
Unquote
Choose a prompt from our selection of misheard, miswritten, and misrepresented unquotes that are in no way part of the actual "Silmarillon." Read more ...
Random Challenge
One True Love
Create a fanwork about your favorite OTP. Read more ...
New in References
Fandom before the Time of the Trees: Revelations from Marquette's Fanzine Dataset by Dawn Walls-Thumma
In September 2026, Marquette University released a dataset about their Tolkien fanzine collection. Analysis of the data reveals what these fanzines contained and show how pre-internet Tolkien fandom responded to the publication of "The Silmarillion."
Across the history of the "Silmarillion," Eönwë's role settles on a character who leads without taking upon himself the power to mete out justice and who acts with equanimity across some of the most harrowing conflicts in the early legendarium.
Speak Friend and Enter: Trends in Fandom Entry Year by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Across three surveys and ten years, the Tolkien Fanfiction Survey has document when authors began writing. These data reveal trends in how film promotions, the films themselves, the books, and other historical contexts have influenced not only who writes but how long they stay.
Featured Themed Collection
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] For a Better World by Ellynn
Thirteen years before the War of the Ring, an orcling — more intelligent and more curious than most — is born in Mordor. His curiosity will lead him to both incredible discoveries and perilous situations, all of which will shape him into a leader unlike any Mordor has ever known. But to become…
[Writing] The High Pass to Gondor by octopus_fool
Eorl heard it before he saw it: the sliding of stones as they crossed the high pass into Gondor.
[Writing] Aftermath of a Riot by Susana_R
It's never fun to wake up with a concussion. Fortunately for Faramir, he has Elrond, Aragorn, and the rest of Aragorn's family to help him make the best of a difficult day.
Around the World and Web
Tolkien Siblings Week 2026
A fandom event focused on sibling relationships in the Tolkien legendarium, running November 23rd to 29th, 2026!
Ainur Week 2026
A Tolkien fandom week dedicated to the Ainur!
Glorthelion Week 2026
A week dedicated to Glorfindel x Ecthelion relationship
Nolofinwëan Week 2026
Nolofinwëan Week is Tumblr fandom event celebrating the House of Fingolfin, running from November 9th - 16th
The White Oliphaunt 2026
The White Oliphaunt gift exchange, a yearly event where Tolkien fans sign up to exchange humorous gifts with each other.
SWG News
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Tang Wen Xi by Dawn
Posted by SWG Moderators on . Last updated on .
Few episodes within the legendarium inspire the tormented emotions as the third kinslaying and the aftermath between Maedhros, Maglor, Elrond, and Elros. The featured artist for polutropos' Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation "'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium," Tang Wen Xi creates artwork, including martial scenes, with a bold, vibrant style that often seems to leap and move within the page. Dawn recently spoke to Tang Wen Xi about his inspirations within the legendarium and how he creates his one-of-a-kind art.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with fish by Shadow
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Fish is creating the art for Stella Getreuer-Kostrouch's presentation "Cherished antagonist, despised protagonist - a defence of Elu Thingol" for Mereth Aderthad 2025. Shadow spoke with fish about his creative process, the importance of both tragedy and eucatastrophe to Tolkien's works (and to keeping his fans forever in the fandom), and the appeal of "greyness" in Silmarillion characters like Elu Thingol.
New Challenge: Gates of Summer
Posted by SWG Moderators on . Last updated on .
Summer is a season of flourishing, when life is at its peak. It is a time of plenty, when the light lingers long and celebrations dot the calendar. As we prepare for our big Mereth Aderthad celebration in just a month's time—an event that celebrates the vibrant life of our group and all of the creators and members who have shaped its history—we turn to the topic of summer. Like summer, we hope the SWG and the creativity and fellowship between its members will be a light that endures for many years to come!
This month, challenge participants will select their own prompts from a collection of prompts related to summer. The collection includes quotes from the texts, canon events, events in Tolkien's life, and quotes from Tolkien's letters. As always, you can mix and match prompts if you want, and we encourage creative interpretations of prompts.
In honor of Pride Month, there is a special stamp available for fanworks that focus on LGBTQIA+ characters.
Thank you to Anérea for this month's banner and stamps!
You can find the prompts for the Gates of Summer challenge here.
In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 July 2025. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Varda delle Stelle by Shadow
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Cloudyhymn's presentation The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves posits dragons as a corruption of Dwarves, both sharing a connection to the earth but on opposing sides, similar to the relationship Tolkien sometimes described between Elves and Orcs. Varda delle Stelle, the SWG's assistant art editor, will be creating two paintings as the featured artist for cloudyhymn's presentation at Mereth Aderthad 2025. Shadow spoke with Varda about her own connections to the earth and concepts in cloudyhymn's presentation, her creative process, and her hopes for her Mereth Aderthad paintings.
You can read Shadow's interview with Varda delle Stelle here.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Kai by Shadow
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Kai is a Tolkien artist whose work captures both the dramatic moments of the legendarium and the moments of friendship and love between characters that drove these storied events. Kai's work often captures light and radiance, making him fitting as a featured artist for Maglor's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "Gil-galad was an Elven King: Kingship and Personhood in the last High King of the Noldor." Kai spoke with Shadow about how Maglor's topic was instantly inspiring, his range of interests over the years in the legendarium, and the meaning behind the painting he made for Maglor's presentation.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Reese by Dawn
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Back in March, we spoke with polutropos' about her presentation on the "kidnap fam" trope and its broad appeal in the fandom. Few episodes in the legendarium provoke such fascination and range of interpretations. Reese is the featured author for polutropos' Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium." Dawn spoke to Reese about her story, which is an epistolary found fiction, and the appeal of alternate universe, mythology and Tolkien and the many fruitful connections they share, the kidnap fam trope—and how the silences in all of these invite storytellers to fill the gaps.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Dawn Felagund by Shadow
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Dawn Felagund is the featured author for Savannah Horrell's paper "By Guile Committed: Comparing Tolkien’s Thieves to Beowulf" for Mereth Aderthad 2025. Shadow spoke with Dawn about her story for Savannah's presentation, the juggling act of creating a fanwork for the event while also organizing it, and the power of reading Tolkien as a work of history.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Cindy Gates by Grundy
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Fans of Tolkien will typically identify love, loyalty, nature, and hope as defining themes in his work. Less often do they see the legendarium as fertile grounds for exploring the use of science and technology. Cindy Gates, who has written under the pseudonym pandemonium_213 and retired from a scientific career last year, has written fanworks and meta for much of the SWG's history that do the opposite, presenting Middle-earth as a land where people face the same questions about science and technology that we do. Grundy spoke to Cindy about her upcoming Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "Tolkien, Lunatic Physicists, and Abnegation" and the many fruitful connections between the Manhattan Project and The Silmarillion.
So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference? Actually Presenting!
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Mereth Aderthad 2025 is coming in July, and we are excited to have many fans who are presenting their meta, research, and scholarship at the event! But even though Tolkien fans engage in deep research and thinking about the legendarium all the time, making the step to presenting that work at conferences can feel intimidating. Even in a field as friendly to fan and independent scholarship as Tolkien studies is, the trappings of academia remain and, unless you have academic training, these can be a barrier to participation.
To help demystify conference proposals and presentations, over the next few months, we will be holding sessions aimed at helping fans make the sideways step to Tolkien scholarship by presenting their work at a Tolkien conference. Our third and final session is about the presentation itself! The day has come. You have your paper written, your slides and handouts ... and now you stand before your audience. In this session, you will learn how to be an effective presenter. (If you missed our first two sessions, they can be found here: So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference? Writing the Proposal and So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference? Putting Together the Presentation.)
Date: Saturday, 14 June 2025
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Time (what is this in my timezone?)
Location: RSVP to have a reminder emailed to you | Join the session here
After the session, there will be time for questions, and we will stay online for a collaborative writing session for anyone who is interested.
All are welcome to attend and participate to whatever extent they feel comfortable! (In other words, you can keep your camera off and there are no breakout rooms.)
Can't make it on June 14? We will record the session so that anyone can view it.
If you need to change your Zoom display name before or while attending, learn how to do that here.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Grundy by Shadow
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Grundy is one of our moderators on the SWG and best known for her fiction here on our site. However, she is also a glass artist, and this is where she is turning her attention for Mererth Aderthad 2025, as she designs a fanwork-in-glass for Cindy Gates' presentation “Tolkien, Lunatic Physicists, and Abnegation." Shadow spoke to Grundy about her inspiration on the project and long love of Tolkien.
