Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists for discussions of and creative fanworks based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and related texts. We are a positive-focused and open-minded space that welcomes fans from all over the world and with all levels of experience with Tolkien's works. Whether you are picking up Tolkien's books for the first time or have been a fan for decades, we welcome you to join us!
New Challenge: Title Track Tolkien's titles range from epic to lyrical to metaphorical. This month's challenge selected 125 of them as prompts for fanworks.
Our Annual Amnesty Challenge: New Year's Resolution Start 2026 off with creativity! If you missed a challenge or didn't get to finish or post a challenge fanwork, complete any 2025 challenge before 15 February to receive the stamp.
He was going to die. The molten rocks would burn him just like the cursed gem in his palm did. Maybe less painfully but still being burnt hurt and Maedhros knew it. He intimately knew it from his time in Angband where Þauron burnt him often in frustration and to toy with him and his master…
“Come on.” Maedhros grabbed his hand and pulled him along down the path, both of them quickening their pace now, until the trees opened up into a wide meadow filled with flowers, bright yellow celandine and dandelions and sweet-scented pale chamomile mingling with cornflowers and irises. On…
Aldarion storms off towards Middle-earth. For the Title Track challenge.
Current Challenge
Title Track
Create a fanwork using our collection of 125 titles from Tolkien's books, chapters, essays, poems, and fragments as inspiration. Read more ...
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.
This presentation for Mereth Aderthad 2025 discusses the many similarities between Tolkien's three "twilight children," Tinúviel, Lómion, and Undómiel (Luthien, Maeglin, and Arwen) in terms of appearance, plot, and cultural background. Yet these three characters play very different roles in the text.
Presented at Mereth Aderthad 2025, this paper makes the case thata, although the term "aromantic" had not yet been coined in Tolkien's day, many of his characters can be read as aromantic. The paper takes a closer look at Aredhel, Bilbo, and Boromir as three examples of characters who can be read as aromantic.
“There’s a goblin hiding in the taters, Dad!” Pippin hefted the pan, which was much too big for him to carry, let alone wield.
Around the World and Web
March Challenge - Tolkien Short Fanworks
Tolkien Short Fanworks is running a challenge for the month of March to create a Back to Middle-earth Month themed challenge.
Tolkien Fashion Week 2026
This two-week-long Tumblr event is dedicated to honoring the world of fashion and textiles Tolkien wrote about in his books.
Celegorm and Curufin Week 2026
Celegorm and Curufin Week is a Tumblr week celebrating the relationship between Celegorm and Curufin Feanorion
Back to Middle-earth Month 2026
Back to Middle-earth Month is returning for it's 20th year with many prompts and archival efforts.
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.
And already I'm choking up. I'm loving Maglor's importance as storyteller and, it seems, as someone his people rely on to provide a sense of identity:
"Explain things to us, Makalaure. Tell us what we did. Tell us who we are, now."
That would be heartbreaking in any sort of circumstance, but even more so considering what the Fëanorians just went through, and that Maglor seems (at least temporarily) at a loss to provide for them. Very bleak, but a very promising start.
I was wondering where you were going with the second chapter, but it makes a lot of sense now - what a wonderful (and painful) resolution to the fic, and still probably the closest approach to comfort this could be - and what a gorgeous last paragraph to end on. *slinks off to wipe eyes*
Wow, I really enjoyed this. (I am reading your SoWD stories, trying to choose one to work with for your prize--what a difficult decision it is proving to be, to choose between them! :) I like the idea that Maglor, the bard, is the one who makes sense of the clutter of history to the rest of them, who extracts meaning from otherwise senseless events. I have spent the past few hours working on a paper about the Ainulindale and Tolkien's concept of subcreation, so this is really tickling my muses right now ...
Thank you very much, Dawn! I'm excited to hear that this story of mine is tickling your muses!
We always rely on the stories we construct for ourselves, but the more desperate the situation, the more I think the Feanorians would come to rely on Maglor in this way.
I had been carrying most of this story in my head for quite a while, but as I was finishing it I also had some of your recent comments on the Heretic Loremaster site about characterization in mind.
I hope the paper on the Ainulindale is going well!
I've encountered stories in which Maglor is upset because Daeron is canonically better than he is and others (slash) in which Daeron and Maglor become lovers.
But I prefer to see it this way--simply musicians who have a subject in common they are passionately interested in, but are divided by history and politics.
Comments on Maglor Plays For His People After Doriath
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.