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!
Character of the Month: Marach There are few details in the texts about Marach, but he is noteworthy for his allegiances and his descendants, who would become pivotal to the history of Middle-earth and the eventual defeat of Morgoth and Sauron.
New Challenge: Allusive Literature and art constantly refer back to each other using allusions, and this month's prompts are inspired by allusions to literature, myth, art, and history.
New Challenge: Building Middle-earth Let global architecture be your inspiration in this challenge, where you will work with a prompts that are architectural styles, locations in Arda, or both.
Rescued from a brutal Angband hunt, an ex-thrall with a strange and powerful artifact embedded in his spine is brought to Himring, for it is one of the only places in Beleriand which welcomes such folk. Though he has no memories of his life before, Anniavas slowly becomes accustomed to his new…
Fëanor shrugged, studying the contents of his wine glass. “Something must be done about that house. It will fall down eventually.” “It does not follow that it must be you that tears it down single-handedly. Are you sure you do not want help?” “It’s not as though I…
Of course, she knew that in the Blessed Land, true harm was unlikely to come to him. The Valar watched over them all, and the lesser spirits were everywhere. It was a great hound of Oromë who had found him happily splashing in the creek, in fact. But anyone could drown in mere…
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.
Current Challenge
Allusive
Choose from our list of allusions to history, literature, mythology, and art to create a fanwork. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Discovery
In this challenge inspired by the Polynesian wayfinders, choose a video, song, or historical fact as inspiration to create a fanwork. Read more ...
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.
There are few details in the texts about Marach, but he is noteworthy for his allegiances and his descendants, who would become pivotal to the history of Middle-earth and the eventual defeat of Morgoth and Sauron.
A dissenting voice in Marach's alliance with the Elves of Beleriand, Amlach experiences a change of mind after a mysterious twist in the story reorients his priorities toward enmity with Morgoth.
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…
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LotR Week 2026
A week-long event for The Lord of the Rings
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.
Thank you! :D I was hoping to highlight the differences in his and Tyelko's characters here: Tyelko is too impetuous to even lie while Curvo has a whole ruse cooked up with a few seconds of warning!
I have 13 years of practice! :D I don't drabble much anymore, but when I started in fandom, drabbling was the Cool Thing, and I used to instadrabble pretty frequently with my friends.
It's a tough and pretty merciless form! Usually I cave at least once and say, "This one will be a double-drabble!" so I'm proud of myself that I didn't do that at all this time. ^_^
I don't know, in terms of the Felakverse, how I think it happened yet; I'll get there eventually! I wrote this drabble on Thursday, the night after I wrote a different version of Terentaule staying behind in my TRSB story. (These instadrabbles are a way to play with ideas I'd probably never actually consider--part of what's fun about them! :)
You know that after Tolkien, Beowulf is my scholarly turf. :D And since if Middle-earth is our Earth, it made sense to me that some of those Beleriand-based myths might become Northern myths ...
Me too! I totally believe him when he says he would die if they were broken. He's a bit old at that point in the story to be engaging in adolescent dramatics (which is otherwise what it sounds like; "If I can't have them I'll just DIE" *flounce*). I don't know that this is *exactly* how I imagine it going down, but with 100 words to work with, it gets to the point!
This is a scene I've had in mind for well over a decade by now; I even alluded to it somewhere (maybe AMC?) but this is my first time writing it. It was the only addition to the NSFW channel and people wanted more of it ... if I ever get to write the AMC prequel (I will!), it will be in there. :D
Thanks for reading and comment on all of these. <3
I adore that idea. RPF of Tolkien stumbling upon sone hard evidence! Stop throwing these plot bunnies at me! I'm already imagining the lecture he could give about his findings. I will NEVER do this. I think you should.
LOL--maybe someday! You should see my writing to-do list for the summer: two scholarly articles and finishing a novel and the TRSB story. I started one of them ...
I'm sorry I could not make the leap to be able to understand this one. I need things spelled out. It did entertain me. Reminded me of the Dorothy Parker poem by the same name and how it could be suitable for Andreth:
This I say, and this I know: Love has seen the last of me. Love's a trodden lane to woe, Love's a path to misery.
This I know, and knew before, This I tell you, of my years: Hide your heart, and lock your door. Hell's afloat in lovers' tears.
Give your heart, and toss and moan; What a pretty fool you look! I am sage, who sit alone; Here's my wool, and here's my book.
Look! A lad's a-waiting there, Tall he is and bold, and gay. What the devil do I care What I know, and what I say?
Basically it is Andreth lamenting what we mere mortals complain about all the time: that history repeats itself and those in power don't look back to the past for lessons. There is a cycle of hope followed by disappointment and despair. They migrated north in hopes of breaking the pattern and beginning anew, which is ironically more of the same in hoping that the past pattern won't hold true ...
It's a pretty dark and gloomy one ... (Also I know "Anthrabeth" is not your favorite text.)
I like this as an explanation for why there is never mention of Celebrimbor's mother- it seems entirely plausible and there is a rela sense here of HER and her motivation- the dream of glory and the reality.
Your Nerdanel is the only one for me- she is complex, loyal though she refuses Feanor in the end, loving, a mum and mother. She never stops loving them and never stops thinking of them but doesn't regret.
Poor Maedhros- how he disintegrates in grief, and this made me think of AMC (partly because I am re-reading it AGAIN:) and how loving he is, how they all waited for him to be a father because he was born to be just that. The fact that Tolkien has him search tells us that he was not lost, and although it is Maglor who persuades him (apparently) to take Elrond and Elros, all of this suggests he would never haveleft children alone in that place or this. Lovely writing- senseof ghosts without revealing it.
the retching Light that poured in fluid past my lips, dry and cold and bright and burning, leaving me complete, leaving me hollow.
The moment of his changing -where he loses everything else hecared for. You express this perfectly with the contrast between all that he ignores tocomplete the work and never recovers.
This is just lovely- I have never really felt anything for these two, being sucked into the Maedhros story and so HATING them for denying him- but this just is like a picture, so perfectly have you chosen the images and phrases. I wish I could paint this as a fic-gift but it would be an insult:) stick Elu and Melian probably not doing you justice!!
Comments on Thirteen
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.