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: 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.
Finrod and Bëor stop for a while on the road to Nargothrond to rest. The bodies of the Secondborn often grow weary, and Finrod laments, massaging Bëor's back and renewing his beloved's vigor with the work of his hands. But Finrod has other burdens of his own, Bëor soon discovers, returning…
Maglor without Maedhros, Daeron without Lúthien. Alone, they are nothing, but together, they can be something more. Where do you turn, when you have no one else left?
Written for Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2023, featuring artwork by athlai.
It was only the second time Finwë had come out foraging with them, and of course this would happen—of course the Hunter would come, the Dark Rider on his steed with its terrible, heavy footfalls, and the deep-throated laughter that held no mirth, only malice.
“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…
Haleth leaves to find her brother, even though her father does not permit her to.
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
B2MeM 2011
Back to Middle-earth Month 2011 featured a daily postcard from a different location in Middle-earth with a creative prompt inspired by that location. Read more ...
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.
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.
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.
For most of my life, when reading Lord of the Rings, I read it through the perspective of Gandalf's words about Éowyn, that she'd spent years trapped as a caregiver, watching the realm she love fall from honor into disgrace.
But what if Éowyn was also a student of history?
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Angbang Week 2026
Angbang Week is a tumblr event focusing on the relationship between Morgoth and Sauron, running from May 5-11, 2026
Gondor Week 2026
A Tumblr week event focusing on the history of the realm of Gondor.
Crablor Day
A day dedicated to everyone's favourite warcriminal crustacean - April 26, 2026
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.