New Challenge: Everyman
Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration.
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.
Instadrabbling Sessions for April, May, and June
Instadrabbling continues on the first Saturday of each month on our Discord server.
New Challenge: Famous Last Words
For our March challenge, our moderators will assign you a famous last line to use as a prompt.
[Writing] a life freely given, a favor returned by skywardstruck
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…
[Writing] dye me, nocturne by skywardstruck
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.
[Writing] Til We're on the Other Side by StarSpray
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.
In the dark…
[Writing] A Hundred Miles Through the Desert by StarSpray
“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…
[Writing] Hill and Water Under Sky by StarSpray
a collection of drabbles and mini ficlets in the meanwhile the world goes on 'verse that aren't long enough to stand on their own
[Writing] The Long Arm of the Law by Elrond's Library
Turgon cannot be above the law.
[Writing] Despair and Shadows by octopus_fool
Haleth leaves to find her brother, even though her father does not permit her to.
Everyman
Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration. Read more ...
Words of Wit and Wisdom
J.R.R. Tolkien wasn’t just the creator of Middle-earth. He was also a scholar of philology. One of his first jobs was with the Oxford English Dictionary, where he was assigned a welter of words beginning with W. In this month’s challenge, we’re presenting you a bingo card with Prof. Tolkien’s W words we hope will inspire a wealth of wonder, wit, worldbuilding, and general whimsy. Read more ...
Fandom Draws the Line: Fanworks, AI, and Resistance by Dawn Felagund, Grundy
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.
Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
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.
Tolkien, Lunatic Physicists, and Abnegation by Cynthia (Cindy) Gates
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.
[Artwork] The Mirror of Galadriel by skywardstruck
Smoke rises from the Mirror, where the Lady of Lothlórien awaits to share its visions.
[Writing] Bar-en-Eladar by Gabriel
Out of the shadow, light is born anew.
A Chieftain is dead. And whilst the events surrounding his death are unclear, a son tries to come to terms with his loss.
[Writing] Why did Éowyn ask Faramir if he'd rather have a "woman of the race of Númenor"? by Quente
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?
…
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
April/May Teitho Challenge
Teithio is running a prompt challenge around the theme of "heartbreak."
April Challenge Tolkien Short Fanworks
Tolkien Short Fanworks is running a challenge around the theme of "fools," "foolishness," or "being fooled."
I've often wondered if Curufinwe might not have been relieved when Celebrimbor refused to follow him from Nargothrond. I'd like to think that was the case. Interesting character study!
I'm of the rather firm persuasion that he didn't WANT him to follow, didn't WANT him to swear the Oath and throw his life away like the rest of them on an unwinnable goal - at this point, he has no illusions that they'll succeed in claiming the Silmarils... So my reading is rather influenced towards Nargothrond being his last-ditch attempt to be a Father to Celebrimbor...
I've even seen pieces in which the very public disagreement was scripted by curufin & Celebrimbor together, a way to limit the losses - after all, all of the people who had followed C&C Sr remained in Nargothrond with Celebrimbor... and of course, that might come down to "we won't follow you no more" but it might as easily be "Command is passing to him, you now owe my son your allegiance" type of thing.
Help, now I'm full of feels!
This is wonderful. I love your take on Curufin as a father - a great change from the much more frequent controlling, demanding, self-absorbed depiction of Curufin. Love the idea that Curufin was proud of Celebrimbor for taking a different road.
This is very much the Curufin of my Memory Lane fic ;) and I don't tend to see him in such a terrible light(if even Tolkien agreed that he was depicted as worse than reality in the luthien tale, who am I to argue?) so my Curufin is... Not glad, because he is going to miss his son, but at the same time there is no longer the threat of Celebrimbor taking the Oath hanging over him, which is a profound relief. He is also quite proud that he managed to raise a good man (a better man than himself, at least)... I still haven't decided how the argument panned out, but honestly I wouldn't put it past Curufin to have staged the whole thing with or without Celebrimbor's knowledge, just as a last attempt at saving him from the fate that awaits him and his brothers.
Part of him also thinks that perhaps Telperina will forgive him for getting her killed if he manages to save their son - an unspoken thought that has been his driving force since alqualonde in my head...
Thank you for commenting :D
Heartwrenching and lovely. Especially touching is the part where the letter mentions a possible child of Celebrimbor--one that never came to be.
In my verse it did! I reject your reality and substitute my own ;)
I think there is a richness in imagining Curufin as having other sides than the seemingly awful, scheming person he comes across in canon, especially the idea that a figure as sympathetic as Celebrimbor must have experienced something of love and nobility in the family whose star and creative tradition he kept.
I'm very firmly not in the Curufin-was-horrible-to-the-bone camp of fandom even though it does seem quite pervasive... I firmly believe that - as you say - Celebrimbor's later actions and subtextual readings of his character tells us a lot about the internal family dynamics of the Fëanorians, particularly in regards to Curufin (even Tolkien admitted that he was tarred with a rather too dark brush in the Beren/Luthien tale, after all)...
And also he's my favourite son of Fëanor XD
I don't really want him to be an utter horror as a person - so this was written in that frame of mind. I'm semi-convinced that the final blow-up between them was entirely orchestrated by Curufin in an attempt to save Celebrimbor from the Doom of their house - anything to keep him from taking the Oath alongside them - whether or not Celebrimbor was aware and played along, or his father was just manipulative/scheming/knew him well enough that HE fell for the ruse along with the rest of Nargothrond... one day, I shall write that scene, probably. And the scene where Celebrimbor finds the letter...
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