Sign-Up to Hand Out Scavenger Hunt Prompts
Our May challenge will be a Matryoshka built around a scavenger hunt. If you'd like to hand out prompts (and receive comments on your work for doing so!), you can sign up to do so.
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!
Sign-Up to Hand Out Scavenger Hunt Prompts
Our May challenge will be a Matryoshka built around a scavenger hunt. If you'd like to hand out prompts (and receive comments on your work for doing so!), you can sign up to do so.
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.
[Writing] A Very Fire by Deborah Judge
Feanor and Fingolfin, from their youth to their fall.
"I will do this gladly," Fingolfin said, whispering into Feanor's mouth, grasping for reasons and sense. "Gladly, if it will bring peace between us. If it will end the madness."
"The madness will not end," Feanor…
[Writing] After the Kinslaying by Deborah Judge
A Teleri fishing boat captain turns to farming on abandoned Noldor lands after her ship is stolen. A Noldor farmer returns with Finarfin to find that his land belongs to the Teleri now.
[Writing] Add Another Stone by StarSpray
The thing about forgiveness, he thought, was that it was so much easier when the object of it was far away—or dead. It was so much easier to let it all go when those responsible were far away and unable to do any more harm.
[Writing] How Tolkien Presents Ordinary People in "The Silmarillion" by Dawn Felagund
Inspired by collecting the prompts for the Everyman challenge, this essay considers how ordinary people are subsumed and silenced in The Silmarillion, which begins a three-book arc that ends with the rise of the humble and ordinary.
[Writing] Blessed are the Leave-takers by Isilme_among_the_stars
As prince Curufinwë Fëanáro makes an historical speech from the high court of the King upon Túna, those at the back of the crowd strain to hear.
A silly little scene inspired by Monty Python's "Blessed are the Cheesemakers" scene from The Life of Brian, written for …
[Writing] I Sit and Think of Times There Were Before by Erdariel
In his old age, Isildur's former esquire Ruinamacil, known to later histories only as Ohtar, writes his own account of his escape from the ambush at Gladden Fields and journey to Imladris, and the history of his friend whom Isildur ordered to flee with him.
[Writing] Until the Stars are All Alight by Dagstjarna
Reembodied in Aman, Celebrimbor decides to return to Middle earth to help heal the darkness and hurt wrought by the ring.
Everyman
Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration. Read more ...
New Beginnings
Create a fanwork that celebrates new beginnings. 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.
[Writing] Down the Long Years by Isilme_among_the_stars
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…
[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.
Week of Kiliel
A Tumblr event dedicated to the relationship between Kili and Tauriel.
Aspec Arda Week 2026
This week-long event celebrates asexual and aromantic spectrum interpretations and headcanons of Tolkien’s Legendarium.
April/May Teitho Challenge
Teithio is running a prompt challenge around the theme of "heartbreak."
Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2026
The Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang is back for another summer of collaboration between artists and writers!
Hi. :) I rather liked this drabble. I like the theme of it, it is not teh msot explored time of elven hitory and therefor more fascinating in my opinion.
You did a good job with it.
However I hope you do not mind if I give you a couple of opinions on where, for me personally, the rythm of this drabble felt a bit jarring.
"A flotilla of white sails bloomed around us..." I would personally have chosed "billowed" rather than "bloomed", it is I am sure a personal choice although to me billowed would have flowed better. I would also have chosen "beneath the stars" rather than "under the starlight". I find again that beneath would have benefited the rythm better and I find the -light in starlight slightly superflous and ado feel that it would have read better without it.
In the line "flickering light like a living being" I would suggest changing it into "their lights flickering like living beings" or even "like living creatures" once again for the sake of rythm and tightness.
The last word I personally found slightly jarring was "gross" and I would suggest to exchaning it for "grotesque" or possibly "crass".
Thank you for sharing this lovely drabble. I really did find it enjoyable.
Hi,
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. I am glad you enjoyed it. I think I chose 'bloomed' because it felt, to me, more indicative of a sudden overwhelming action, going from no sails to full sails, more an explosion instead of an expansion of something that was already there. But I could work on making that more clear (I swear, it's clear in my head, heh!). I very much like the exchange of 'grotesque' for 'gross'.
It is a big change for me, living with these drabbles in my head, and then getting a reader's reaction. Again, thank you for sharing your suggestions, I appreciate it.
You have a lot of powerful images in this piece, particularly where Feanor appears as though he could will Middle-earth towards him. My Feanor would argue that he can. :) Very nice ... I hope you post more of your work on Curufin; he is certainly one of the more neglected Feanorians.
Thank you, Dawn, I appreciate the comment. I hope to post more soon. Mustn't let him feel neglected, even if he is content to let others take the spotlight. ;)
Ah Curufin, one can only wonder what it will do to a character to hear the laments on the wind. Now we only have to wait for the fury of Osse to be unleashed on that fleet once she hears of the kinslaying. This drabble feels like a pause of silence before the storm. Great imagery, the previous reader had some good points and I learnt that flotilla is a different word for small fleet :)
Thanks for the comment. I haven't found much info yet that deals with the period between Alqualonde and when they reach Middle-earth, so it would be great to explore that time. What did they do? Did it really take 19 years to cross, as I read somewhere? Did they invent shuffleboard to pass the time?
:D
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