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.
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.
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.
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.
These were simply flashes, a hint of a wider, greater world. A tantalizing glimpse of more, always at the edge of awareness, never within reach. Míriel would grasp it, if something as intangible as the concept of color could overflow in bounteous wonder over her hands.
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.
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…
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.
I think it works as-is. I love the details used to distinguish between the twins--bringing in past differences (in addition to or in support of their counterposed reactions to this woman).
Thank you so much for all your support with this little story. I do like it, but you know I have trouble letting go once I start chewing on the deeper issues. :) Time will tell!
Oh, Sulriel, this is chilling. I love the tension between the brothers, that one is drawn to Lome while the other is distant. Excellent work on the mood and atmosphere and a nice twist at the end as well.
Thank you Bard. I'm glad you liked it, I know that dark sort of mood is not to everyone's taste! I find that I enjoy writing the various twins and playing with their alikes and differences.
I raelly enjoyed this story. It was original, it plays with the legendarium without copying it straight off.
The way you have differed between the twins makes the story beleivable and a nice change from the very similar twin interpretations that are common in the fandom. I enjoyed both the openness and the distrust of respective twin and despite the disagreement between them (or rather the suspicion that grows between maras and Lome) you can still snese the fondness the twins has for each other.
Very nicely written and very original, I really really enjoyed this story.
Ah, a great story! The moment you mentioned the tone of her voice that reminded one of the twins of Aman, I knew straight away that this was not an elf since elves from that regions never made it to Aman. It somehow immediately reminded me about Thuringwethil and Lomë would be right in her Maiar league, a sister perhaps. That was a fast shape shifter by the way! Enchantments is cast, but a good hunter is not easily swayed and Amras could not do more than to watch helplessly that this net was cast on his brother – this must have been hard for him. The hints Amras gave were well placed. Btw, what is it with those oath swearing Fëanorians ;) This was a nice Amras & Amrod tale, often so ignored but put to good use in this piece to show both sides of the tale: the one being enchanted and the outsider. Well done!
Thank you Rhapsody. I'm glad you enjoyed it the chracterizations as well as the little twists and turns of the story. It was fun to write and more fun to hear that readers are enjoying it. :)
I may not be original here, but I'd like to say that I like the differences between Amrod and Amras. They might have been identical in appearance but they were separate beings and I do like how you characterized them and gave them independent voices.
This is a great, thrilling and intriguing story. You set the atmosphere perfectly. :) Thank you for sharing.
I'm so glad to hear that you felt the atmosphere fit the story. I was going for a very chilling kind of romance and I'm glad I was able to convey that to you along with the intrigue. Thanks for reviewing.
Very original story. You add dimension to the twins (very nicely portrayed as two different people) and to the vast spaces that canon leaves. I hope to read more
I enjoyed reading this immensely, thanks for the mouth-watering scenes for Ambarussa. It's great to have the spotlight on them for a change. I liked the way you fleshed them out and was hanging on to every word--this read like a horror/suspense movie. I started getting suspicious with the OFC when she refused to eat and the climax was priceless. On a lighter note, the oath of protection was such a nice "Feanorian" touch. Thanks for sharing this.
What a wonderful surprise to get a new review on this older story. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you enjoyed my Ambarussa, and the story overall. I love exploring these bits between the existing tales and it's always so rewarding to know they're being enjoyed.
Comments on Prey for the Hunter
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.