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…
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 I am glad you enjoyed it. I wanted to write something sweet pregnancy related but..well then Miriel took over and even the foreshadowing of Feanor tends to destroy sweetness and fluffyness :) I enjoyed writing it though and am glad you enjoyed reading. Thanks for the fb
What a great ficlet Uli! You created a beautiful portrait here of Miriel and to see this sliver of her motivations is a treat. I just can see her sitting there as the High Queen of the Noldor under Laurelin, consciously aiming to give her unborn son all the qualities he will need to be a good and strong leader, a beacon for those who will follow them. This also shows the ambitious side of Miriel (I really like that) and what she wants for her kid, but also setting things in motion that will become her own undoing. It’s obvious to me where Fëanor got his pride (but then they do claim that sons take after their mother in character...)!
Thank you! And good heavens yes, someone had to have been ambitious and why not Miriel, she was the one that seems to have put toomuch energy into creating her perfect son after all :) I am glad you enjoyed this and thank you for the lovely feedback
I may be reading too much into this, but I liked the sentence structure you used here... long and elaborate, and still rather simple... it makes Míriel's voice very strong and still conveys that "primitive innocence" of the Eldar that Tolkien valued so much. With Míriel's foreknowledge of her son, I wonder if she is aware just how much life will change, especially for herself...
"Their children will be less than mine, I do not carry a night-time child but one of fire[...]." - absolutely wonderful. I think this is the strongest line in the story - it implies so much we know about the Spirit of Fire, and very much reminds me of your poems. I wish I could say more right now, but that would require a very thorough interpretation of the story (and that would include many of my ramblings) - it is so packed with motives - the half-finished gown, the fire symbolism, the colors, Laurelin itself, autumn - without being overdone or clichéd (an easy trap to fall into when writing about the Feanorians!) that I probably will come back and read it again and again (this was, I think, the fourth or fifth time I came back) and still find something new. There is a whole world just beneath the surface of your words, and as an archaeologist in training (and a student of literature!) I can't wait to excavate it!
Truly magnificent and impressive. Thank you for writing this.
I write drabbles and double drabbles much the same way as I write poetry so I am not that suprised if there are resemblances between the two. I just really enjoy writing them and playing with getting the right lanagauge that I want and a sentance structure that 'flows'.
This feedback makes me smile every time i iread it so once again thank you
You described so well the concept of the prophetic "mother names" of elves in the line: "...their children will be less than mine, I do not carry a night-time child but one of fire, of passions such as our people has never seen."
Miriel is a big "what if" for me--how different things would have turned out if she had not decided to "die". Thanks for this piece about her.
Apologies for the extremely late reply to your wonderful feedback.
The whole thing of mother names being prophetic intrigued me and Miriel always have, chosing to pass from the world. Silmarillion would have been very different had she made a different choice
Comments on Expecting.
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.