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: Gates of Summer Choose a summer-related prompt or prompts from a collection of quotes and events from Tolkien's canon and his life.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Varda delle Stelle by Shadow Varda delle Stelle is the featured artist for cloudyhymn's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves." Shadow spoke with Varda about her own connections to the earth and concepts in cloudyhymn's presentation, her creative process, and her hopes for her Mereth Aderthad paintings.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Kai by Shadow Kai is the featured artist for Maglor's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation, "Gil-galad was an Elven King: Kingship and Personhood in the last High King of the Noldor." Shadow spoke with Kai about his wide range of interests and inspirations in the legendarium and why Maglor's presentation so intrigued him that he finished the art for it the first night.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Reese by Dawn Reese is the featured author for polutropos's presentation "'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium" at Mereth Aderthad 2025. Dawn spoke with reese about the silences storytellers leave, mythology, and the appeal of alternate universe fanfiction.
Now a great crowd of spirits, both Elves and lingering Men, were gathered before the newest tapestry as it fell open down the wall, luminous, gold and silver threads glittering in the pale light of Mandos.
Video and materials from our session on how to give a presentation at a Tolkien conference. The session covers how to practice, plan, and prepare for the presentation; what to expect on the day of the presentation; tips for participating in the Q&A; and how to plan ahead for common worries…
They passed out of Lhûn and the wider coastline of Middle-earth opened up before his eyes. He had wandered those shores for centuries, and even now he felt the pull of that same wanderlust, and knew he would miss them for the rest of his life. Their wildness, the untamed waves, the rocky…
Fish is the featured artist for Stella's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation "Cherished antagonist, despised protagonist - a defence of Elu Thingol." Shadow spoke with fish about his creative process, the importance of both tragedy and eucatastrophe to Tolkien's works, and the appeal of "greyness…
As the featured artist for cloudyhymn's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves," Varda delle Stelle describes her idea for this presentation as springing fully formed as Athena from Zeus's head. Varda chatted with Shadow about what drew her to this…
Video and materials from our session on how to give a presentation at a Tolkien conference. The session covers how to practice, plan, and prepare for the presentation; what to expect on the day of the presentation; tips for participating in the Q&A; and how to plan ahead for common worries and mishaps.
Fish is the featured artist for Stella's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation "Cherished antagonist, despised protagonist - a defence of Elu Thingol." Shadow spoke with fish about his creative process, the importance of both tragedy and eucatastrophe to Tolkien's works, and the appeal of "greyness" in Silmarillion characters like Elu Thingol.
As the featured artist for cloudyhymn's Mereth Aderthad 2025 presentation "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves," Varda delle Stelle describes her idea for this presentation as springing fully formed as Athena from Zeus's head. Varda chatted with Shadow about what drew her to this presentation, her approach to painting, and her hopes for her Mereth Aderthad work.
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features fiction, artwork, and essays that transcend the idea of Orcs as the enemy, instead considering their humanity.
They found Elrond’s sons with Legolas and Gimli, and with Éomer King and Lady Éowyn, standing before an enormous fresco of a charging army of horsemen. “Why, isn’t that what just happened, the way it was told to us?” Sam exclaimed, looking up at it.
Once upon a time, JRR Tolkien wrote a fairy-tale retelling, an attempt to reconstruct an alternative version of the ancient poem called Beowulf, and he called it Sellic Spell: 'strange tale' or 'wondrous tale'.
Once upon a time, on the long road home from the Lonely…
Kidnap Fam Survey
Polutropos is collecting survey data as part of her research on the "Living Legendarium", i.e., how the legends of Arda, from their earliest drafts by Tolkien to the posthumously published Silmarillion edited by Christopher Tolkien to the creative engagements by fans, are inherently indeterminate and mutable, inviting many and diverse interpretations.
Tolkien Native Language Appreciation Fest 2025
This Tumblr event aims to celebrate the diversity in the Tolkien fandom by giving all creators a chance to use their creativity to explore and experiment with all languages.
Russingon Week 2025
Russingon Week is a Tumblr and AO3 event for fanworks that center a romantic or queerplatonic relationship between Maedhros and Fingon.
Tolkien South Asian Week
Tolkien South Asian Week is a fandom-wide event on Tumblr to celebrate South Asian peoples, cultures, and lives through Tolkien’s Legendarium.
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.
Beautiful Bard, like * Hearts Like The Sea * this is another very early time frame which is wonderfully written. I do like the end, very foreboding with the first thunder of doom.
Thanks Fanari. I wrote this for a "First Impressions" challenge and I liked the idea of Varda seeing the Elves she'd worked so hard for. I thought she must have been sad when she saw the Silmarils and knew the Elves had surpassed what she had seen for them.
Very nicely done! I can only imagine the first reaction of the Valar to creatures so small and seemingly weak and "constrained to one aspect"; now you've got the bunnies nibbling me! (Bad bunnies! ;) And those last lines are wonderful; I great conclusion to the piece.
I gave *you* a plot bunny? Wow! I'm speechless! Thanks so much for the kind words, Dawn, especially about the last lines. I knew what I wanted to project but had a hard time getting it to come out right. I appreciate your comments.
I'll take 'Well done', Moreth. Definitely! I was interested in the part of the Sil where it said that even though the Valar had seen what was to come when they were actually faced with it, it was like a new unforseen thing to them. I tried to imagine what it might be like from Varda's pov. I'm glad you liked this one. Thanks so much for commenting.
I'm struck by Varda's sense of the familiar ("their strength a reflection of that of my kinsmen") and then we see the alien nature of the Valar - "forms confined to one aspect" and Varda hoping that her form will put them at ease. With those words, you convey a great sense of The Other when considering the Valar.
Those last two sentences capture Varda's grief oh, so well. One can see how much she cares for the Elder Children of Iluvatar, but can she - The Other - truly understand them?
Thanks, Pandemonium! The Valar could envision the Elves but they could not know them, even after calling them to Valinor. I like to think this desire to know them and seek to understand them is what caused the Valar to want the Elves near them, and not just for selfish purposes. Then I talk to Oshun and change my mind again. lol Thanks for reading and commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed this little piece.
Beautifully wirtten. Lovely language. I completely agree this is how Varda could veiw the elves. However, if you wanna argue about the Valar, I'm up for it! However, I don't expect they see themselves as interfering and condescending! Nor would I see them as ever being intentionally ill-willed, just think there is another side of the story! (Did I mention how I love it when you write a Silm fic?)
Thanks, Oshun! I know how you love to argue about the Valar. lol I learn so much talking to you. And I'm glad you like my Silm fics. I didn't use to even consider trying to write them but thanks to you I'm getting bolder.
I wanted to leave a different note/review than I just wrote for the MEFA's, but I just read this piece twice over to take this beautiful piece in oh so slowly on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I am glad that I was able to review it on time for the MEFA's, but truly... what genre can you not write! Every time I am amazed by your skill and talents, and thanks so much for sharing this wonderful piece with us at the SWG. In a way this story woke up my muse regarding a novel set prior to the arrival of the elves (my current Nano-novel) and I really like your take on Varda, it kind of reminds me how I initially loved this Valie, but I think Vána has some dire competition now thanks to this piece. Adding this one to my fav's, oh yes!
Comments on Silver Blossoms Blown
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.