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.
Very sad, but bittersweet. I like the last four lines very much. I also in my Fingon/Maedhros come back again and again, that under other circumstances he would have made a very good king and that Fingon, in fact, believes that strongly and mourns it along with other things Maedhros lost.
Thanks, Oshun!I actually thought those last four lines were kind of cheesy, but I couldn’t think of another way to do it.I agree that, if the circumstances had been right, Maedhros probably would have been an excellent king (and as all I seem to write lately are AUs, I may have to explore that idea further someday).I’m very grateful that you reviewed this story (again!) – it’s nice to get feedback from someone who seems to be as passionate about Maedhros as I am.:D
Your story most certainly belongs to that kind of fiction that always leaves me awed. And it's not only for the fact that I do have a soft spot for Maedhros. (I believe he's one of the most fascinating characters -- and I agree that he would have been a great king.) My hat's off to you for giving us a great, truly moving portrayal of Fingon.
Heart-breaking, sad, and wonderfully written story, and I marvel at its poetic style.
Wow. That’s a lot of very flattering comments... you’ve really made my day.I’d like to say that I, too, “have a soft spot for Maedhros” but that would be a rather drastic understatement.And it’s worth all the time I’ve devoted to him, when I get reviews as lovely as this one.Thank you very much.
I played around a lot with phrasing and word-flow in this story, so I am glad to hear that it worked out.Characterizing in such a short piece can really be a challenge (especially for minor characters like Maglor), as you have to convey so much with so few words... so I’m glad you think I did well with that.Thank you so much for reviewing; there is nothing I love more than knowing that a writer who I respect has enjoyed my work.
Feta, I regret having missed this when you first posted it! I think you did a really nice job with this: with the rather otherworldly feel and, of course, the courage and love (and political intrigue!) that makes the Finwions so fascinating.
What a subtle, sad, and yet sweet AU ficlet! Maedhros may have lost his beauty and his mental stability (although the latter is debatable), but he's kept something far more precious - Fingon's love. The real orcs are those who don't understand the healing power to be found in love.
Comments on Flawed
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.