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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lol! I loved the twins in this chapter and the fondness they show for Caranthir. I have always wondered their age as well since it doesn't really say. But for some reason I always had this idea that they were a bit immature.
I've read this before and I really enjoyed reading this both times! I just love how you paint Caranthir here with the typical Noldorin pride. Ninglorin is more than a match for him, I think, with her calm but "deep" personality.
I really enjoy the "culture" clash of the Nandor and the Noldor here and you did a very good job in fleshing this out. The Feanorian fancrone in me especially loved the "first meeting" of Caranthir and Ninglorin, and had to smile at how jealous and protective he was of her.
The scene where Caranthir is thinking about the oath and that he is a prisoner in his own body was quite dramatic and the mention of Nerdanel was very sweet. Maedhros' custom of the order of eating sounds so plausible as well. I just love your Feanorians!
Oh I really, really enjoyed the interaction of Caranthir (who I usually imagine as grim) with the Ambarussa! I can't imagine the twins as very serious either since they have older brothers for that sort of thing. ;-D I liked the Ambarussa's "philosophy" here and their merciless teasing and tickling of their serious, love-sick brother.
What a delightful scene! It reminds me a lot of Pride and Prejudice! It's good that she did not accept him though to teach him a lesson. Very, very good stuff you've got here.
Delightful character sketch of Maglor, especially in her POV. I really like how you manage to bring out the individual personalities of the Feanorians.
I'm positively melting--this chapter is so romantic! Caranthir's lines are fit for a movie! I also loved the details you placed like the wedding and bethrothal customs. It's good that he got to chat with Maglor!
The chapter has such an ominous ending, but it's well worth reading! The scene with the Feanorians was most enjoyable, even if it was a bit tense. I like the sibling "hierarchy" in play there, especially the plausible way you painted Curufin.
A heart-breaking end to their romance. It's just like Caranthir to seek out the "secret passages". You painted a very good picture of how the Doriath kinslaying could have happened, especially the Feanorian "blood lust". I liked the words you wrote for Celegorm's speech and the reaction of the Feanorians to it. The battle between Caranthir and Celeborn was very exciting to read as well.
I just included this in my list of favorites! Very, very well done! The quotes from the books were fantastic, the details and the Feanorian personality quirks were very plausible and yes, this story is very, very believable. The fate of Ambarussa explains very well why they were the ones who led the attack in Sirion. All in all, you've managed to weave all of these components into one very enjoyable story!
The ending too was priceless--at least they'd be together and so very apt for the title. I like Ninglorin very much-- she's a very strong, interesting OFC and more than a match for Caranthir. Their sojourn in the East is a good gap-filler I think since there were many unaccounted years during the siege. I'm going to read all your stuff after this. Thanks for sharing this lovely story.
I've been vaguely aware of this story for years, now, but for some reason I never got around to reading it. Which I regret, because it's excellent - very well-written!
I love the dynamic you set up between Caranthir and Ninglorrin, Caranthir's haughtiness making him unable to admit his feelings, and she in turn is a strong, well-rounded character who is clearly his 'match' and she fits so seamlessly into the setting of Beleriand in the First Age. The tension between them is well done, too.
This is just so well-written - the bit about the apples, or Caranthir babbling about the deer... it's the sort of dramatic humour I want to emulate in my own writing. I hope one day I can write a romantic drama which is as engaging and enjoyable to read as this was.
Comments on Whispering Winds
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.