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: Scavenger Hunt In this Matryoshka-with-a-twist, you will solve clues that point you to the challenge prompts.
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.
The fate of lovers has been sealed. After Aegnor pledges his love to Andreth, he seeks out council one last time from his wiser and more grounded eldest brother. However, his hopes that Finrod would join him in this newfound happiness are quickly dashed and it does not go well between the…
After the fall of Dorthonion, Edhellos (originally named in Quenya Eldalote), Angrod's wife, has chosen to move to Barad Nimras, the tower that Finrod built in the Falas on a headland west of Eglarest.
A series of half-drabbles using the one word prompts for the March/April 2025 Birthday Bash Challenge, looking at the perception of time through the eyes of Maiar (in general), Maedhros (specifically), and Aragorn and Arwen (specifically).
This is my new poetical attempt to add my own interpretation to Tolkien's Cosmology as to Eru's Creation and the Valar's minds and behind-the-scene providence reasons and mechanisms.. I often review Eä as part of our own world, just in another dimension, this is why I have always seriously…
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…
Scribbles and Drabbles 2026
Scribbles & Drabbles is a fic and art exchange with a minimum word count of 100 words.
Russingon Week 2026
A Tumblr week event focusing on the relationship between Maedhros and Fingon.
Boromir Week 2026
If you are Boromir girlies/gents/stans/simps, then this event is for you! So, come join us, and bring your fanfiction, art, gifs, moodboards, and headcanons that highlight everything you love about our Captain of Gondor!
Silmarillion Epistolary Week 2026
Silmarillion Epistolary Week is a Tumblr challenge dedicated to creating fanworks to tell the story of the Silmarillion in the style of an epistolary novel.
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.
LMAO! Enjoyed reading this a lot! It makes perfect sense too--the sewers are a dead giveaway to their presence. And it's just like Tyelpo to invent something like what the engineer brought. A very funny first chapter and I'm excited to see the other lays! ;-)
Wow, this is absolutely brilliant! Not only do you get the iambic tetrameter spot on (just like the original!), but the combination of humor and adventure (and those oft-forgotten-in-fanfic realities of life) is just perfect. I do hope that you write more of these; this was just wonderful. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Inspiration for this came from reading about sewage treatment for work while my mind kept trying to wander off into the lay of Leithian. The two sort of got tangled together. Thank you for the feedback; there will be more in this series although they're rather variable.
How original! Of course, mighty Elves had clogged pipes too but they had to be opened with Elvish grace and courage. Very funny, too. And congratulations on the versification. I am also looking forward to more chapters
Lovely and perfectly hilarious! How painful to die by the thing that you love most. ;-) By the time I reached "for your life is far more fair..." I was choking on my tea.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. For the record, I have no reason to think Glorfindel was particularly vain, but the plot bunny would not go away. Thank you for the feedback.
I find JRR Tolkein had a tendency to avoid talking about such things. I've always wondered where most of the elvish kingdoms grew their food - nargothrond is an exception, since he actually describes fields of all sorts of crops growing above ground. As for dealing with sewage, that is several ranks down from farming in photogenicity. Thank you for the feedback.
You've done it again! As a long-haired person myself, I feel for Glorfindel here. It's not so easy to cut one's long, golden locks! ;) And, you know, I can imagine this being sung aloud too!
For the record, I don't think Glorfindel was vain. As far as I can tell, wearing long hair was standard for male elves in Middle-earth and Gondolin was attacked in the middle of a festival. But sometimes a plot idea will not leave me alone, and this one was short and easy to write down. How could I avoid writing it? Thank you very much for your feedback.
This is a hoot and a half to the nth power. Perfectly timed, er, metered and phrased. My hat's off to you. And of course the Elves (especially those Noldorin engineers) would create a paean to a sewage system!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is what happens when you have to read about sewage disposal systems for work but you'd much rather be thinking about Middle-earth.
I'm glad you liked it; it was fun to write. The footnote is because I think some of the Gondolin exiles might've taken offense at a poem like this, especially as it was written by someone who wasn't there.
The fungus covered log exists because I had to find something that would rhyme with bested by a dog, and I thought there must be a lot of fungused logs in Taur-nu-fuin. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I haven't done much alliterative poetry so it was an experiment. I had noticed J.R. R tolkien used alliterative forms in some of his Lays of Beleriand so I thought I'd try it.
I haven't had a chance to catch up with these in a while, and I'm glad that I finally have! Sauron as a fungus-covered log is priceless! Your more serious pieces are also nicely done. (As for what you'd like to do with them, it is of no preference to me either way; I enjoy your poetry and so will read it however you decide to store it! :)
The fungus-covered log exists because it rhymed with bested by a dog, and I was trying to figure out what sort of thing present in Taur-nu-Fuin could possibly rhyme. I think I'll probably keep the serious pieces in here for now if there are any more of them. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm not quite sure where I got the image - it may just have been that raven rhymed with craven, and the whole idea of Morgoth as a misbegotten raven was too bizarre not to use.
How could I resist a fic where the latest part is titled "The Laundry Orc's Lament"?! These are great. Admittedly, I find myself partial to the humourous ones, as they feature some rather unusual aspects of life in M-e, but the serious ones are great too.
The lord of the sewers and Glorfindl's hair had me snickering already, and by the time I reached "the harp"I was emitting strange sounds indeed. I never quite considered the woes of a laundry orc, but that must be a tragic life indeed. The serious pieces were very nice as well, especially the one about Nargothrond (not its sewers).
I'm glad you like this - I only just spotted this review, sorry for the many-years wait. Yes, the laundry orc's life is not a happy one, happy one. (if you don't recognise this reference, check out Gil-bert and Sullivan's song A policeman's lot is not a happy one to find out what I'm talking about)
Comments on The OTHER Lays of Beleriand
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.