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.
Indy, I fell in love with this plot bunny the moment you brought it up. What a wonderful way to reconcile such a sad situation. I love this, not just because of its creativity, and not to mention its heresy, but I love the very realistic way you have portrayed a polyamorous relationship. I love how you showed them in their everyday lives, and the friendship between all three of them, and that it's very much a part of the love too. I loved how the women really seemed to have the upper hand in this, and that it wasn't Finwe forcing them together. And the idea of Feanor having two mothers is spectacular. This rings very true, especially to someone who has been close friends with people who do live an alternate lifestyle like polyamorory. I love how much thought you put into this. The imagery is gorgeous, and the bits of humor make it even more poigniant and meaningful.
This has always, and always will be, a story I treasure and enjoy reading again and again. Lovely work, Indy!
Thank you so much, Roisin! I figured that if I'm making it AU by the triad, I may as well go all the way and give it a happy ending.
I'm glad you find the relationship realistic, because it can be difficult to portray. I couldn't have Finwë be the driving force, because it didn't ring true (and it gives off some dubious vibes). Plus, I wanted to focus on the Mírel/Indis relationship because I know you like femslash. I can't see either one of the women being shrinking violets-- they married the king of the Noldor! (And Indis loved him enough to cause him to take it to the Valar. Strong woman to go against society.)
What an awesome, creative, idea! This was a wonderful way to retell a sad story into one I feel is plausible and enjoyable. I like the idea of Indis and Miriel being lovers. I have never seen anyone approach those two characters that way but I really like it a lot. Great job!
I hadn't read this before reading about it in your comments to MEFA. I have to tell you that I loved this angle in this relationship. I've never seen this approach before and I can see how well the concept works through your words. I love the unexpected. Thanks for writing this.
Thank you! Threesome/moresome relationships in this fandom are unfortunately rare, so that was part of my motivation in writing it. Mostly, it was just a fun idea, so I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I have to tell you that I love this! Just...they're all so happy. I love Finwë/Miriel/Indis in a happy working relationship together, and this is so good.
And I'm so glad that Elleth pointed this out to me, and that you wrote it. I sound like an utterly idiotic fangirl, but this is one of my fav three pairings. It's so rare, and I adore this fic.
Thank you so much! Half the reason I wrote it was because I wanted a happy ending. (I actually have a sequel to this, written during B2MeM earlier this year, but haven't edited it yet. Next year, hopefully.) No such thing as an utterly idiotic fangirl here; squee makes fandom what it is. But I must ask-- in sheer amazement and desire-- where are the other fics with this triad?! Again, thank you! :D
This story is just so cute and sweet and perfect I can't handle it! I just loved the interactions between Miriel and Indis - and that last scene with Feanor was adorable :)
Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! (This story sometimes makes me feel like the red-headed stepchild of fandom, but it's one of my personal favorites of the ones I've written. So I'm always thrilled to see that other people like it.)
Not knowing this was an AU outside of the relationship--I came to it via a link of Elleth's list of femslash stories--my breath caught when I realized that this change in detail had given the House of Finwe a happy ending. What a beautiful moment and a lovely surprise!
And the heretic in me adores the fact that this came about through the loosening of the constraints of the Valar, that their too-strict rules would have been what created the discomfort with Finwe's "complicated" (not at all by real-world standards, of course, but I think we're seeing more than a little of JRRT's Catholicism at work here) family situation, that all of the parties involved could have been content with greater acceptance of how things are versus prescriptive notions of how things should be.
I loved the bit of verse for the love scene. This was just perfect to me, for reasons I can't quite articulate. :)
Thank you! The summary doesn't give that much away (maybe, at this point I don't know), and to hear that you hadn't even had *that* and it worked for you? I'm thrilled. And I couldn't resist giving them a happy ending; it was pretty much the point, actually. Change one detail and things spin out from it.
It's definitely part and parcel of Tolkien's Catholicism. But things aren't easy in the world-- real or imaginary-- and trying to put people in boxes and define their behavior by "what should be" rather than what is often leads to harm. And with the House of Finwë… Well, we get the Silm.
I'm glad to hear that. The scene was the bit I was most nervous about (I was nervous (and still am, in some ways) about the whole story), and it's also the most explicit I'm capable of writing.
Comments on A Kind of Poetry
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.