New Challenge: Crossroads of the Fallen King
Cross "The Silmarillion" with a second text or fandom in this month's crossover challenge.
SWG News
A Sense of History: Thálatta! Thálatta!
While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
Choose a Name for Our New Column!
Our temporarily titled "location bio" will focus on the landscapes and locations of Middle-earth. We need your help naming it!
New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Tengwar: To The Letter by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through '…
[Writing] A blip on the radar by daughterofshadows
Humanity took to the skies. Eärendil and Ilmarë adjust.
[Writing] History abandons us by AdmirableMonster
During his incarceration in Roderick Burgess' basement, Dream receives a strange, ancient visitor.
[Writing] Tengwar Acrostics by Himring
Responses to the Tengwar Challenge in which first letters spell out the name of a tengwa.
1) Early Encounter (Nerdanel, Indis)
2) Numenorean Lullaby (Almarian, Aldarion)
[Writing] Tengwar Drabbles by cílil
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
[Writing] If i get home before daylight by BloodwingBlackbird
a traveler meets a stranger at a crossroads.
Current Challenge
Crossroads of the Fallen King
Create a fanwork that crosses with a second text or fandom. Read more ...
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
New in References
Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
[]While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[]
With Gildor Inglorion we finally climb the stairs of Elostirion and look on the view, and what we see appears to reveal a hidden thread in the story of Frodo Baggins. This post reads two annotated translations of two Elvish songs to step through a crossroads in the narrative to arrive at the tower on the margin of the story, wherein is a stone that is a window onto Valinor.
Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]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.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Waybread (The Waybredlik) by Himring
[]Lembas speaks out.
[Series] Apr 1st Stories by Uvatha the Horseman
[]Once a year on April 1st, a canon character from LOTR or the Silmarillion gets pranked.
[Writing] Crossing Forest River by Dawn Felagund
[]Bilbo recounts, in verse, the attempt of Gandalf, Beorn, and him to cross the Forest River after the Battle of Five Armies. Written for the Hungarian Tolkien Society's 2024 Mailing Competition.
Around the World and Web
Mythcon 53: Fantasies of the Middle Lands
Mythcon 53 will be held 2-5 August 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the theme "Fantasies of the Middle Lands."
Teitho May/June Challenge: Joker
For the May/June Teitho challenge, you can pick ANY of our past challenges that stir your imagination and write a story or create art for it.
Monstrous May 2024
Monstrous May is a Tumblr event where, for each day of the month of May, there is a prompt involving and invoking the monstrous.
Fellowship of the Fics: Modern AU May
During May, Fellowship of the Fics offers modern AU prompt lists for setting, character occupation, and dialogue on Tumblr.
May challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The May challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic challenge: name; formal challenge: acrostic. As usual, these can be filled independently and freely combined with other prompts such as the SWG challenges. New participants welcome!
Red Crow by Lferion
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Free Flight
Elwing has a small adventure, Elrond writes a letter. A quadruple drabble and a double drabble.
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Prompts - L:O2 Lost at Sea, A:B3 Screen Painting, P:N5 Sea Shanty, F:I1 Wingfic
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Somehow, they had gotten themselves lost. Sea-lost. Storm-lost. All around Voronwe's small ship the water was like glass, hardly a ripple to rock the hull. The sky the color of gull wings, too thick to see the sun. The squall had blown up around them, batting them back and forth, round and round, until they were all soaked and dizzy and bruised. Then nothing but flat grey-white sky, flat grey-green sea. Were Osse and Uinen and their kin making a game of them? Elwing could not imagine why, but that there was some intended purpose to this was even less comforting a thought. People were expecting them. People would worry did they not return within a reasonable period. Celebrian would worry, Elrond having come with Elwing on this trip. She disliked making Celebrian worry.
Her wings itched at her shoulder blades. She thought of the great painted screen Olwe had gifted Elrond, to stand before the main hearth in the Great Hall -- Hall of Fire, as both he and Celebrian called it, though apparently little like its namesake in Imladris -- when no fires burned. Alqualonde and the near seas as they had been in star- and Tree-light, when she and Earendil had brought the Silmaril, in sunlight, and now, after the changing of the world. A beautiful thing, painted in exquisite detail, careful as a map.
It was a map. Three maps, drawn no doubt by Eonwe for the first, and Earendil for the other two. She could clearly see the third panel in her mind's eye. All she had to do was see where they were. She pulled off her mantel and let her wings manifest. Up she lept, catching the air, feeling the tug of currents as she flew higher. Familiar currents.
She circled above the ship, aware of Voronwe and Elrond's distant faces, their attention, the ship like an ink drawing on the silk ocean of the screen. There. That pair of islands like clasping hands, and there, the three dancing sisters. She knew precisely where they were. She called out, a piercing cry, and circled the ship again. Already Voronwe was was directing the oar deployment. Soon enough they were ready to follow her. As she stretched and tilted her wings, she could hear the steady, jaunty beat of Fly, Seagulls Fly, as the crew began steadily to row, the ship to move.
Home before sunset.
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Dear Atya,
Per your last -- My mother chooses not to know I write, both to you and Fingon. I choose not to make it obvious to her, but not a secret. Celebrian does know, but neither reads nor speaks of them. In any wise, you need not worry that our correspondence will be hindered, or be held against any of us.
On a happier note, I have located -- or rather Súriquessë did most of the actual searching -- all the volumes of Cemendur Oroman's "Cultivation and Husbandry at Higher Altitudes" including the separate appendix on dyestuffs, inks, paints and paper. I will send the appendix with this letter, since it is already copied and properly listed in the catalogue now. The rest will come later. Do not protest you should not have scholarly books of this sort. It is scholars, not their scholarship at issue. The bound single signature I think you will recognize, and appreciate. I certainly enjoyed putting it together for you.
Voronwe reports, and I can confirm, that the Ennor Seafarer's Guild has opened unrestricted membership to all who lived in Ennor, regardless of other status, do they meet guild requirements and agree to guild rules.
Love,
Elrond
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