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.
SWG News
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.
A Sense of History: Crossroads
In the ongoing series on towers in Tolkien's work, a thread runs through "The Lord of the Rings," revealing the divine assistance of Varda in the travails of the Fellowship.
New & Updated Fanworks
[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: To The Letter by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through '…
[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.
[Writing] I Stood Aside by Flora-lass
Maedhros' horror at the burning of the ships. Inspired by a painting (see notes).
[Reference] 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.
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
Within the Pages of Lore
Get your Silmarillion off of the shelf. Close your eyes, let your book fall open at random, and put your finger down on the page. Your challenge is to create a fanwork using that quote. Read more ...
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
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!
May 2024 Calls for Papers
Conferences and publications that have open calls for papers in May 2024.
Awesome Ladies by daughterofshadows
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Galadriel - wise and foolish
Galadriel is a fool and a wise woman, and sometimes one looks much like the other.
Four moments - coming to Beleriand, her studies under Melian, a dwarrow surprise, and leaving Beleriand behind.
She has always had a rebellious streak, craved more than the life in Tirion, the life in Valinor could give her.
It is no surprise she leaves when finally given the chance, even though their departure is drenched in blood.
Artanis looks at the men in her life and knows she can do better than them. She was meant to rule.
Let them see her worth beyond wisdom and beauty, let them see the strength in her bones.
It is only in Beleriand that she learns the truth.
She is as much of a fool as the rest of them.
Elu Thingol declares them kin and welcomes them to Doriath.
It is a high honour, and Galadriel finds many things in these strange woods.
She finds Celeborn, who treats her like a queen and whose wit matches her own.
Their love blooms quickly under the shadowy trees, and they will remain together through many hardships.
She also finds a mentor in Melian.
The maia has many things to say, and Galadriel learns even more from her silence.
She learns when to speak the truth, and when to keep her own counsel.
It is the most important lesson of them all.
She is the black sheep of the family, the outlier, the anomaly.
Against all odds, she survives.
Around her, her family is cut down one by one, until she is the last one left standing.
Sometimes, it feels more like a punishment than a blessing.
But there are good things, too.
Her husband is one of them. Her daughter another.
She is respected, trusted, admired.
Life still surprises her.
She doesn’t expect Gimli, doesn’t expect a dwarf and an elf to be friends, not enemies.
Galadriel gives him three strands of her hair, and a blessing.
The future looks bright.
They sit on the beach.
No longer are they lords and ladies, leaders of Middle-Earth. They are simply Galadriel and Celeborn, Elrond and Círdan.
The time of the elves comes to an end. Tomorrow, they will set sail, leaving behind these lands of pain and sorrow, of joy and hope.
Galadriel tilts her head back, letting Arien’s light warm her face.
Elrond’s voice rises above the crashing waves, quiet at first, but growing louder with each word.
“But since it fell into my lot, that I shall rise and you shall not…”
She joins him.
It is a bitter-sweet goodbye.
Chapter End Notes
The prompts were:
Galadriel +
1. Don't care what the old man say
2. Speak the Truth
3. Black sheep
4. Raise a little
The song they are singing in the last drabble is obviously Parting Glass, whichever version you like best.
I'm partial to the version by Colm McGuinness.
