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: Title Track Tolkien's titles range from epic to lyrical to metaphorical. This month's challenge selected 125 of them as prompts for fanworks.
Our Annual Amnesty Challenge: New Year's Resolution Start 2026 off with creativity! If you missed a challenge or didn't get to finish or post a challenge fanwork, complete any 2025 challenge before 15 February to receive the stamp.
As beautiful as he is dangerous, Aegnor, an elven prince, stands against the looming shadows of Angband. Brother to Galadriel, he commands the siege with a fierce intensity, a duty that exacts a heavy toll on him. Beneath the iron walls he has built lies a broken soul, haunted by a devastating…
We get together from time to time on the SWG Discord and produce spontaneous fanworks based on randomly chosen prompts. This collection includes drabbles, ficlets, and other flash fanworks produced as part of our instadrabbling sessions beginning in 2026.
Ailinel, orphan of Numenor, is one of the poor girls dowered by Tar-Ciryatan and titled a "King's Daughter", encouraged to sail East to his colonies and find herself a husband.
It doesn't take her that long.
But even after she and Shipman Gaerondur find love, life in the colony isn…
He was going to die. The molten rocks would burn him just like the cursed gem in his palm did. Maybe less painfully but still being burnt hurt and Maedhros knew it. He intimately knew it from his time in Angband where Þauron burnt him often in frustration and to toy with him and his master…
Current Challenge
Title Track
Create a fanwork using our collection of 125 titles from Tolkien's books, chapters, essays, poems, and fragments as inspiration. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Heroes
Create a fanwork about a hero, whether the typical saves-the-world type or the unlikely, unsung, and accidental, those who have been forgotten or perhaps were never noticed at all, who made their worlds a better place. Read more ...
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.
This presentation for Mereth Aderthad 2025 discusses the many similarities between Tolkien's three "twilight children," Tinúviel, Lómion, and Undómiel (Luthien, Maeglin, and Arwen) in terms of appearance, plot, and cultural background. Yet these three characters play very different roles in the text.
Presented at Mereth Aderthad 2025, this paper makes the case thata, although the term "aromantic" had not yet been coined in Tolkien's day, many of his characters can be read as aromantic. The paper takes a closer look at Aredhel, Bilbo, and Boromir as three examples of characters who can be read as aromantic.
“There’s a goblin hiding in the taters, Dad!” Pippin hefted the pan, which was much too big for him to carry, let alone wield.
Around the World and Web
March Challenge - Tolkien Short Fanworks
Tolkien Short Fanworks is running a challenge for the month of March to create a Back to Middle-earth Month themed challenge.
Tolkien Fashion Week 2026
This two-week-long Tumblr event is dedicated to honoring the world of fashion and textiles Tolkien wrote about in his books.
Celegorm and Curufin Week 2026
Celegorm and Curufin Week is a Tumblr week celebrating the relationship between Celegorm and Curufin Feanorion
Back to Middle-earth Month 2026
Back to Middle-earth Month is returning for it's 20th year with many prompts and archival efforts.
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.
The original submission actually only took me an afternoon to draw — I had a zot of inspiration at the right moment (yes it was Last Minute Panic — I'm noticing a theme here!), and I mostly just did the doodles my hand likes to do naturally. The pseudo tengwar was fun too.
The illustration inspired by the description in the fic was another matter, however, and took lots of drafts over a few months. (Although it coincided with some pretty stressful months!) The creation myth was very inspiring and also very specific, so a fun challenge. And lots of practice with pencil — although finishing it off digitally felt almost relaxing without the worry of irrevocably messing something up. (I drew the main drawing, the book, and the writing separately and bright them together in Photoshop.)
I often thought of you while I was reading the fic drafts, and was bursting to tell you about it, so here's your personal rec: I think you'll thoroughly enjoy it!
Beautiful art but also fantastic concept!! I love this, pages of a book - very inspirational! Reminds me so much of the Voynich Manuscript - beautiful! The figures in that second uh.. first one (lol), the plants, the moon phases (?) - all so so so beautiful!! <3
I'm so delighted that you like both the art and the concept! (I think someone had mentioned a manuscript on the art suggestions list, and I was fully in manuscript mode after my Bestiary of Arda"research". (wandering through wonderful rabbit warrens.)
(Ha! You must have been looking when I was updating, as I jiggled them around!)
And you're spot on, in the double page spread, the right page was inspired by the Voynich manuscript (what a trip that is!!) and the left is from a Persan manuscript (wow! are those ever so beautiful!).
And the one with the figures was inspired by the description in Chapter One of the fic — the creation myth is just so beautiful, I've wanted one for the early Edain, and what EilinelsGhost had created is just perfect.
After reading your Finrod collection (which I so thoroughly enjoyed, not just your 30 days, but all the ones I found) I'm 100% certain you're going to enjoy Atanátarissë, and I look forward to reading your comments on it. (I always enjoy your comments, btw. And thank you for comment here!)
Oh, thank you! I'm so happy the joy comes through. I really wanted to convey her description from the fic:
Iuthap [the sun/Arien] awakened too at the call of her sister and illuminated the bare world about them. She set her lips to the face of each figure and sight came into their eyes. Then she leapt laughing into the firmament to take up once more the gods’ dance in the sky.
In one of my many concept/pose sketches I just did a quick scribble without thinking too hard on it, and I just loved the whole vibe, so I really hoped I'd be able to recreate that, because sometimes I just can't!
I'm delighted you like these! I remember getting existed when I saw it on your claims list and wishing I could be geedy and have two writers, because I would have loved to read what you might have written about it every bit as much as Frankie!
Comments on Book of Lore
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.