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!
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.
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.
A horrid cacophony of cries erupts ahead of them, as orcs appear—up the cliff on hidden ledges, on the path, with bows and swords. And behind them rises a figure of darkness and flame. The heat rolls down the path over them, bringing the smell of burning flesh and bitter fear with it. Someone…
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.
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.
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
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!
Angbang Week 2024
All new, unpublished fanworks about the Angbang (Melron) ship are welcome during this Tumblr event, running 6-12 May 2024.
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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.
Heh. I love the idea of Maglor bringing light to the unwashed masses, only to have them think he’s so cute with his letters. Also I kinda want to hear the song, now. You painted that (Maxfield Parrish?) image very vividly. 👌🏽😁
Thank you! I wish I could render the song, lol. No doubt it's much more elaborate than it needs to be, but also Very Touching. Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose is a John Singer Sargent painting from 1885/86 that just lives in my mind, especially when it gets warm and paper lanterns start popping up. Glad the vision worked for you.
Thank you! And Cirth being a Daeron thing, when Maglor's tengwar is just second-generation work (third, if you leave space for Rumil and Sarati), stings even more. Ha!
Funny thought that just occurred, I've often found that a sense of superiority actually stems from insecurity, and I just thought that, under all their confidence in their technological advancement, etc. might some of the Noldor not feel a bit intimidated by some aspects of the Sindar (although they wouldn't admit it, not even to themselves!)?
I love that painting too. I had a card of it when I was little and thought it was pretty, but not particularly special. Then one day in my early twenties I visited the Tate, and wandered into the gallery it's displayed in — it immediately caught my eye and I first thought that it was illuminated from behind. And then, for the first time ever, I fully understood what people were raving about. (We had none of the classics down here at the bottom of the world, and the mostly black and white reproductions in my school textbook, Gardner's Art Through The Ages, completely failed to inspire. The only originals I'd ever seen were more modern local works, and by comparison, I just didn't get why people got so excited about these dull paintings!)
But I digress, I really love what this prompt inspired and the way you evoke the mood of the painting in your descriptions.
DEFINITELY they are intimidated -- these people have stayed alive and thrived in an environment that scares the heck out of the Noldor, for all their warlike ways. But they'll never tell...
I'm glad the painting rang true for you. It's extraordinary in person, isn't it? It really does look as though it's lit from behind. Lanterns and flowers (and letters) for Maglor, tra la! <3
Comments
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.