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.
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…
“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…
Aldarion storms off towards Middle-earth. For the Title Track challenge.
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
Circle of Life
Create a fanwork that addresses the question of life, (im)mortality and reincarnation, or re-embodiment. 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.
Yesss this suits him so well! Lying Maglor with his lying tongue...And the siren taking the form of the Silmaril! Excellent emphasis on how sirens' temptations are not all beautiful women and sex appeal. (Also how even now, trying to return home, Maglor can STILL be tempted with the sight of a Silmaril!) I would definitely read more of this AU from you eue
I'll be honest, I forgot anyone thought the sirens were about sex appeal. They're just weird, sad bird-women. Which would also be an Interesting encounter for Maglor...
You've got me thinking about Heather's "Earendil seduced by mermaids" fic and Earendil getting sexed up by some hot mermaids and sharing the experience with his wife via osanwe vs. Maglor's sad weird bird-woman encounter sounds about right for them XD
A very clever take on Maglysseus's out-sirening a siren!
I love the language you used for it, a touch of the epic!
Maybe I should have a closer look, but after the first reading it seemed to me that you might have left it a bit ambiguous, deliberately, whether this is actually the curse and the silmaril re-surfacing or whether there is an animate malicious being, like a mythological siren, trying to delude Maglor?
I felt in any case the outcome was a real victory.
Thank you! You need not take a closer look, you're quite right that it's ambiguous :). Perhaps it would be less so in a longer scene. Though I was surprised to find/be reminded that the Sirens episode in the actual Odyssey is about the same length as this ficlet. (Also that it's narrated by Odysseus in first person, hence the choice here). It's certainly made an imaginative impact for only a handful of lines of the poem.
It seems like little more than a diversion along the way for Odysseus; I think I made it more significant for Maglor and yes, a victory. I'm glad you enjoyed!
Comments on Siren Song
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.