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: Scavenger Hunt In this Matryoshka-with-a-twist, you will solve clues that point you to the challenge prompts.
Sign-Up to Hand Out Scavenger Hunt Prompts Our May challenge will be a Matryoshka built around a scavenger hunt. If you'd like to hand out prompts (and receive comments on your work for doing so!), you can sign up to do so.
New Challenge: Everyman Create a fanwork about an ordinary character in the legendarium using a quote about an unnamed character as inspiration.
Cultus Dispatches: Fanworks, AI, and Resistance by Dawn and Grundy The fan studies column Cultus Dispatches returns with a history of how Tolkien fanworks fandom has reacted and resisted generative AI by drawing strong boundaries in a way that is not typical for the fandom.
Fëanor shrugged, studying the contents of his wine glass. “Something must be done about that house. It will fall down eventually.” “It does not follow that it must be you that tears it down single-handedly. Are you sure you do not want help?” “It’s not as though I…
Erestor lay up against a tree, brown washed to black in the wet of the snow. The black disc of the new moon sailed across the dark sky. Erestor wished it were gone. He had no need to look into dark eyes any longer.
He was dying.
(AKA Erestor unwittingly travels back in time to the…
In his old age, Isildur's former esquire Ruinamacil, known to later histories only as Ohtar, writes his own account of his escape from the ambush at Gladden Fields and journey to Imladris, and the history of his friend whom Isildur ordered to flee with him.
This is my new poetical attempt to add my own interpretation to Tolkien's Cosmology as to Eru's Creation and the Valar's minds and behind-the-scene providence reasons and mechanisms.. I often review Eä as part of our own world, just in another dimension, this is why I have always seriously…
Expanding on my 2018 article "Why People Don't Comment," comment data from the SWG underscores community as an essential component to a robust commenting culture.
Eventually they arrived, and Echeleb and Dernodhos ushered Anniavas in. Dernodhos found an old thin pallet somewhere and unrolled it on the floor, made him lie down with Limral—who had immediately perked up and started sniffing the air—and went and found them a heavy piece of…
Expanding on my 2018 article "Why People Don't Comment," comment data from the SWG underscores community as an essential component to a robust commenting culture.
By definition, fanworks fandom does not draw a lot of boundaries, but community archives and events have taken a strong stance against AI-generated fanworks due to ethical considerations and member input.
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, the strange old hobbit with the wandering feet, senses something special in young Frodo the first time he sees the lad; as they become close, they find in each other a cameraderie not well understood by other hobbits. Five poignant moments between Bilbo and Frodo Baggins over the course…
Scribbles and Drabbles 2026
Scribbles & Drabbles is a fic and art exchange with a minimum word count of 100 words.
Russingon Week 2026
A Tumblr week event focusing on the relationship between Maedhros and Fingon.
Boromir Week 2026
If you are Boromir girlies/gents/stans/simps, then this event is for you! So, come join us, and bring your fanfiction, art, gifs, moodboards, and headcanons that highlight everything you love about our Captain of Gondor!
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.
FUCK I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD JUST LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THISinsert reprehensible mae joke of choice here I AM SO CONCERNED ABOUT NARRATOR I DO NOT WANT HIM TO BE CAUGHTTTTT D:
Such a powerful, intriguing opening! I love the eyes howling and warning and growling.
I also love your summary, and I've been enjoying the snippets. And I'm very much here for Harrowing inspiration and lots of tea. :) Looking forward to updates!
It's here! Excited to read this after seeing your snippets coming through on discord for a while and the first few chapters are already so compelling!
I already have so many questions about Anniavas, what the heck that artifact is, whether Maedhros and Finno know who he is or they're just acting that way around him because of some sort of ex-thrall protocol etc etec. Anyway, I've loved it so far and thank you for sharing. :) I love this sentiment so much: It’s a labor of love, and love is how we say fuck you to Angband
>It's here! >Excited to read this after seeing your snippets coming through on discord for a while and the first few chapters are already so compelling!
Delighted! thank you so much! I know I've been teasing this for a while, so I'm glad I felt able to start releasing it.
>I already have so many questions about Anniavas, what the heck that artifact is, whether Maedhros and Finno know who he is or they're just acting that way around him because of some sort of ex-thrall protocol etc etec. Anyway, I've loved it so far and thank you for sharing. :)
Thank you for commenting! we are definitely in the question-raising part of the story.
>I love this sentiment so much: It’s a labor of love, and love is how we say fuck you to Angband
I love my OCs a Very Normal Amount. and I'm glad you like this because it's something I feel like is kind of a mainstay of my soul. Maybe more Terry Pratchett than Tolkien but not un-Tolkien-esque either.
There is so much building up in this, I find my mind filled with questions that I know will be teased out in future chapters and I'm loving the mystery and also the glimpses as Anni's past memories poke through to disturb his days ... and also the warmth he feels in his interactions with Maedhros. I love that he makes friends so easily, and that they care about him.
"I know what it is like to have come from a world where everything, including affection, is no more than a barter system." So horribly relatable, which is yet another reason I'm particularly appreciating Anni's experiences of a different way of living.
This is yet more fantastic writing from you, thank you!
I'm so glad you liked this chapter. Anni is definitely getting some wish-fulfilment treatment from me (in a sense. It's not like my friends and spouse won't help me the way Anni's do, so it's not exactly wish-fulfilment in the traditional sense? But Anni definitely struggles with things I struggle with!)
And the tension mounts! and so much is revealed! I so love that Celegorm is the kennel master! And Anni's flash of memory and insight about the animating force. [shudder] And the danger of the blade shard in Mae's shoulder now. I really like that Hemmoril stayed back with Anni and brought him home. Another excellent chapter. (I don't often read serials while they're in progress because of memory issues, so I really appreciate that you always start with a "previously...")
(I'm so glad the "previously" is working for you--it was an idea that was brought up on SWG at one point, though I don't remember if you were part of the conversation--and I decided to try it out! Thanks for letting me know it's helpful!)
Such an exciting chapter! (I love how Anniavas got involved because he'd gone to check on his puppy in the storm, aww). I enjoyed Maedhros' POV, and how he and Anniavas think about each other. Looking forward to the next instalment!
Fascinating how the blade shard has magnetic properties. And more flashes of his past coming up — hmm, no wonder he knows how to operate on Maedhros Fingon is such a sweetie here, with his wary trust of Anni and soothing of Maedhros. But did Maedhros have a flash of Angband memory there too!?
Comments on The Mirror Crack'd
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.