The title question probably seems obvious, and doubtlessly some of you answered it in your head with things like, "a Tolkien book published posthumously in 1977" or "the early history of Tolkien's legendarium." Because we are a "Silmarillion" archive (and yes, the use of quotes and not italics is intentional!1), this question also becomes a matter of policy for us. In the early years of our archive, we called it our MFAQ—most frequently asked question—because we were asked it more often than any other: "Is this story 'Silmarillion' enough for your site?" or "What counts as the 'Silmarillion' anyway?"

This has reduced somewhat as the fandom has come to better understand what The Silmarillion actually is (a compiled, edited, posthumous book) versus the decades of work (and reams of drafts and notes) Tolkien put into a text he never managed to see to fruition. Most fans are very comfortable letting all that fall under "Silmarillion" material. Tolkien fandom has become more comfortable with fuzziness, whether in defining what counts as "canon" or in the boundaries that exist between the texts in the legendarium.

Once upon a time, there was a common misconception that "Silmarillion" meant First Age and earlier. Our annual Akallabêth in August challenge and the 2009 Akallabêth in August compilation was intended to push back against this misunderstanding and spotlight the creators making incredible Second Age fanworks, who often felt marginalized in their own fandom. But of course the "Silmarillion" includes a substantial amount of the Third Age as well. Our MFAQ defines this as "any Third Age that is not covered in detail in The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings," which leaves a lot of ground to be covered. Furthermore, fanworks that include materials from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings certainly aren't verboten—they just need "a significant basis in or connection to The Silmarillion."

Our MFAQ includes a checklist that helps you determine what that means. (Spoiler alert: It is not a hard bar to clear for us.) If you have Third Age or other "borderline" fanworks that you've thought about posting with us, check it out! Chances are that we'd welcome your work. You can read the full FAQ on how we define "Silmarillion fanworks" here.

As with just about everything we do, we aim to include rather than exclude, to expand rather than limit. While we are a "Silmarillion" site, our purpose has never been to draw hard lines between "Silmarillion" and "everything else," and for us, a "maybe" is almost guaranteed to be a "go for it." If you ever have questions about whether a work is appropriate for our site, start with our MFAQ and then reach out to the mods if you need further guidance.


  1. First newsletter with footnotes! In Tolkien scholarship, the convention has become to refer to the published text as The Silmarillion and the body of work comprising the early legendarium as the "Silmarillion." Since we aim for inclusivity and expansiveness whenever we can, we opt for the "Silmarillion," as that sweeps in a whole range of posthumous works, appendix materials, etc. (although usage across the site is likely inconsistent on this point. The inclusivity stands.)

SWG News

Character of the Month: Eönwë
This month's biography focuses on Eönwë, who started with a variety of identities but settled into the role of Manwë's herald, exemplifying the values of strong leadership and justice.

Instadrabbling Sessions for October, November, and December
Instadrabbling continues on the first Saturday of each month on our Discord server.

New Challenge: Stars
Create a fanwork using star-themed prompts presented in a bingo board format.

Cultus Dispatches: Trends in Fandom Entry Year
The films inspired a lot of fanfiction, yes, but exactly how fanfiction authors interacted with them predicts who remains in the fandom for long durations.

New Fanworks

In the Gardens of Lórien by gaydhros [Writing]

“Can you wait that long?” Findekáno asks.

“Yes,” snaps Maitimo , though in truth he is not so sure. His bladder is ridiculously full, swollen and aching, jostling around uncomfortably with every step he takes. It takes a concerted effort of will not to squirm around awkwardly or grab himself between the legs each time the urgency spikes. He glances at Findekáno. “Stop enjoying this so much.”

***

The Gardens of Lórien are one place in Aman Maitimo absolutely, unequivocally, cannot piss. He will have to find a creative solution to this predicament.

Read more ...

When the Leaves Fall Golden by Dagstjarna [Writing]

Celebrimbor reflects on his life and his childhood in Tirion. 

Read more ...

Bury Me to Release Your Splendor by annarobots [Writing]

“Do you know what grows on the shores of the southern isles? A trading-merchant might bring many strange specimens to our lands, like nothing I have ever seen. In recent days, I have tasted a ripe fruit with firm flesh that parted beneath my tongue in a burst of liquid sweetness. So moist, so yielding, its juices dripped down my chin like fragrant honey. Have you ever known such succulence?”

Fingon’s wife has arranged a special surprise for the Lord of Himring.

Or: everyone’s cool with a little ethical nonmonogamy until someone throws a temporary sex change into the arrangement. Lord Maedhros loves Fingon with all his heart, that is known. But how will he react to Fingwen?

Read more ...

these, our bodies, possessed by light by atlantablack [Writing]

The first time Curufin kisses Finrod, it is to provoke.

There is no deeper meaning to it. Only a cousin with a pleasant smile and mild words; only Curufin's unending need to break things and a violence that has been hanging from his fists since they stepped into these caves.

He expects Finrod to reel back with disgust, expects him to be scandalized, to be offended, to narrow his eyes, maybe even to threaten. He does not expect for Finrod's mouth to open beneath his, Finrod's hands coming up to fist in his robes and pull him close. He bites at Finrod's lip savagely, and Finrod bites harder, smiling into the kiss when copper bursts bright between them.

It really only continues escalating from there.

Read more ...

The Skin of Your Mother Before You by gaydhros [Writing]

But Aredhel knew better than her mother; she was stronger, she was more willful, she was enlightened. She would not make the same mistakes Anairë had made. She would find a way to do it all differently.

***

Re-embodied in Aman, Aredhel struggles to come to terms with all that has changed, and all that has not.

Read more ...

Life, Like a Face Between Your Palms by gaydhros [Writing]

Fingon understood that hope was a choice. It was careful and deliberate, and it was hard, and the times when having hope seemed the most impossible were the times one had to choose it over and over again, every second of every day. This was the fundamental truth at the core of Fingon’s beliefs, the centre around which he understood the world and his place in it.

Very seldom did he waver in this conviction more than he did in the months following the Dagor Bragollach.

***

Fingon inherits the crown. Maedhros comes to Barad Eithel in the hour of his grief. Together, they figure out a way to move forward.

Read more ...

The Day Transcending Night by StarSpray [Writing]

The Rings have been forged. The armies of Mordor are marching into Eriador. Eregion burns. 

Far away from it all, by the shores of the Sea, Celegorm remembers his name.

Read more ...

Updated Fanworks

Where I can't follow you by Novenoe [Writing]

Eärendil and Elwing reflect upon their personal and political future during a very long and intimate night

Read more ...

A Thousand Winds that Blow by StarSpray [Writing]

When uneasy dreams bring him back into Beleriand, Daeron finds a pair of twins who have lost their home, and an enemy who has lost himself. The Shadow's reach is growing ever longer, and if they are to survive, they must do it together.

Read more ...

The Spruce Tree by Dagstjarna [Writing]

A young Celegorm and Curufin befriend an old Spruce tree. 

Read more ...

From That Rubble by StarSpray [Writing]

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 have much else to do. I need to build something new there,” he said after a few moments. “To do that, I must first clear away the old and broken things.”

Decades out of Mandos, too many things in Fëanor's life remain broken. He can't do anything except wait for his sons to come to him, but he can do something about the old and crumbling house where they once lived. 

Read more ...

The Mirror Crack'd by AdmirableMonster [Writing]

Rescued from a brutal Angband hunt, an ex-thrall with a strange and powerful artifact embedded in his spine is brought to Himring, for it is one of the only places in Beleriand which welcomes such folk. Though he has no memories of his life before, Anniavas slowly becomes accustomed to his new life and finds he has a queer connection with Maedhros, Himring's lord. As their intimacy grows, however, so do the dangers surrounding them, both without and within. What secrets are hidden inside the depths of Anniavas's lost memories--and how will those with whom he is forging and deepening bonds react, when those secrets are at last revealed?

Read more ...

The Seven Gates by Laerthel [Writing]

The impossible happened: a Silmaril has been stolen from Morgoth’s crown. Maedhros decides to reunite the People of Beleriand against the Enemy and attack him while he is still unprepared, which is by no means less impossible. Meanwhile, in the hidden city of Gondolin, Lord Glorfindel of the Golden Flower pursues the meaning of his recurring dreams – only to realize that he is not the only one to see them...

|| A novel-length canon gapfiller on the Union of Maedhros, the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and the downfall of the Sons of Feanor; plus my take on what could have been going on in Gondolin between the Bragollach and the Nirnaeth. ||

Read more ...

Beyond the Silmarillion Fanworks

IN THE SHIRE-RECKONING by Diane Finnis-Robb [Writing]

-This novel was completed for Hobbit Day 2026 and will be updated in serialized fashion here as I make final edits; so feedback is very much welcome.

-It is a multi-generational novel spanning the fgormation of the Shire to the Great Plague Year Thirty-six and focuses on the origins of an old feud between the Bucks and the Tooks.

Read more ...

For a Better World by Ellynn [Writing]

Thirteen years before the War of the Ring, an orcling — more intelligent and more curious than most — is born in Mordor. His curiosity will lead him to both incredible discoveries and perilous situations, all of which will shape him into a leader unlike any Mordor has ever known. But to become that leader, he must defeat all his rivals, especially the most abhorrent of them all — his enemy since earliest childhood.

Read more ...

Around the World and Web

Silm Smut Week 2026
Silm Smut Week is a Tumblr event celebrating sexually explicit fanworks.

Oritober 2026
A gen and safe for work event celebrating Middle Earth's favorite dwarf scribe!

Erestober 2026
An event running throughout October, to show appreciation for Erestor!