References by Title

The Pillar and the Vastness: A Longitudinal View of the Tolkien Fanfiction Fandom by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Using the 2015 and 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data, this presentation reviews fandom demographics, use of sources, influence of the films, and use of sites and archives to post fanfiction, reviewing changes across the two data sets.

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The Plague in Gondor by MirienSilowende

Midway through the Third Age, a plague devastated Gondor before spreading northward. This element of the legendarium connects to the history of real-world plagues, namely the Black Death.

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The Rock Garden by Simon J. Cook

An early draft of Tolkien's essay on "Beowulf" used a rock garden analogy to show how the critics—who were actual people whom Tolkien knew—were responding incorrectly to the poem.

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The Stars That Varda Made by Kitt Otter

Varda kindled the stars and set them into patterns. Many of these stars the Professor named in Elvish, but which real-life stars was he referring to?

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The Textual Ghosts Project by Elleth

The Textual Ghosts Project is a list of the women who must have existed by inference, acting on the assumption that all characters (excepting the Ainur and the first-awakened Elves at Cuiviénen) must have had mothers and those with offspring also must have had wives.

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The Tolkienian War on Science by Dr. Joan Bushwell

Biochemist and long-time Tolkien fan, Doc Bushwell argues that the events and ideas expressed in Tolkien's works often demonstrate a strong disdain for science and technology.

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Theorycrafting: Interview with Scedasticity of the "Silmarillion Headcanon Survey" by Scedasticity and Dawn Felagund

The Silmarillion Headcanon Survey is a sprawling project that seeks to document where fans fall on various fan theories. Lead researcher Scedasticity discusses its inspiration, what it shows of the fandom, and what lies ahead for the project.

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Thingol by oshun

Elu Thingol is one of the three elves, along with Ingwë and Finwë, chosen by Oromë to go to Valinor and eventually lead his people across the sea. However, he never made it back to Valinor and instead reigned as the Sindarin king on Doriath.

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Things Tolkien Fanfiction Readers and Writers Like to Do (Other Than Fanfiction) by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Tolkien fanfiction writers and readers are involved in fandom in ways other than fanfiction. What else do they do and what patterns can we find in their preferences, using Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data?

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Thorondor, Lord of the Eagles by oshun

Thorondor, called the Lord of the Eagles, is the mightiest among the feathered messengers and guardians who served Manwë in Middle-earth.

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Thranduil by Scarlet10

Thranduil, best known as "the Elvenking" in The Hobbit, appears throughout various texts in Tolkien's writings and has been subject to myriad fan interpretations.

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Thuringwethil by oshun

Thuringwethil is a villain who appears in the tale of Beren and Lúthien. For a relatively obscure character, who appears only briefly and is mentioned but four times by name in The Silmarillion, she is known among readers and perhaps viewed as an intriguing creature or one whom readers love to hate.

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Tinfang Warble by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Tinfang Warble is a character who fits best in the early, whimsical fairy-story mode of the Lost Tales before receding to a figure of folklore and legend and finally disappearing altogether.

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Tolkien, His Gnarly Canon, and His Authority by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data from 2015 and 2020 shows that Tolkien fans have diverse views on Tolkien's authority but suggests that adherence to his authority is decreasing over time.

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Tolkien, Lunatic Physicists, and Abnegation by Cynthia (Cindy) Gates

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.

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Tulkas by Dawn Felagund

Tulkas evolved from Tolkien's early work on the Silmarillion from a playful, youthful character to a character more associated with unapologetic violence.

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Tuor by oshun

Tuor may be less well-known among the larger Tolkien fandom than other Silmarillion characters like Elrond, Galadriel, Sauron, or perhaps even Fëanor or Maglor. His role, however, is to provide a crucial link between the tales of the Elder Days and the culmination of the story of the Elves in Middle-earth and the ascendancy of the age of Men which is recounted in The Lord of the Rings.

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Turgon the Wise by oshun

In the early parts of the published Silmarillion, Turgon is overshadowed by the impressive feats of heroism of his elder brother Fingon. Later in the narrative of the First Age, however, it is Turgon of all of the House of Finwë, save perhaps Fëanor, who receives the most page space, due to his role as the king of Gondolin.

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Túrin by firstamazon

Túrin's life illustrates Tolkien's concept of dyscatastrophe: an unexpected turn toward the tragic. The first part of this three-part biography of Túrin considers the early tragedies and downfalls of his life, through his years as an outlaw.

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Túrin, Part 2 by firstamazon

Túrin's tale is the lengthiest and one of the most tangled of the tales that make up The Silmarillion. This section considers the center part of Túrin's life, after his exile from Doriath but before he fell into utter ruin, a time defined by friendship and honor rather than ruinous choices.

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Túrin, Part 3 by firstamazon

The final installment of Túrin's biography considers his life in Nargothrond, his return to Dor-lómin and time in Brethil, his fateful marriage to Nienor, his battle with Glaurung, and the ever-disastrous consequences of all of these, culminating in his death by his own hand.

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Twenty-Two Words You Never Thought Tolkien Would Provide by darthfingon

Some of Tolkien's earliest word lists include terms for words that provide sometimes surprising insights into the habits and cultures of the Elves.

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Twilight, Child Of: Comparisons Between Tinúviel, Lómion, and Undómiel by JazTheBard

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.

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Uinen by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Over the course of Tolkien's development of the legendarium, Uinen evolved from a morally murky nature deity to a protector of Arda's mariners.

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Ulfang and Uldor by Himring

Ulfang and his sons, of whom Uldor is the most prominent, are notorious for their betrayal of the Fëanorians during the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Their early association with dark coloration and betrayal introduces questions of how characters of color are depicted in the legendarium and in-universe textual history.

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