Newest References

Quennar i Onótimo by Himring

One among Tolkien's several fictional loremasters, Quennar was briefly an intermediary between Rúmil and Pengolodh and later attested as the loremaster who wrote on the reckoning of time by the Elves, a role that overlaps with the medieval historiography familiar to Tolkien.

Published on 1 September 2018.

Femslash Is a Political Act (and Other Observations of Tolkien Fandom's Genre Non Grata) by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that femslash—the Tolkien fandom's youngest genre—has grown in popularity with readers, while authors may use it to share and reflect on experiences of marginalization.

Published on 19 February 2023.

Review of "The Fall of Númenor" by Lyra

The Fall of Númenor conveniently compiles the majority of Tolkien's Second Age materials in a single volume alongside delightful new art from Alan Lee, making it an immensely useful publication.

Published on 16 February 2023.

The Fall of Gondolin Reflected in History by MirienSilowende

The Fall of Gondolin has historical antecedents in sacks of cities in the ancient and medieval world, all featuring military destruction and a grievous impact on innocent civilian survivors.

Published on 21 January 2023.

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.

Published on 26 January 2023.

"Promote What You Love": An Interview with Elleth by Elleth, Dawn Felagund

After discovering an interest in female characters and femslash, Elleth used her enthusiasm for these fanworks to run multiple events that helped the Tolkien fandom undergo its transformation from dismissal of women characters to accepting and even celebrating fanworks about them.

Published on 23 December 2022.

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.

Published on 16 December 2022.

Galadriel: Parallels among Women in History and Literature by MirienSilowende

Tolkien may have taken inspiration for Galadriel's character—an outspoken queen figure—from literary and historical figures like Circe, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Joan of Arc.

Published on 9 December 2022.

Mîm by oshun

Mîm was one of the Petty-dwarves and a particularly sad footnote in the tale of Túrin.

Published on 1 November 2007.

Fandom Voices: Women in Fanworks by Dawn Walls-Thumma

The fandom has become a friendlier place for writing women, but its hostile history toward women-centric fanworks continues to exert a chilling effect for some, while other creators see potential in the legendarium and fandom's traditional lack of women characters.

Published on 25 November 2022.

Fandom Voices: Impact of the Films by Dawn Felagund

The Tolkien fandom existed long before Jackson's film trilogies were even thought about. Fans who were active in fandom before one or both film trilogies recall how the films changed (or didn't change) their fan communities and experiences.

Table of Contents

Published on 13 May 2022.

Sieges in the First and Second Ages by S.R. Westvik

From ancient times to the present, siege warfare has been used to wear down an enemy through time and deprivation. Siege tactics, defense against a siege, and humanitarian concerns from real-world sieges have analogues in sieges in Middle-earth.

Published on 18 November 2022.

Power and Choice in the Second Age: A Political Primer by S.R. Westvik

Fantasy fiction is often conceived to aid escapism in a world as complex and threatening as ours is. It is also an important tool for reflecting on and critiquing our political and societal norms and deficits, serving as a great lens to understand politics, power, choice, order, and justice. Through the lens of political science, underused in Tolkien studies, this paper describes and evaluates the broad themes of the domestic and international political landscape of early Second Age in Middle-earth, examined through a framework of power and choice. With a specific focus on Númenor as a rising power, the paper will also address diverse themes of great power politics, foreign policy, technology and weaponry, ideology, and alliance systems.

Published on 1 March 2020.

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.

Published on 1 November 2022.

Writing Women in Tolkien Fanfiction: An Analysis of the Data by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Data from the Tolkien Fanfiction Surveys shows how time, demographics, and platform choice influence how fanfiction authors regard writing about women.

Published on 29 October 2022.

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.

Published on 14 October 2022.

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.

Published on 30 September 2022.

Who Are We? Tolkien Fanfiction and Demographics by Dawn Walls-Thumma

When you picture a Tolkien fanfiction writer, who comes to mind? The Tolkien Fanfiction Surveys of 2015 and 2020 provide insight on who is present in the fandom and which fans are missing.

Published on 24 September 2022.

On Oaths by Angelica

Oaths were a part of the history of many cultures across time and feature heavily in the legendarium as well.

Published on 9 September 2022.

A Tribute to the Library of Moria by Dawn Felagund, Himring, and Talullah

As the Library of Moria prepares to close its doors, we look back at twenty years of the archive's history and consider the ways that the Library contributed to making slash and femslash a part of mainstream Tolkien fanworks fandom.

Table of Contents

Published on 30 July 2022.

The Easterling Hostages in Middle-earth and Their Parallels in Welsh Medieval History by MirienSilowende

The use of hostages as a political strategy in Third Age Gondor has historical parallels in medieval Welsh history, and the bloody outcome of the real history may explain some of the tensions between the Easterlings and Gondorians as Sauron's power grew.

Published on 18 August 2022.

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.

Published on 5 August 2022.

Elemmakil by Narya

Introduced relatively late in Tolkien's work on the legendarium, Elemmakil escorts Tuor to Gondolin, drawing on archetypes from elsewhere in folklore and the legendarium.

Published on 3 June 2022.

Review of "The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien" by Grundy

The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien is a collection that pays homage not only to the extraordinary achievement of Christopher Tolkien's work on the legendarium but that acknowledges him as a person and scholar whose impact ranged beyond the borders of Middle-earth.

Published on 15 July 2022.

Bór by Himring

As one of the loyal Easterlings during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Bór and his sons reflect Tolkien's development of lands and peoples beyond Beleriand.

Published on 1 July 2022.