Newest References

Cauldron of Fanfic: The Use of Jackson's Films in Constructing Tolkien-Based Fanfiction by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Peter Jackson's film trilogies become one of several text that writers of Tolkien-based fanfiction use in constructing their stories. This article considers how they select and use details from the films as inspiration, the reconcile the films and books, and to critique the films.

Published on 18 June 2022.

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Telchar of Nogrod by Lindariel

Telchar emerges in some of Tolkien's early writings but remains elusive, despite his status as a great Dwarven smith. However, some of what is known about his character is revealed in his creations.

Published on 5 May 2022.

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Point of View and In-Universe Authorship of the "Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Who wrote The Silmarillion? This paper briefly discusses the evidence from Morgoth's Ring that supports the idea that that "Silmarillion" narrator is Elven.

Published on 16 April 2022.

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Maedhros by oshun

Maedhros is one of the most popular—and controversial—characters in The Silmarillion. The first part of this two-part biography considers his early years, before his capture and torment by Melkor, and how he was shaped by his years in Aman, his impetuous father, and the mediating influence of Nerdanel.

Published on 8 April 2022.

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Becoming Bookverse: Jackson's Films as an Initiation Point for Tolkien's Book Fandom by Dawn Walls-Thumma

As the debut of Amazon's Rings of Power series approaches, fans wonder how their Tolkien fandom communities will be changed by the new show. Using Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data, this article makes the case that, while Tolkien-based media franchises bring new fans to the fanfiction fandom, the stories those fans write become almost wholly book-based.

Published on 26 March 2022.

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A Sudden Outcry: The Tolkien Estate and Fanworks by SWG Newsletter Staff

In March 2022, the Tolkien Estate opened a newly designed website, including an FAQ that left fans asking: Did the Tolkien Estate just ban fanworks? We use the Estate's history, along with copyright law, to make the case that fans have nothing to fear.

Published on 11 March 2022.

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Ossë by Dawn Walls-Thumma

One of the longest-enduring characters in the legendarium, Ossë evolved over the decades from a perilous character adjacent to Melkor himself to a figure both dangerous and benevolent.

Published on 3 March 2022.

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Burning in the House: Éowyn's Outcry and the Death of Aerin by Himring

In an attempt to allow widely separated parts of the Legendarium to throw light on each other, Aerin's final acts are compared to the imagery in which Éowyn's expresses her concerns in The Lord of the Rings. The relevant passages share the motif of the burning house. The handling of this motif suggests authorial sympathy with Éowyn's plight.

Published on 22 June 2018.

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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.

Published on 22 September 2021.

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A Woman in Few Words: The Character of Nerdanel and Her Treatment in Canon and Fandom by Dawn Walls-Thumma

A review of the canon facts available on Nerdanel and discussion of why she remains so popular with fans despite her scarce appearances in the texts.

Published on 15 January 2008.

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Stars Less Strange: An Analysis of Fanfiction and Representation within the Tolkien Fan Community by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Originally presented at the 2021 Tolkien Society Seminar "Tolkien and Diversity," this paper considers the historical and current use of fanfiction to address issues of representation in Tolkien’s canon.

Published on 27 July 2021.

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Idril Celebrindal by Lindariel

Idril Celebrindal's footprint in the canon is light and hard to discern beyond the bare bones given in The Silmarillion and The Fall of Gondolin, yet she exists at the epicenter of the most ancient and shifting ground of Tolkien's entire legendarium.

Published on 4 July 2021.

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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.

Published on 3 June 2021.

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As I Say and As I Do: Negotiating Transformational Impulses in Tolkien-Based Fanfiction by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Data from the 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey shows that, while authors and readers of Tolkien-based fanfiction are growing more comfortable with perceiving their work as having a critical purpose, they are still more likely to describe fanfiction as literary criticism when the process is not depicted as a challenge to Tolkien's authority as the author.

Published on 2 June 2021.

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Ox Bones and Silver Ladles: The Construction of the Ainulindalë by Dawn Walls-Thumma

The deus faber and demiurgic motifs of creation mythology are used in the Ainulindalë, selected and manipulated by Tolkien to advance ideas that rest at the foundation of the legendarium.

Published on 10 April 2021.

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Tar-Minastir by oshun

A man of his times, Tar-Minastir perpetuated Númenórean policies of the past and foreshadowed those that would follow.

Published on 30 April 2021.

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Galdor of Gondolin by oshun

Galdor of the Tree appears in The Book of Lost Tales, in the story of the Fall of Gondolin, a notable supporting character in this central tale of the legendarium.

Published on 3 April 2021.

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Voronwë by oshun

Voronwë, a Noldorin Elf of Gondolin, plays a pivotal role in the story of Gondolin and, more specifically, of Tuor.

Published on 1 November 2015.

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Vëantur by oshun

Vëantur is the first and foremost among the early mariners and shipbuilders of Númenor and the first to renew contact between the island of Númenor and the peoples of Middle-earth. He is crucial in leading to the Númenóreans' self-definition as a seafaring people and masters of the vast seas of Arda to the east of its island kingdom.

Published on 1 October 2012.

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Vardamir by Himring

The eldest child of Elros, Vardamir serves as a contrast to later Númenórean kings.

Published on 1 October 2019.

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Varda Elentári by oshun

Varda Elentári is among the better known of Tolkien’s demigods and probably the best known of the Valier.

Published on 1 December 2011.

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Vána by Dawn Felagund

Barely mentioned in the published Silmarillion, Vána originally played a role as an active, assertive woman among the Valar. Her notable associations imply her role in the legendarium should be fuller than her meager mentions in the published Silmarillion suggest.

Published on 1 January 2011.

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Vairë the Weaver by Dawn Felagund

Although barely present in the published Silmarillion, Vairë emerges in Tolkien's earlier writings as a remarkably empathetic character and an apt foil to her cold-hearted husband Námo.

Published on 1 May 2012.

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Ungoliant by oshun

Ungoliant, the mother of all of Tolkien's hideous and terrifying spiders, appears first in his earliest written work on the legendarium.

Published on 1 October 2016.

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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.

Published on 1 April 2010.

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