New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
SWG News
A Sense of History: Crossroads
In the ongoing series on towers in Tolkien's work, a thread runs through "The Lord of the Rings," revealing the divine assistance of Varda in the travails of the Fellowship.
Cultus Dispatches: Canon Deviations, Multifandoms, and Original Content
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data gives some insight into what connections, if any, exist between fanfiction and original fiction.
The SWG Is Featured in Two Journal Articles
In a recent special issue of "Transformative Works and Cultures" about platforms, the SWG was discussed in two articles.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Tengwar (working title) by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through 'Anna'
Something not seen since the Years of the Trees comes to light. (A sequel of sorts to What A Tangled Web We Weave...)
[Writing] "Tengwar" ficlets by chrissystriped
Fics written for the "Tengwar" challenge.
[Writing] Dealing with Dreams by Himring
Elrond and Elros are haunted by what happened and also by what did not. They live with it.
[Writing] Do you cut down down blossoming trees in the spring for firewood? by Himring
In western Numenor, there is an area famous for its trees and plants. But the Faithful have been banished to the east. And in the last days of Numenor, on the coast an army assembles...
[Writing] Family Gossip by StarSpray
“You,” Fingon pronounced, “are drunk. I am not going to give you anyone’s name just so you can make up a silly drunken ballad."
Current Challenge
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Middle-earth Olympics
Complete Olympic events Middle-earth style! Read more ...
New in References
[]
With Gildor Inglorion we finally climb the stairs of Elostirion and look on the view, and what we see appears to reveal a hidden thread in the story of Frodo Baggins. This post reads two annotated translations of two Elvish songs to step through a crossroads in the narrative to arrive at the tower on the margin of the story, wherein is a stone that is a window onto Valinor.
Grief, Grieving, and Permission to Mourn in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
[]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.
In the House of the Fairbairns by Simon J. Cook
[]The first of some posts on the Elf-tower on the western margin of The Lord of the Rings attempts to frame the relationship between the narrative and the appendices of The Lord of the Rings and an analysis of Frodo's dream-visions.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Waybread (The Waybredlik) by Himring
[]Lembas speaks out.
[Series] Apr 1st Stories by Uvatha the Horseman
[]Once a year on April 1st, a canon character from LOTR or the Silmarillion gets pranked.
[Writing] Crossing Forest River by Dawn Felagund
[]Bilbo recounts, in verse, the attempt of Gandalf, Beorn, and him to cross the Forest River after the Battle of Five Armies. Written for the Hungarian Tolkien Society's 2024 Mailing Competition.
Around the World and Web
Tolkien Ekphrasis Week 2024
This is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event dedicated to the art of ekphrasis in Tolkien's worlds, hosted on Tumblr and Dreamwidth.
Tolkien Society Seminar: Tolkien's Romantic Resonances
This free hybrid event explores the influence of Romanticism on Tolkien's works.
Glorfindel Week 2024
Glorfindel Week is a week-long Tumblr event for creating fanworks that celebrate Glorfindel. Glorfindel Week will run April 29-May 5, 2024.
Teitho April/May Challenge: Quotes
Teitho is a monthly fanfiction contest. Our April/May prompt uses the source material directly for inspiration with quotes to choose from.
PhD Research on Writing Tolkien's Female Characters: Participants Needed
Interview participants are needed who write Tolkien-based fanfiction about female characters.
Gnome Tome
This month's challenge considers The Nature of Middle-earth. How serious or light-hearted that consideration may be is up to you! We have provided a prompt generator stocked with quotes and concepts from the new book. (We do not know how many times you "roll" the prompt generator, so if you get a dud on your first roll, feel free to roll again … and again … and again … till you get a prompt you like.)
If you don't have access to the book, no worries! While you can use a prompt to create a fanwork that reflects on the book, responses do not have to connect to The Nature of Middle-earth at all; prompts simply come from the book. (In fact, we've intentionally included a number that can be interpreted multiple ways!) As always, you can use the prompts however you want.
This challenge opened in .
Fanworks Tagged with Gnome Tome
The Dawn of a New Era by Varda delle Stelle
At the beginning of the Fourth Era in Aman Maedhros and Fingon are reunited.
Queen's Counsel by StarSpray
It was not Melian’s wont to speak against her husband in public. When she did she tried to do so gently. She would not undermine his authority before his people—she was not one of Bauglir’s creatures to bend others by force to her will.
But in the privacy of their chambers it was a different matter.
A New Battle by LadyBrooke
Gil-galad found that battles in Valinor were not that different from battles anywhere else, even if they used words instead of swords. It was still a fight against despair and loss, with reminders of the cost of failure lurking behind every corner.
Elrond was no longer by his side to help, but Finarfin and Ingwë were. If there had to be a battle of words to get the rest of their family from the Halls - well, Gil-galad would not shy from planning that battle.
Entwives by hennethgalad
prompt: "Why do the Elves of Lórien live in trees"
the song of the Mallorn
Pinching Time by Anérea
Varda experiments with undoing just a wee bit of history...
Pinching Time by Anérea
Varda experiments with undoing just a wee bit of history...
Tangled Up In Time by Anérea
Tolkien. Mathematics.
Dancer of Numenor by Himring
The career of Lominzil, an up-and coming star of the stage in Armenelos, was originally inspired by the example of Tar-Vanimelde.
Tangled Up In Time by Anérea
Tolkenien Mathematics.
The Binds of Death have been Unwound by chrissystriped
The wolf that kills Finrod has not always been a wolf.
And we met love along the way by daughterofshadows
Celebrían & Elrond at the beginning of their journey.
It is not love yet, but there are roots for it to grow, and perhaps in time, it will be.
