New Challenge: Title Track
Tolkien's titles range from epic to lyrical to metaphorical. This month's challenge selected 125 of them as prompts for fanworks.
SWG News
Our Annual Amnesty Challenge: New Year's Resolution
Start 2026 off with creativity! If you missed a challenge or didn't get to finish or post a challenge fanwork, complete any 2025 challenge before 15 February to receive the stamp.
"The Fëanorian Zine" Available to Read and Download
We are pleased to be able to offer "The Fëanorian Zine" to read and download on the SWG for free.
Call for Artists for the 2026 Challenge Stamps
We are soliciting help from artists who want to help create the stamps we award to challenge participants.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] A Hundred Miles Through the Desert by StarSpray
“Come on.” Maedhros grabbed his hand and pulled him along down the path, both of them quickening their pace now, until the trees opened up into a wide meadow filled with flowers, bright yellow celandine and dandelions and sweet-scented pale chamomile mingling with cornflowers and irises. On…
[Writing] Who Will Hear Me? by XirinOfArvada
A lonely elf finds a flute half buried beneath the sand and wonders if its owner will hear him when he calls.
[Writing] Loyal, Faithful by Himring
Late in the Second Age, one of the Faithful reflects critically on past developments. (Free verse.)
[Writing] East Away! by Flora-lass
Aldarion storms off towards Middle-earth. For the Title Track challenge.
[Writing] Don't You Ever Look Away by Elrond's Library
“They can’t just assume we’ll let them leave us behind.”
“But they are, and they will. Our fathers are the Heads of their Houses. Fëanáro is king. Defiance would be treason, beloved.”
“I am his firstborn.”
“You are his only daughter.”
“I have…
[Writing] Break Me by Elrond's Library
“You’re not going to break me,” Russo huffed, finally cracking open his eyes, which were bright with amusement. “They could not, what makes you think you could?”
For Scribbles and Drabbles 2025 SFW Slide 33
[Writing] Three Black Islands by Idrils Scribe
When Celebrimbor's attempts at forging the Rings of Power fail yet again, Annatar knows where to find the missing know-how.
For all the wrong reasons, Celebrimbor agrees to an expedition to the ruins of Angband to search Morgoth's own laboratory, deep in the icy Northern Wastes.
What…
Current Challenge
Title Track
Create a fanwork using our collection of 125 titles from Tolkien's books, chapters, essays, poems, and fragments as inspiration. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Swinging 40s
Choose a prompt from a list of music, films, novels, inventions, and more from the 1940s. Read more ...
New in References
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.
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.
The Aromantic in Tolkien by daughterofshadows
Presented at Mereth Aderthad 2025, this paper makes the case thata, although the term "aromantic" had not yet been coined in Tolkien's day, many of his characters can be read as aromantic. The paper takes a closer look at Aredhel, Bilbo, and Boromir as three examples of characters who can be read as aromantic.
Featured Themed Collection
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] here you will dwell, bound to your grief by Elrond's Library
Arwen grieves, and loves.
[Writing] Faramir's Verse by losselen
“Come, Faramir. Let us not stand in ceremony. I think words are due between you and I, and not only those between a King and his Steward.”
Faramir has speech with Gandalf and his King.
[Writing] In a Hole in the Ground... by StarSpray
“There’s a goblin hiding in the taters, Dad!” Pippin hefted the pan, which was much too big for him to carry, let alone wield.
Around the World and Web
March Challenge - Tolkien Short Fanworks
Tolkien Short Fanworks is running a challenge for the month of March to create a Back to Middle-earth Month themed challenge.
Tolkien Fashion Week 2026
This two-week-long Tumblr event is dedicated to honoring the world of fashion and textiles Tolkien wrote about in his books.
Celegorm and Curufin Week 2026
Celegorm and Curufin Week is a Tumblr week celebrating the relationship between Celegorm and Curufin Feanorion
Back to Middle-earth Month 2026
Back to Middle-earth Month is returning for it's 20th year with many prompts and archival efforts.
Secret Gate
Sherlock Holmes. Miss Marple. Lieutenant Columbo. Kurt Wallander. Benoit Blanc. Your preferred sleuth may vary, but there’s nothing like a good whodunnit. From the most arcane puzzle to the easiest open and shut case, all mystery novels require certain basic elements. This month’s challenge is a Matryoshka that presents you with the building blocks of a mystery novel. When requesting your prompts, make sure to specify the difficulty level you would like: Beginner (2 prompts), Easy (3 prompts), Medium (5 prompts), or Difficult (7 prompts). Prompts can be found below.
While the prompts are elements of a mystery, your fanwork does not need to be a mystery—use the prompts as you see fit. As June is Pride month, we have a special stamp for fanworks featuring LGBTQ+ characters.
This month's stamps are by Varda delle Stelle.
This challenge opened in .
Prompts
Choose your prompt from the collection below.
- View Prompts
-
Beginner
Prompt #1
Offbeat Hero. Give a character in your story an unexpected quirk. Check out this list of character traits or search "unusual character traits" or "character quirks" if you need ideas. Once you decide the quirk and assign it to a character, you can open the next prompt.
Prompt #2
Back from the Brink of Defeat. A character experiences an unexpected triumph.
Easy
Prompt #1
Motive. A character asks, "Why??" (It can be literal or figurative!) When you begin working on this prompt, you can open the next.
Prompt #2
Means. Your character needs something that is not immediately at hand. When the character realizes this, you can open the next prompt.
Prompt #3
Opportunity. A character is given a chance.
Medium
Prompt #1
London Fog. Consider the obscured and obscurity and work an element related to one of these themes into your fanwork. When you decide what you will do (you don't have to have started yet), you can open the next prompt.
Prompt #2
The Sleuth. Your character learns something shocking. When you decide what it will be, you can open the next prompt.
Prompt #3
Against the Odds. Let your character experience a setback. Once you begin creating about the setback, you can open the next prompt.
Prompt #4
Killing Me Strangely. Most causes of death are frankly boring—but never in mystery novels! Apply this concept by choosing a detail (large or small) from your fanwork and changing it into something unexpected. Once you decide on the detail you plan to change, you can open the next prompt. (Note that you don't have to have actually changed anything yet!)
Prompt #5
Red Herrings. Something a character assumed was true … isn't.
Difficult
Prompt #1
Noir. Your character must enter a dark setting. Once you've let him/her/them set foot into the shadows, you can open the next prompt.
Prompt #2
The Whodunit. Something happens. No one knows why or who did it. When you begin working on this prompt, you can open the next.
Prompt #3
Prime Suspects. A character is confronted with multiple possibilities. When you begin working on this prompt, you can open the next.
Prompt #4
Hint Hint. A hint is dropped or missed or possibly picked up. Add something to your fanwork to do with a hint. When you begin working on this prompt, you can open the next.
Prompt #5
Beyond the Call of Duty. A character goes above and beyond. When you begin working on this prompt, you can open the next.
Prompt #6
Cold Trail. A character sets out somewhere that doesn't end up going much of anywhere at all. When you begin working on this prompt, you can open the next.
Prompt #7
The Culprit. Fingers are pointed.
Fanworks Tagged with Secret Gate
Chronology of Arda's Light-forms by Anérea
An illustrated infographic timeline of the various sources of illumination of Arda from its creation to the sun.
Artifacts in Archive by Lferion
In Valinor, Cîr Imladris built, Elrond takes the opportunity to properly catalogue, categorize, and annotate one of the slowly diminishing collection of uncatalogued, uncategorized "miscellaneous objects with words attached" that had been part of the library and archive at Imladris from the beginning.
Betrayed by LadySternchen
Lúthien thinks she can trust her best friend- until she is proven wrong.
A Small (Mis)Adventure by Grundy
When Tuor can't find Eärendil, he sends for Maeglin to help.
Things You've Done by StarSpray
They sat in silence for a little while, until Maglor finished his cup of water and sighed. “There is something on your mind,” he said. “Out with it.”
To his vague surprise, Elros did not look up. He carefully plucked another flower and added it to his growing chain. “Why did you do it?”
“Why did I do what?”
“Not—just you. You and—everyone. Why did you come to Sirion?”
Once upon a moon on the brink of June by Himring
Quirky Tom is stumped in his investigation; his partner delivers the goods. (Deliberately misleading summary inspired by the challenge prompts! See Story Notes for more reliable information.)
It's not easy, but it's worth it by daughterofshadows
Three characters, three moments. Three stages of the same journey. The road of self-acceptance is never smooth.
On the Noldor, Exiled by Lferion
A sonnet addressing some of the challenges the Noldor faced as Exiles.
Listen to the Song by polutropos
Young Daeron has many questions. This time, they lead Beleg to a vision of a dark future for the elves on the westward journey.
Rematch by I_did_not_mean_to
A short crime-story that is a direct continuation of a Drabble written for B2MEM (Match).
Detective Aredhel and her second-in-command Haleth find the burned corpse of a boy. They now have to investigate men they had thought firmly and safely relegated to the past.
Can they be guilty of a crime so heinous? Why won't anybody in that dark, foreboding house cooperate when the women clearly toil to save their reputations and lives?
