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] 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] 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] 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
Middle-earth Museum
Stroll the halls of an imaginary Middle-earth Museum and choose one (or more!) objects from our prompt list to inspire the creation of a fanwork. 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.
Title Track
Enamored as he was with language, the chapters and titles of Tolkien's broad range of works are often small works of art in and of themselves. Some carry the ponderous weight of legend, others evoke complex metaphors and associations, and some dance like poems upon the tongue.
This month's challenge offers prompts based on titles within Tolkien's many and varied works. We've selected 125 titles from books, chapters, essays, poems, and fragments of text to inspire your fanwork. Note that fanworks do not have to be about the work the title belongs to (although they certainly can be). As always, we encourage creative interpretations of our challenges, and you can use the prompts however you want.
This challenge opened in .
Prompts
Choose your prompt from the collection below.
- View Prompts
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- Ælfwine and Dírhaval
- All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter
- Ambarkanta
- As You Must Admit
- At Rivendell
- Awaking of the Quendi
- Barrow-wight
- Beards
- Beauty and Goodness
- Beleg
- Bleak Heave the Billows
- Book of Lost Tales
- Chaining of Melko
- Chip the Glasses and Crack the Plates!
- Cold Be Hand and Heart and Bone
- Companions of the Rose
- Complaint of Mîm the Dwarf
- Concerning the Dwarves
- A Conspiracy Unmasked
- Cottage of Lost Play
- Death
- Delays Are Dangerous
- Derelicts
- Earendel at the Helm
- Early History of the Legend
- Errantry
- Escape from Angband
- Fall of Gondolin
- Flies and Spiders
- Flotsam and Jetsam
- Forbidden Pool
- Forest Walker
- Fragment of an Epic
- Gender and Sex
- Generational Schemes
- Glip
- Goblin Feet
- Great River
- Grey Havens
- Hair
- Happy Mariners
- Hiding of Valinor
- The Hills Are Old
- Homeward Bound
- Horns of Ylmir
- Houses of Healing
- Húrin and Morgoth
- Inside Information
- I Sat upon a Bench
- I Sit Beside the Fire and Think
- Journey to the Cross-Roads
- King Sheave
- A Knife in the Dark
- Knowledge of the Valar
- Last Debate
- Last of the Old Gods
- Laws and Customs among the Eldar
- Lost Road
- Maeglin
- Manwë's Ban
- Many Meetings
- March of the Quendi
- Many Partings
- Mermaid's Flute
- Mewlips
- Minas Tirith
- Mind-Pictures
- Monday Morning
- Moonshine
- Morning Song
- Mount Doom
- Music of the Ainur
- Mythopoeia
- Myths Transformed
- Nauglafring
- New Shadow
- No Longer Fear Champagne
- Not at Home
- Note on Dwarvish Voices
- Note on the Consumption of Mushrooms
- Of Aulë and Yavanna
- Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
- Of Men
- Of the Ents and the Eagles
- Of the Land and Beasts of Númenor
- Of the Sindar
- Of the Thieves' Quarrel
- Old Grabbler
- On Fairy-stories
- Outside
- Palantír
- Pearl
- Primal Impulse
- Queer Lodgings
- Return of the King
- Return of the Shadow
- Riddles in the Dark
- A Rime for My Boy
- The Road Goes Ever On
- Ruined Enchanter
- Sea-Bell
- Short Glossary of Obsolete, Archaic, and Rare Words
- A Short Rest
- Siren's Feast
- Sunset in a Town
- Tal-Elmar
- Tale of Tinúviel
- Tale of Years
- Teachings of Pengoloð
- The Story Foreseen from Fangorn
- A Thief in the Night
- Though All Things Fail and Come to Naught
- Three Children
- Three Is Company
- Time and Its Perception
- Tinfang Warble
- Tree and Leaf
- Treebeard
- Túrin's Fostering
- Two Towers
- An Unexpected Party
- Unfinished Tales
- Wanderings of Húrin
- A Warm Welcome
- Window on the West
Fanworks Tagged with Title Track
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.
East Away! by Flora-lass
Aldarion storms off towards Middle-earth. For the Title Track challenge.
