New Challenge: Crossroads of the Fallen King
Cross "The Silmarillion" with a second text or fandom in this month's crossover challenge.
SWG News
A Sense of History: Thálatta! Thálatta!
While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
Choose a Name for Our New Column!
Our temporarily titled "location bio" will focus on the landscapes and locations of Middle-earth. We need your help naming it!
New Challenge: Tengwar
Each day for thirty-six days, we feature a randomly chosen letter from the Tengwar as a prompt.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] On a night of stars, a bird by Quente
Nimloth and Dior meet, and he is naked.
Alternatively,
Melian travels south to visit her daughter, and meets a familiar looking bird.
Written for the Tengwar prompt, Quessë (feather).
[Writing] Apprentice by Quente
Dior is in Menegroth learning to be his grandfather's heir -- but his grandmother decides to take him as apprentice too.
Written for the Tengwar Challenge, May 15: Súlë (spirit).
[Writing] Tengwar: To The Letter by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge.
All 36 prompts plus bonus chapter
[Writing] A blip on the radar by daughterofshadows
Humanity took to the skies. Eärendil and Ilmarë adjust.
[Writing] History abandons us by AdmirableMonster
During his incarceration in Roderick Burgess' basement, Dream receives a strange, ancient visitor.
[Writing] Tengwar Acrostics by Himring
Responses to the Tengwar Challenge in which first letters spell out the name of a tengwa.
1) Early Encounter (Nerdanel, Indis)
2) Numenorean Lullaby (Almarian, Aldarion)
[Writing] Tengwar Drabbles by cílil
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
Current Challenge
Crossroads of the Fallen King
Create a fanwork that crosses with a second text or fandom. Read more ...
Tengwar
A daily prompt of a Tengwar letter per day. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Songs of Arda
Create a fanwork about music. Read more ...
New in References
Thálatta! Thálatta! by Simon J. Cook
[]While he never climbs the stairs of this Elf-tower, in Lothlórien Frodo Baggins descends a flight of steps to look into Galadriel’s Mirror, wherein he first sees the sea. This post examines the view.
[]
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.
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
Mythcon 53: Fantasies of the Middle Lands
Mythcon 53 will be held 2-5 August 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the theme "Fantasies of the Middle Lands."
Teitho May/June Challenge: Joker
For the May/June Teitho challenge, you can pick ANY of our past challenges that stir your imagination and write a story or create art for it.
Monstrous May 2024
Monstrous May is a Tumblr event where, for each day of the month of May, there is a prompt involving and invoking the monstrous.
Fellowship of the Fics: Modern AU May
During May, Fellowship of the Fics offers modern AU prompt lists for setting, character occupation, and dialogue on Tumblr.
May challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The May challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic challenge: name; formal challenge: acrostic. As usual, these can be filled independently and freely combined with other prompts such as the SWG challenges. New participants welcome!
Fanworks Tagged with Violence (Moderate)
Under strange stars by Idrils Scribe
Barely a long-year after the Last Alliance all is not well in Imladris. Elrond's household has been dealt a crippling blow: a very young Elrohir has disappeared. After decades of false leads he is found in the Far South of Middle-Earth. Can Glorfindel find and rescue the descendant of Earendil once more? There is just one problem: Elrohir has no memory of who he was, and little interest in leaving his people's fight against the Black Nùmenoreans of Umbar...
A huge thanks to my beta, the irreplaceable Dawn Felagund, who made this tale at least twice as good as it was originally. All remaining mistakes are mine.
Last Days in the Magic Kingdom by Lordnelson100
It was never the right moment to leave Doriath.
One of the first big leaks happened in the Hall of Ages, once used for the spectacular Autumn Moon dances. Formerly a favorite room of the Queen. A section of gilded woodwork, encrusted with carven grapes and flowers, gave way and fell to the floor. Water streamed in, ruining a delicate mural of the Great Journey. The polished parquet floor swelled and warped beyond repair.
No one was thinking about dancing, so soon after the King’s death and the Sack. They shut up the room and left it be.
Pieces of the Stars by Nibeneth
When the Oath brings disaster to Sirion, Maglor attempts to fix what he can, but a temporary arrangement becomes much more permanent than anyone had foreseen. Elrond and Elros grow up, grow together, and grow apart at the end of a world slowly decaying into myth and legend.
Little Spiders in the Woods by LadyBrooke
Morwë and Nurwë may have been left behind with the rest of their family with no knowledge of events in Valinor (and little of what happens in Doriath), but the servants of Morgoth roam their woods as well.
Tales of Fear and Woe by lightofthetrees
A collection of ficlets/drabbles for Terrifying Tolkien Week 2017.
A Dwarf's Memories by LadyBrooke
An excerpt from the memoirs of a Dwarf of Belegost, concerning her childhood in Menegroth.
Whispers In The Stream by just_jenni
A tragic story of love between elf and mortal with some political issues that may be offensive to some readers.
A Candle for the Hollow City by Lordnelson100
About the Nauglamír and the other side of the story. Of culture clash, betrayal, and lost art.
We have our teaching, and the Elves have theirs. Through countless years, they have continued to tell their own version of events about the Nauglamír. Ever they turn the story against us, saying it reveals the greed of the Dwarves, and our treachery.
They say that Elven memory is perfect. And yet it seems not so.
In The Darkest Days by LadyBrooke
Elu has gone to Valinor with Finwë and Ingwë, and those left behind are forced to make up for their absences, no matter how young the ones left behind are or if they have to find their own families.
Faithful by Fernstrike
The tenuous relationship between the King and the Elendili is coming to its breaking point. When Isildur steals the fruit of Nimloth, what follows brings the already-heavy boot of tyranny down harder upon the Faithful - especially the gifted healer, Nilûphel.
Sons of Fire and Blood by Ar-Feiniel
A tragic poem for each tragic son of Fëanor - their glorious rise and disasterous fall. Fëanorian week 2017.
The Deaths of Kings: Historical Bias in the Death Scenes of Fëanor and Fingolfin by Dawn Felagund
The death scenes of Fëanor and Fingolfin parallel each other closely in plot, beginning with the rash pursuit of single combat with Morgoth. Yet the manner in which the narrator of The Silmarillion, Pengolodh, employs language and symbolism leads to two very different conclusions that likely served to advance Pengolodh's political and personal agenda. Written for B2MeM 2017 for the prompt "Analyze a Chapter or Passage" on the nonfiction (orange) path.
Assignation by Dawn Felagund
When Turgon discovers a forbidden affair between his sister Aredhel and cousin Curufin, he has all intentions of telling his father. But Aredhel and his cousins devise a way to keep safe the secrecy of an affair that will span ages. Aredhel/Curufin/Celegorm
Utúlie’n aurë by Ar-Feiniel
A poem in tribute of Fingon, High King of the Noldor, he who deserved everything and got nothing.
Hymn to Disturbia by Tyelca
Gondolin falls, and Maeglin has one last mission to fulfill: kill Tuor and claim Idril as his own.
Your tongue upon my scars by Sleepless_Malice
Fingolfin wants to make Fëanor pay for the burning of the ships in his very own way. Canon divergence AU for Fëanor being still alive when Fingolfin and his followers reach Beleriand.
Metamorphoses by Sleepless_Malice
"Too deep Ingwion was caught in his thoughts to realize that his fears and dreams almost were identical; only the width of a blade separated them."
The story of Eönwë, the Maia, and Ingwion, son of Ingwë, told from both perspectives; a tale of crushed dreams and betrayal, unhealthy obsessions and desires as old as the world itself.
Museum for the Forgotten by Dawn Felagund
It's the Fifth Age. Tirion has developed suburban sprawl, and psychotherapists are in high demand. An unkinged Finarfin experiments with political radicalism and has turned the palace into a memorial of the kinslaying. Amarië composes beat poetry. And Finrod has been reembodied into a world and among people he barely recognizes. Dark humor, for Kenaz for the Around the Fire challenge.
What Happens After by The Wavesinger
Finduilas and Nienor find each other again, but that is only the beginning.
Written for preplexingly for EveryWoman 2016.
Drabbles: The Silmarillion, part 2 by Zdenka
Tolkien drabbles set in the First and Second Ages of Middle-earth. (Exactly 100 words as counted by MS Word.) Please see table of contents for individual summaries and warnings.
Like the River Wandering by Zdenka
Aredhel escapes from Nan Dungortheb and is aided by a daughter of the river.
Three Sentence Fics: Tolkien by Zdenka
A collection of fills written for rthstewart's 3 Sentence Ficathon in 2013 and 2015, for Tolkien-based prompts. (Mostly Silmarillion, with one for Farmer Giles of Ham and Sir Orfeo, and one non-Tolkien crossover.)
Chapters 2 & 3: More Tolkien-based fills written for caramelsilver's 3 Sentence Ficathon in 2016 and 2017.
The Mists of Memory by Zdenka
During the Fëanorian invasion of Doriath, Feredwen is briefly snared by memory.
Damask and Dark by Zdenka
Held captive in Nargothrond, Lúthien dreams of Beren and exchanges one prison for another. (Triple drabble.)
Blood, Song, & Silver by MisbehavingMaiar
Celebrimbor, Lord of Eregion recieves an emissary from the West claiming to be a Vanya smith. The teachings he comes bearing are controversial; how to imprint thoughts and wills into matter using Song, and words of power. As the emissary gains support with king and court, their relationship becomes entangled with secrets and the weight of the past.
