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.
SWG News
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.
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.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Tengwar: To The Letter by cuarthol
For the Tengwar prompt challenge. To be updated as new prompts are completed.
Current up through 'Hwesta…
[Writing] Tengwar Drabbles by cílil
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
[Writing] I Stood Aside by Flora-lass
Maedhros' horror at the burning of the ships. Inspired by a painting (see notes).
[Reference] 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.
[Writing] Words of Wisdom by AdmirableMonster
One or more drabbles about Pengolodh and his babysitter Salgant.
[Writing] Les Mots de Sagesse by AdmirableMonster
Plusieurs petites histoires qui parle de Pengolodh et Salgant pendant des moments differents.
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
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
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!
May 2024 Calls for Papers
Conferences and publications that have open calls for papers in May 2024.
Forbidden Lore
She knows that the information she seeks is secret, forbidden. Great consequences may arise from this knowledge. Yet she opens the book, turns the page, and begins to read ...
This challenge asks you to consider knowledge that is forbidden or taboo. What sorts of information might have been hidden over the course of the history of Arda? Why might a character wish to discover this knowledge? And perhaps most importantly, what are the consequences when he does? There are a multitude of possibilities, but here are just a few to get you started.
- Knowledge about a certain craft is considered secret. Maybe it is the making of lembas by the Yavannildi or the secret behind the Silmarils or the Rings of Power. Your characters seeks, and finds, this information. What will she do with it?
- Or maybe it is a dark secret in the histories being hidden. A Noldorin child in Middle-earth first learns of the Kinslaying ... or a Noldorin child left behind in Aman first hears about his exiled kin. A descendant of Uldor learns of his relationship to the infamous traitor. An Avarin child discovers stories about the light of Aman, forsaken by his ancestors.
- What about culture and tradition? Essays such as "Laws and Customs among the Eldar" are fan favorites, but do they tell the whole story? What might have been hidden from the loremasters collecting this information? What are the real customs among different clans of Elves, Men, Dwarves, and Ainur? What notable exceptions to cultural mores may have been hidden throughout history to preserve the reputations of peoples and families?
- Or keep it simple! A child is due to receive a special gift and learns where it is hidden. Does she look? What does she find? Or a young adult discovers the privileges and pursuits allowed only to adults.
What will forbidden lore teach you?
This challenge opened in .
Fanworks Tagged with Forbidden Lore
Cat's Paws by pandemonium_213
Tyelperinquar/Tyelpo (Celebrimbor) and Aulendil (Annatar/Sauron) discuss brotherhood and the secret of the deep arts on an early summer evening in Ost-in-Edhil.
This fic, told from Celebrimbor's point of view, predates The Apprentice by about 240 years, give or take, but it's the same setting. Rating is Teen due to a touch of horror-lite.
MEFA 2008: Second Place, Villains, General.
Illustration by Robinka added on 14 February 2009.
It Gives A Lovely Light (Drabble/Ficlet Collection) by oshun
Latest addition: "The Boy My Daughter Married," (featuring Curufin’s mother-in-law, Curufin/OFC, and a blink-and-you-will-miss-it reference to Celebrimbor).
Chapters are added within chronological order of the events.
A series of drabbles/ficlets: seeds of stories based upon characters and events from the Silmarillion. The title of the collection is taken from a line in a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, because it reminded me of the exiled Noldor, particularly, although not exclusively, the sons of Feanor:
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light!
