Character of the Month originated as a monthly biography of a character relevant to The Silmarillion. This column is our longest-running newsletter column with more than one hundred characters featured so far, most of them written by our former lead biographer, Oshun. At this point, the Character of the Month column is in its sunset stage and no longer runs monthly. We are prioritizing the addition of any major characters who are missing from our biography collection.
Status: This column is mostly complete and is seeking writers for nine major characters who do not yet have biographies on the site (or in the works): Elendil, Gothmog, Yavanna, Eönwë, Marach, Hador, Manwë, Melkor, and Nienor. If you would like to write a biography for one of these characters, or if you would like a list of minor characters who remain available, contact Dawn at the link below.
Contact: Dawn Felagund
Publishes: Irregularly
Length: Any
Other Requirements:
Character biographies should, at a minimum, review what the major texts tell us about that character. However, biographies often extend beyond this and can consider
- mythological and historical analogues
- linguistic development of names
- analysis of the character's development as the texts evolved
- literary analysis of the character's role in the legendarium
- the character's significance and interpretation within the Tolkien fandom and in fanworks
- interpretation of the character through the lens of race, gender, and other traditionally marginalized perspectives
Other approaches are welcome as well. There is no length requirement or recommendation for character biographies.
Character biographies should be aimed at an audience that has minimal familiarity with The Silmarillion. Biographies should not editorialize on the character's value, nor should biographies advocate for one interpretation over another.
