New Challenge: Potluck Bingo
Sit down to a delicious selection of prompts served on bingo boards, created by the SWG community.
Founded in 2005, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild exists for discussions of and creative fanworks based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and related texts. We are a positive-focused and open-minded space that welcomes fans from all over the world and with all levels of experience with Tolkien's works. Whether you are picking up Tolkien's books for the first time or have been a fan for decades, we welcome you to join us!
New Challenge: Potluck Bingo
Sit down to a delicious selection of prompts served on bingo boards, created by the SWG community.
Bingo Cards Wanted for Potluck Bingo
Our November-December challenge will be Potluck Bingo, featuring cards created by you! If you'd like to create cards or prompts for cards, we are taking submissions.
Tolkien Meta Week, December 8-14
We will be hosting a Tolkien Meta Week in December, here on the archive and on our Tumblr, for nonfiction fanworks about Tolkien.
New Challenge: Orctober
Orcs on a quest for freedom seek a place sheltered and safe from the Dark Lord. Fulfill prompts to gather the clues needed to bring them to freedom.
[Series] Pennas Pengolodh by AdmirableMonster
The majority of the Silmarillion was penned by a single Elf--an Elf who was so thoroughly written out as to appear only through the ways in which their perspective shaped the stories we see. This is their story, the historian's history, the Pennas Pengolodh.
[Writing] Havens by AdmirableMonster
The Exiles of Gondolin come to Sirion. The residents of Sirion welcome them, and friendship blossoms between the last remaining loremaster of Gondolin and a young poet of Sirion.
[Writing] Collection of Potluck Drabbles by Artano
This is a collection of true drabbles completed for the 'Four Words' drabble bingo card.
[Writing] Hurting Tyelpë by elennalore
Sauron has taken Celebrimbor as a prisoner in Ost-in-Edhil. Whump happens.
[Writing] On a Night of Snow by Elleth
Fingon returns to Barad Eithel after a late-autumn hunt, finding someone unexpected with his wife. The night takes an even more unexpected turn for all three of them.
[Reference] Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age by Varda delle Stelle, Anérea
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
[Writing] Getting Dirty by Elleth
A collection of NSFW ficlets for the "Keep It Clean" bingo card of the 2024 Potluck Bingo.
Potluck Bingo
Help yourself to a collection of prompts on bingo boards designed by members and friends of the SWG. Read more ...
Mapping Arda, Part III: The Second Age by Varda delle Stelle, Anérea
A series of articles featuring fan-made maps of all the lands of Arda. Part III explores the island of Númenor and mainland Middle-earth during the Second Age.
Doom and Ascent: The Argument of ‘Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics’ by Simon J. Cook
Simon reads 'Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics' to conclude his account of the Anglo-Saxon tower of its allegory.
Why People Don't Comment: Data and History From the Tolkienfic Fandom by Dawn Walls-Thumma
A reworking of the 2018 article for Long Live Feedback that includes data from the 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey, pointing to a lack of comments as related to skill, confidence, and community connection.
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features fiction, artwork, and essays that transcend the idea of Orcs as the enemy, instead considering their humanity.
Alliterative Verse for Arda by Rhunedhel
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features alliterative poems about Middle-earth.
[Writing] Homage to the Song of Durin by Flora-lass
Legolas is inspired by Gimli's song - and by Gimli himself.
[Artwork] Long-tressed Wingildi by Anérea
"... the long-tressed Wingildi ... spirits of the foam and the surf of ocean."
~ a painted sketch for Scribbles and Drabbles 2024.
[Writing] Partners in Craft by elennalore
Annatar realises that he might like Celebrimbor too much.
Teitho November/December Contest: Healing
The theme for Teitho's November/December contest is healing.
Lord of the Rings Secret Santa 2024
LotR SESA has been ongoing for twenty-one years and is running again this year as a prompt meme hosted on AO3 for all genres of Tolkien-based fanfiction.
Kiliel Week 2024
Kiliel Week is a Tumblr event for fanworks about the Kili/Tauriel pairing.
November challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The challenge for November has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic prompt: refuge. Formal challenge: include imitation of a sound. As always, these can be filled independently and also freely combined with SWG and other challenges. New participants welcome!
November 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of November 2024.
<<‘Eminently unsuitable’, I hear him saying, joyously, as he transforms a denial of intent, a prissy expression of disapproval from inside out, until it becomes a paean of praise, a hymn of dedication and devotion.>>
Another lovely story! Exceptionally moving and well put together. I loved Maedhros (as I always do in your stories) and really appreciated your portrayal of Finrod as well. Thanks so much for sharing.
I'm really glad you liked that sentence, as I re-wrote it several times to try and get it right. It's also good to know that you approve of my version of Finrod, as I didn't feel all that confident, trying to write from his point of view--I wasn't sure I was wise enough!
This story finally answered one of my most pressing Silm doubts: was a harp required equipment whenever the Princes of the Noldor were out in the field (rescue missions, hunts, discovery trips)? I definitely like your answer better.
Umm.. You've laid your finger on a bit of a sore spot here. I would, of course, like Maglor's harp to be the one that Finrod later plays to Beor's people, but at least according to the published Silmarillion it can't be, because the harp that Finrod ends up playing belongs to Beor. I haven't checked whether there are any versions of the story in HoME where that isn't the case, but it seems a bit too much to hope for... Anyway, once I'd realized, I sort of discussed things with Maglor, and Maglor said: "I don't care, I'm giving him the harp anyway...", so that was that! (But I must admit I'm rather puzzled, too, why Fingon felt he needed to take a harp with him on the journey to Angband!)
Beor's harp? I think it's an operation of the anti-Feanorian lobby (can you really trust Pengolodh? :)
I finally read this after wondering for by far too long about why exacly Noldorin princes seem to insist on hauling harps into danegrous or at least unexpected situations. Well, a portable one. That sort of explains it. Though sadly, my imagination deforms Maglor's probably beautiful Noldorin model into something like this horrible carton harp: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mPYUsEiAiXo/S-oHq_xW_QI/AAAAAAAAABg/I8o4JBdiHX0/s1600/harpkitcolor.jpg
I liked how it was from Finrod's POV ( his confusion was rather adorable really), and how you wove his own fall into it. Also Maedhros' tendency to make soothing noises when people are upset. Great characterizations.
I had to laugh at "He thanked us both politely and dreamily went on fine-tuning the strings, endlessly looking for the absolutely perfect pitch, it seemed. With an instrument such as the fiddle, this would surely have earned him a brutal assassination within the shortest period of time, but if you play the harp, you can get away with such things."because it's true. I always feel slightly guilty when tuning my instrument near innocent non-musician bystanders because they inadvertedly go wide eyed and "ooh! aaah!"when I'm actually making a horrible racket.
I always go "ooh! aah!" myself! As you can probably tell, I've got a thing about harps, although sadly it's a platonic relationship.
Have you read the Chronicles of Prydain? There are a couple of lovely harp stories in that!
Thank you very much for your comments!
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