A Sense of History: Straight Road
The next in a series of articles about ships passing to and from the West, Simon uses "The Fall of Númenor" to attempt to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to "Beowulf."
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[Writing] Meeting the In-Laws by awwyeah107
Caranthir is nervous about meeting Haleth’s father and brother for the first time. Haleth is sure everything will go well.
[Reference] Straight Road by Simon J. Cook
The Fall of Númenor offers the evidence used to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to Beowulf.
[Artwork] Morgoth's prisoner by elennalore
Maedhros in Angband
[Reference] Fandom Voices: Comments and Feedback by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Over thirty people contributed their thoughts on the experience of leaving and receiving feedback on fanworks. Emotions run high on all sides, but community and connections emerge as factors that promote feedback while easing its difficulties for readers and viewers.
[Writing] Coincidences of Fate by cílil
Sometimes Eönwë wonders if his life is just like Manwë's romance novels. Sometimes he even thinks the One may be laughing at him from above.
A story told in exactly 4 1/3 drabbles.
[Writing] Tengwar Drabbles by cílil
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
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Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
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Create a fanwork in which a character tricks or plays a prank on another. Read more ...
New in References
Straight Road by Simon J. Cook
The Fall of Númenor offers the evidence used to arrive at Tolkien's reading of the exordium to Beowulf.
Fandom Voices: Comments and Feedback by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Over thirty people contributed their thoughts on the experience of leaving and receiving feedback on fanworks. Emotions run high on all sides, but community and connections emerge as factors that promote feedback while easing its difficulties for readers and viewers.
Fandom Voices: Using Fanon in Fanworks by Dawn Walls-Thumma
Sixteen Tolkien fans contributed their definitions of and experiences with fanon or fan-generated theories about the legendarium.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Staging a Battle by StarSpray
He and Diamond were visiting, though Pippin had been disappearing every afternoon, and taking Frodo and Elanor and most other lads and lasses in the neighborhood with him—though why they couldn’t use Pippin’s own pony, Sam couldn’t imagine.
[Writing] From whose bourn no traveller returns by losselen
So gathered they were to Bree, what lieutenants who could be spared, from their scattered watches west and east, for their chieftain had returned from his long sojourn in lands godless and mountains strange.
Aragorn returns from the South to tells his tales. Halbarad listens.
[Writing] Sand Sorcery by StarSpray
It is well known that Psamathos does not leave his cove. He does not like to get his feet wet, and prefers to spend his days dozing under the sun.
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Eönwë Week 2024
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Laurië Lassi – Golden Leaves by Esteliel
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The Tower
The Tower
“Everyone avoided the tower. It was believed to have been the Necromancer's lair, but in truth...” Glorfindel paused for effect, delighting in the way all the gathered children stared at him with wide-eyed excitement.
“When their parents come calling tomorrow because suddenly their children are plagued by nightmares, you will answer the door,” Legolas whispered. He shook his head at the crowd that had gathered in front of Glorfindel. He really should not leave his Lord's side, at least not on market day – the news had quickly spread among all the children in this hamlet close to Tirion that the stranger with the remarkable mane of golden hair was not only a great hero, but could also tell the best stories ever.
“I know who he was!” a precocious girl crowed. “It was Sauron! My ada said we lived there before we sailed across the ocean!”
“Indeed he was!” Glorfindel smiled at her, so that she beamed at being proven right in front of her friends. “And after he was defeated, so that he can never again return to trouble you, we dismantled his tower. And guess what we found?”
“Spiders!” the girl supplied. “Orcs!” the boy next to her shouted. Glorfindel grinned.
“Much, much worse!” He hesitated again for effect. “Moldy bedrooms! Dripping roofs! And the only food in the kitchen was a thin, gray gruel that even Orcs would not eat! If that was what Sauron had to eat for breakfast every morning, no wonder that he was such an unlikeable fellow!”
The children giggled with delight, and Legolas shook his head again, smiling despite himself.
“And what will Lord Manwë say if news comes to him that our next generation of children all feel sorry for the Deceiver, thanks to your stories?”
Glorfindel laughed, taking Legolas' hand as they slowly walked back to their current accommodation. “Manwë did not see that place. Believe me – even he would have felt sorry for Sauron, forced to hide in such a dismal place!”
“I'll remind you of that when Manwë decides to see how you would enjoy a stint in one of Sauron's dungeons.”
“All destroyed now,” Glorfindel said and grinned. “Ah, but I forgot – you never saw Dol Guldur as I saw it. Never fear; I'll build you a little Dol Guldur of our own, once we find a place to settle.”
“With gruel even Orcs wouldn't eat?”
“Only if you are very, very bad. And you'll try very hard to be good – won't you?”
Legolas shivered and for a moment, forgot all the din of the market around them, as instantly breathless with need as when he had been a youth. “You know I will, Lord...”
