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: Bollywood This month's challenge offers songs, films, and tropes from Bollywood, the world's largest film industry based out of India, as prompts for fanworks.
Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data provides insight into how comments benefit authors and which authors are most impacted by a lack of comments, with a digression on authors' perspectives one-click feedback like kudos.
A Sense of History: Passing Ships As Tolkien's characters in various texts gaze out to the sea, what do they see? What is brought by the ships coming out of the West?
Beta-Reader List Now Available The beta-reader list and profiles have been moved into our new system and are available again.
Nimruzimir, a natural philosopher recently out of his apprenticeship, hardly considers himself very important to anyone, least of all his colleagues. When his strange, prophetic fits bring him to the attention of the High Priest, however, he may find that his existence is less superfluous than…
This is my new poetical attempt to add my own interpretation to Tolkien's Cosmology as to Eru's Creation and the Valar's minds and behind-the-scene providence reasons and mechanisms.. I often review Eä as part of our own world, just in another dimension, this is why I have always seriously…
My newly drawn map of Aman, as complete as I could make it.
Current Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Turgon's Rock Opera
On the anniversary of the publication of "The Silmarillion," we’re reflecting on the importance of music in Arda with prompts that come from rock songs. Read more ...
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that authors view comments as driving their motivation to create fanfiction. However, perception of comments by authors is part of a larger shift in fandom around how and how often fans interact with each other.
The arrival and departure of ships across the Great Sea carries mythic significance for the peoples of Middle-earth. The image of ships crossing out of and back into a mysterious West appears as well in Beowulf and is alluded to in Tolkien's tower analogy in his lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," where the tower allows those who climb it to observe the passage of the ships.
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that while most authors self-identify as taking their craft seriously, a growing subset of authors may be pushing that norm.
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.
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.
Elrond Week 2024
Elrond Week is a fandom event dedicated to Elrond Peredhel that will run from July 10th to July 16th on Tumblr.
July challenge at tolkienshortfanworks posted
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for July has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic challenge is: original character or unnamed canon character; the formal challenge: fixed length of multiple of 50 words. New participants welcome.
Teitho June/July Challenge: Mentor
The June/July prompt for the Teitho challenge is "mentor" and invites fanworks about this relationship in Tolkien's works.
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Comments
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.
So glad to see you've posted this here, it's a lovely little piece! Will there be any more in this vein? I'm quite curious to know if Gil-Galad ever gets an answer.
Thank you! And yes, I hope to continue when the craziness of graduating with my MA/moving to a new apartment is over. It's funny how much, as someone who teaches writing, I have the urge to give poor Gil writing tips...
Ooooh, I really enjoy this! Your descriptive passages are gorgeous and balance so beautifully with Gil-galad and his uncertainty. I also think you’ve given Gil-galad such a personable, distinctive voice. Excellent piece!
OMG, thank you so much! I haven't written creatively in years - probably not consistently in about a decade, so your words mean a lot! I'm very quickly falling in love with Gil :)
I'm dying--this is great! I had a theory also (doesn't reach the level of theory--more like speculative head-canon) that it might have been possible that Maedhros was Gil-galad's daddy!
See my chapter "Fingon's Heir" in It Gives a Lovely Light (http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/archive/home/viewstory.php?sid=25&chapter=9)
Yaaasss I read that story and loved it! My personal headcanon is that Mae is The Best Dad (TM) and I can totally see him being just the best to Gil when he was little (and to Elros and Elrond). I'm so glad you liked it!
Oh, thank you so much! I was nervous about writing and posting this, and it's so encuraging to hear that you like it! And yes, I have a vague idea for a second and third part - just need to get through the next week of graduating and moving apartments. :)
Poor Gil indeed! I didn't used to be terribly interested in him, but once I saw that post, it totally changed how I felt. I saw an idea and I ran with it - as for now, the way it's described in the post is pretty much how I see it going down in "my" universe, but I suppose that might develop more when I continue. And yes, I imagine this is going to be an awkward conversation...so I said poor Gil, but maybe "Poor Mae" is more accurate!
I liked Gil's characterization, how after the initial dithering he just went for it, and enjoyed the descriptions of Maedhros reading the letter and Maedhros at his desk, writing.
And it was fun to think of Fingon enthusiastically signing birthday cards for Maedhros's adopted children!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear you liked it - it was such fun getting to share my visions of these characters with people I just want a happy ending for them!
I apologise for not reviewing each and every one of the chapters. Its usually my MO, but I've been impossibly busy what with the holidays and all and I can spend a ridiculous amount of time reviewing too, which doesn't help.
Anyway, back to this incredible story.
I love Gil's problems with beginning his letter. "Four words!" He may be a King but that doesn't seem to help him on the writing letters side of things.
But this last chapter. Wow! I could really feel the affection Maedhros held for Gil, whilst penning his letter to him.
Naming Gil-galad after the fire he saw in his eyes was beautiful and Maedhros secretly envious of that fire.
This was a wonderful end to it and the irony of the Noldor having a Sindarin High King. If only they knew.
Lovely janeways. I would recommend this as a great read.
WOW oh my gosh this has to be one of the best comments I've ever received!! Thank you!! This was such a harebrained idea and I'm so glad you've enjoyed it. I think we can all relate to Gil not knowing how to start a message, lol. And as for Maedhros...I wanted to think he'd avail himself of an opportunity to make amends. Secretly, he's a big softie. Thank you again for your lovely comment and for reading!
Comments
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is more than just an archive--we are a community! If you enjoy a fanwork or enjoy a creator's work, please consider letting them know in a comment.