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.
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.
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.
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.
Current Challenge
Potluck Bingo
Help yourself to a collection of prompts on bingo boards designed by members and friends of the SWG. Read more ...
Random Challenge
B2MeM 2010
Back to Middle-earth Month 2010 was a collaborative game-style challenge where participants created fanworks in order to progress in their attempt to win the Last Battle. Read more ...
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.
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.
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.
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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.
The tone and language and atomsphere of this are perfect. And I always say I don't like horror fics in general. Utterly and perfectly creepy and I love the style in which it's written. I like the use of the singing and how he appreciates their malice, the way they attack the orcs, but "fawned like cubs" over him. Eww nasty. And their development for the taste of elves and men--chilling. Great job. No more complaining about reading werewolf fics from me.
Thanks, Oshun! I had this scene so clearly in my head, and I wanted that atmopshere to be just right. I'm glad that came through for you. You know where my thoughts turn this time of year, to werewolves other fell beasts. ;-)
Bard, I think you have outdone yourself with this one. You have the style and tone down, but more than that, the heart of it all. The mingling of 'self' that binds and strengthens at the same time is a lot of the heart of the story of the Silmarillion and all the Histories and you have captured the essence of that with this short story amazingly well.
Thanks, Sulriel! I greatly appreciate your comments. When I read that there were werewolves and vampires in Tolkien's stories I wanted to more about them. He certainly has a different "take" on what we think of as traditional for these creatures. It's certainly an interesting area to explore.
You had me at "selenium and tin." Nice touch there and especially appealing to someone as nerdsome as myself.
Your vision of werewolves' genesis fits well with my take of Middle-earth's species of werewolves. They did not engage in lycanthropic transformation but instead had heightened humanoid sentience through grafting of corrupt spirits/souls/fëar or some other manipulation.
And that penultimate paragraph? Ooooooh, yeah! The whole of the story reads as a stygian "just-so" fable. Thanks for the delectably dark confection!
Pandemonium, you honor me. I wish I could write my stories as well as you write your reviews. "stygian just-so fable" I love that. :-)There are few things as fightening as evil combined with intelligence, which is what makes Tolkien's epic villians so disturbing and fascinating.
Ah werewolves! To bring in the music as a mechanism to create is put to good practice with the useage of elements. Not every sentence runs as smoothly to me when I read it, as if there is too much information crammed in there using and as a conjuction. Then it picks up again and it runs smoothly, it might be me. It's a small thing because Sauron in all its evil and cunning planning stand out, leaving me wonder if he has a small feud or dislike of Nessa. I love the different faces of Sauron's wolves: cubs vs dangerous beings ready to kill and conquer at the snap of Sauron's fingers. I can so imagine that later in his life, Sauron as the one eye wishes to be returned to those good ol' times.
Thanks so much for your comments! I think the difference you note comes from the fact that the first paragraph I wrote like me and then I kind of switched to the Tolkien style. :-) I'll see if I can fix that in future posts. Hmm, the idea of Sauron feuding with Nessa gives me another plot idea... I love your comment about Sauorn getting all nostalgic for the good old days, when he had a body, and even another eye. lol
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.