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.
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.
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.
Created for the 'Geography/Maps/Places' prompt on the "Tolkien meta" bingo board, this is a collection of maps marked with the various people groups showing how they arrived and moved about Beleriand. This collection focuses specifically on the time from the arrival of the Teleri, Vanyar, and…
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
All Good Beasts
Create a fanwork featuring an animal. Show how important a beloved animal is to a character or tell a story through the eyes of an animal. 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.
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.
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!
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.
Looks good to me! And I'm omniscient--what were you thinking?(Dear lord, I hope I didn't miss any typos.) Seriously, I love Maglor. And this is so poetic and atmospheric. So glad you did it.
Of course you're omniscient, you see right through me. ;-) The icon you made for today's stories inspired me. It reminded me of Maglor for some reason.
This vignette has a very special vibe to it, to me it feels as if Maglor either is not ready to let go and that in a way he has not dealt with his past actions fully. There is that Feanorian pride as well, for example his demand that Manwë's wind should caress his face ere he feels that Manwë has forgiven him. Then there is the loss of his singing voice: is that his own self-inflicted punishment or not. Don't worry about if I think it isn't clear, I love stories which leaves things unsaid or for the reader themselves to figure out (although I might squee if I get your intent right). This is a great story!
Thanks, Rhapsody. You're right on all counts. Maglor can't forgive himself and, until he does, he can't be forgiven by the Valar. I tend to leave little ficlets like this vague so the reader can interpret the motivations and emotions as they see fit. Kind of mini Rorschach tests. I'm glad you enjoyed this and got so much out of it.
This is very haunting, IgB. I can hear the waves and smell the sea, and Maglor's regret is a thing embodied. I love the idea -- and the imagery you use to convey it -- of the wind summoning Maglor. And then the end is suitably ambiguous: it would seem that breeze summons Maglor but he chooses to ignore it, turning his face from the wind and contemplating another path.
Thanks Pandemonium! Maglor does choose to ignore the breeze. He's so wrapped up in his grief that he's unable to see or seek outward. I'm glad you like the atmosphere and imagery here. It's difficult to set the right tone in a short piece sometimes.
I appreciate your comments, Moreth. Thanks so much. The sea has always been romantic to me, but there is nothing quite as melancholy as the sea in the rain. It's a powerful image for regret.
What a beautifully sad and evocative story. I do like how certain things are left open to the readers' own interpretations. This took me back to a burial I attended about ten years ago. It was not at all depressing despite how it sounds. Those of us who were there read poetry, reflected on the person's life and it was all quite beautiful. Maglor is perhaps my favourite of the Fëanorians and I did empathize with him here.
I wrote this one in response to an icon Oshun posted for one of the Back to Middle-earth challenges. It reminded me of Maglor and I was inspired to write this. I think it's wonderful when a burial celebrates a person's life in that way, with storys and poetry. Maglor is one of my favorite Feanorians too. I like his interactions with Maedhros in some of the stories I've read but he's a great character by himself too. Thank you for your comments.
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.