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!
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with cloudyhymns by Shadow Dragons are one of the most familiar creatures in Tolkien's world and one of the least understood. In this interview, Shadow spoke with cloudyhymns about his Mereth Aderthad presentation "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves," the nature of dragons and their connections with Dwarves, and the musicality of Tolkien's works.
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with polutropos by Dawn "And love grew after between them"—those words have fascinated a fandom intent on revealing the how and why of the "kidnap fam" plot point in "The Silmarillion." In this interview, polutropos discusses her upcoming Mereth Aderthad paper on the topic, “'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium."
They passed out of Lhûn and the wider coastline of Middle-earth opened up before his eyes. He had wandered those shores for centuries, and even now he felt the pull of that same wanderlust, and knew he would miss them for the rest of his life. Their wildness, the untamed waves, the rocky…
In which Fëanor & Fingolfin are re-embodied in 4th age Aman, are nowhere near as healed as everyone believes them to be, and decide to pretend that sleeping together will fix their relationship instead of causing more problems.
Fëanor does not even get a chance to finish being annoying before Fingolfin’s eyes flash with something far too dark to be only fury and his hand snaps out to grab a handful of Fëanor’s hair. He wrenches Fëanor’s head back in a move that is so surprisingly painful it throws him off balance. In…
We get together from time to time on the SWG Discord and produce spontaneous fanworks based on randomly chosen prompts. This collection includes drabbles, ficlets, and other flash fanworks produced as part of our instadrabbling sessions.
Shadow spoke with cloudyhymns about his upcoming presentation for Mereth Aderthad 2025, "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves," where he shares his theory about how Dwarves and dragons are connected in the legendarium, a topic full of implications for fanworks.
Dawn spoke with polutropos about her upcoming presentation for Mereth Aderthad, “'Kidnap Fam' and the Living Legendarium," including the appeal of kidnap fam, the appeal of Maglor's character, and how The Silmarillion as an incomplete, complex word makes it ripe for both fanworks and scholarship.
As one of the most beloved Silmarillion characters, Maglor is a bundle of contradictions undergirded by a complex textual history. Warrior, musician, wanderer, and survivor, Maglor brings to the fore key themes in Tolkien's early legendarium, such as the role of music, oaths, and exile.
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.
One wrong decision can make a world of difference. When one of the Fellowship makes the mistake, the consequences are so severe that only the Valar can repair it. But will they?
Glorfindel daughter's life is in Elrohir's hands and only she remembers th eir love for each other. The fate of…
The Gardens of the Entwives are fallen, but two Entwives remain.
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Silmarillion Epistolary Week 2025
Silmarillion Epistolary is a challenge dedicated to creating fanworks to tell the story of the Silmarillion in the style of an epistolary novel.
April Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for April has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic prompt is: wood. The formal challenge is: linnod (Gilraen's canonical verse form). These can be filled separately and freely combined with other challenges and prompts that allow this.
Celedriel Week 2025
Celedriel Week is a Tumblr events for fanworks about Galadriel and Celeborn.
Tolkien Ekphrasis Week 2025
This is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event dedicated to the art of ekphrasis in Tolkien's worlds. Its goal is to illuminate the artistic surroundings of the places, people, and stories we love, in as many media as possible.
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.
“When we die, all we have is our works to live after us. We can remember the person who originally made this scene. We can honor those who came before. There are those who speak of Hope in these troubled times.”
Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I agree, that passage was the heart of what I was trying to get at: what is the purpose to fight entropy and save old things and memories? I think it has great value.
Thank you very much for your comment and for reading! I am glad you liked the alpaca. The scene is directly taken from when I was very small- my grandfather (a magician) made the cuckoos hop up a ladder into the cuckoo clock.
Oh. Wow. This is truly a little piece of magic. I really enjoyed the elements of magic incorporated as natural everyday stuff. The setting and Andreth's occupation is so apt. I really love the way the tapestry tells the Tale of Adanel, with the frayed missing edge.
This is so beautifully written, I was immediately there with the scent of dust and old things, and the light, the slight clutter of her workroom, the texture of Finrod's suit, and the pair of them so easy in each other’s company.
I'm really partial to Andreth and particularly the Tale of Adanel, and this is such an original little gem. Thank you!
I am so glad that the mood and details came through. I was trying to conjure the feelings of all the grand old museums I've been to in my life. Andreth is one of my favorite characters as well. There is so much going on there to unpack.
Ah, I am so happy that you feel I captured the spirit of it. I love the story, but wanted to make it slightly less of just a long conversation about Tolkien's philosophy and more of a story. I love Latin American magical realism, and wanted to come up with something like a cross between House of the Spirits and Encanto with a little bit of Sesame Street: Don't Eat the Pictures or Moon Knight (without the deities trashing the place)
Thank you for reading and commenting! It makes me very happy that you feel the AU setting is a good fit. I thought of "what sort of lore could she know that was specialized and someone from another culture might be curious about?" And then I remembered a formative experience when I was very very small and my grandfather (a magician) made the cuckoos hop up a ladder into the cuckoo clock.
Aaaaaah this was magical, I love it so much. Your descriptions are beautiful, I could picture everything so well in my mind. And Andreth as a museum curator is so perfect!
Augh, that goodbye though T-T Heartwrenching in the best way.
I love writing descriptions more than anything, so I am glad they worked for you! The end of the Athrabeth does seem so final, although it says in the footnotes that they all lived for at least 50 more years, etc. I guess everything does work on a longer scale, just as Finrod and Andreth talk about! I just knew that her magic/secret knowledge was going to be about bringing exhibits to life when I randomly drew Museum and Magical Realism from the list. I mean, who wouldn't want to pet a real live mastodon? (Well, there might be some people who would wisely run, but I would stay)
Comments on Tapestries and Fate
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.