The Second Age is lately on our minds. I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the—
Sorry. Wrong Tolkien adaptation. The Second Age, though, is indeed experiencing something of a renaissance. Though it was a pivotal era that loomed large as an all-consuming tsunami in Tolkien's mind, it has always played third or fourth fiddle in the Tolkien fandom behind LotR, the First Age and earlier, and even The Hobbit. For many years, here on the SWG, we celebrated the annual Akallabêth in August, just to wave our arms around and remind everyone that The Silmarillion didn't stop at the First Age. No matter your feelings on the Amazon Rings of Power show, at the least it has drawn the Second Age more into the forefront of the fandom's imagination.
It is timely, then, that editor Brian Sibley has compiled the volume The Fall of Númenor, a new compilation of nearly all of Tolkien's writings about the Second Age in one handy place. This month, one of our finest Second Age creators, Lyra, has reviewed this volume, concluding that, despite the lack of new material, Sibley's herculean effort in bringing Tolkien's Second Age writings together into one volume is worth adding another book to your shelf. You can read Lyra's "Review of The Fall of Númenor" here.
We also started a new challenge this week, in honor of (or in disdain of) Valentine's Day. Cheesy Corn Chips features corny pop-culture prompts that are just like junk food: not exactly edifying, sometimes embarrassing to admit you like, but oddly irresistible. And if schmaltz and corn aren't your thing, keep scrolling because Around the World and Web includes a veritable buffet of Tolkien-related events in the months to come.
SWG News
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."
Fandom Voices: Comments and Feedback
Our Fandom Voices project tackles the fraught questions of feedback: what it is like to leave and receive feedback in the world of Tolkien fanworks.
20th Birthday Event Feedback Needed
Answer one small question to help us plan an even to celebrate our 20th birthday next year!
Call for Contributors: Themed Collections
Are you passionate about a topic related to Tolkien or fanworks? Do you have an impressive collection of bookmarks and favorites? We are looking for contributors who want to put together themed collections on the topic of their choice.
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.
New Fanworks
Meeting the In-Laws by by awwyeah107 [Writing]
Caranthir is nervous about meeting Haleth’s father and brother for the first time. Haleth is sure everything will go well.
Read more ...Morgoth's prisoner by by elennalore [Artwork]
Maedhros in Angband
Read more ...Tumult by by StarSpray [Writing]
After the chaos of the War of Wrath, Uinen smooths the way for the ships of the Edain to sail to their new home.
Later, she does what she can at its fall.
Read more ...Coincidences of Fate by by cílil [Writing]
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.
Read more ...Updated Fanworks
Tengwar Drabbles by by cílil [Writing]
A collection of Silmarillion-centric drabbles written for the Tengwar Challenge. Short and sweet!
Read more ...Around the World and Web
Teitho August/September Contest: Do you remember ...?
For the contest theme for August and September, characters will look back to the past.
August challenge at tolkienshortfanworks on Dreamwidth
The August challenge has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. The thematic challenge is: magic trees. The formal challenge is: call and response. New participants welcome.
Tolkien Pinup Calendar 2025 Sign-Ups Open
The Tolkien Pinup Calendar is an 18+ event for creating a calendar of risque fan art of your favorite Tolkien characters! Sign-ups are open for main commissioners, artists, and pinch hitters.
August 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of August 2024.
Innumerable Stars 2024
Innumerable Stars is a Tolkien fandom gift exchange for all works by Tolkien or associated with Middle-earth.
Forgotten Ground Regained: Call for Submissions
Forgotten Ground Regained is looking for alliterative poetry on the themes of love, devotion, and desire for their upcoming fall issue.
Eönwë Week 2024
Eönwë Week is a Tumblr event for creating fanworks about Eönwë.
Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang (TRSB) 2024
Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang is an annual event where authors create a story of at least 5,000 words in response to an artwork created for the event.
Acorns and Oak Leaves: A Year of Bagginshield
Throughout 2024, the Bagginshield community Acorns and Oak Leaves offers monthly prompts to encourage new creations of all kinds.