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.
Very funny, Oshun. This totally cracked me up. I'd say Cirdan had the last laugh after barging in on your boys in flagrante delicto. (Wall sex -- how delicious! lol)
I think Círdan really enjoys torturing them. He expects that Maedhros will remain relentlessly polite and Fingon will try to protect him and try to remain calm, until he finally cracks, which Círdan knows he always will.
What is it about wall sex? I guess the desperation that will not allow the participants to walk even a room or two away to make love in comfort that makes it seem so very hot.
This is both adorable and a real hoot. I love the curmudgeonly Cirdan and his opinion of Maedhros's reading choices. His teasing Fingon with the Legolas story is a highlight as is the "Prince Valiant" line. And this:
"The kiss had everything that anyone could ever want from a kiss. It engaged the heart, inflamed the senses, brought forward all of the tenderness and warmth of a life of lasting love, of shared victories and horrors, estrangements and reconciliations, all of which had combined to enable them to come out of the other end of the tunnel and reunite in Valinor."
made me melt. I know you prefer to write long but even your ficlets are full of warmth and heart.
Awww! What a lovely review for this story. I'll just say, 'thank you,' nicely. You are too good to me and thank you for reading it the first time and around and probably weed out dozens of typos--I do not even remember any more. Thank you so very much. I had fun writing it. Painless as one of these ever is.
I think I'd personally consider that a candidate for a Worst Kiss prize as well as a Best Kiss prize (although I imagine you could win only in one category at a time!). But each to his own, Cirdan!
Poor dear Fingon! Never mind, Fingon, he'll go away soon.
I'd personally consider that a candidate for a Worst Kiss prize as well as a Best Kiss prize (although I imagine you could win only in one category at a time!).
I know! Fingon is so good, he just wants Maedhros to be happy. Well, hardly orginal but whatever. Works for a lot of people!
Oh, god, that's hilarious! Círdan as a rambling oldster is a scream: "Círdan sighed, one of those tiresome sighs of the Unbegotten when they want one to know that they think they are faced with mentally deficient younger sons of the Eldar" AHAHAHAHA!
I haven't read The Science of Kissing but I can vouch for Ms. Kirshenbaum as a top-rate science writer, so I have no doubt her sources are sound. Sheril used to write for Science Blogs, and I first made her acquaintance there when we had a pleasant chat about holothurin (a kind of chemical classified as a cardiac glycosides - digitalis is another) in sea cucumbers. We then periodically commented on one another's blogs. Very intelligent young woman.
So Círdan had best watch his saucy remarks about the science! ;^)
Glad you enjoyed Cirdan. He is a cross between my current landlady and one of my great uncle (long deceased). Oh, I ran across a review of Kirshenbaum's Sience of Kissing while I was trying to think of a topic for this story. I will trust you on the science of it (actually, like Maedhros, I would like to read it. There has been interesting research on nature and causes of human attraction).
Cirdan is pulling everyone's leg on all sides and is not to be taken seriously. He just loves to rile people up.
You must have given your frisky little cousin some very wet and sloppy kisses to have stimulated enough obsessive thoughts about you to send him trotting across the most perilous wasteland in Arda right into the very jaws of Melkor to rescue your traitorous arse from the cliffs of Thangorodrim.”
Comments on A Kiss Is Never Just a Kiss
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.