Instadrabbling Sessions for April, May, and June
The first Saturday of each month, we will be hosting instadrabbling on our Discord server.
SWG News
Fanwork sign-ups are open!
Register for Mereth Aderthad!
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."
Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Maglor by Shadow
Who is Gil-galad? That might seem a silly question, but we know very little of his character beyond his kingship. In this interview, Shadow talks with Maglor about his upcoming Mereth Aderthad presentation "Gil-galad was an Elven King: Kingship and Personhood in the Last High King of the Noldor" that explores who Gil-galad might have been, beyond the last king of the Noldor.
Mereth Aderthad Registration Is Open!
Registration for attending Mereth Aderthad is open for both in-person and virtual attendees and will remain open through the day of the event.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Reference] Interview with cloudyhymns by Shadow by cloudyhymns, daughterofshadows
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.
[Audio] Twinkle, Twinkle, Silmaril - Podfic by daughterofshadows
A reworking of Twinkle, twinkle, little star, featuring Eärendil. Originally written by Anérea.
[Writing] High in the Clean Blue Air by StarSpray
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…
[Writing] The Longed For That Cometh Beyond Hope by Grundy
Eärendil has to find his way in this unfamiliar land. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your point of view) for him, it's a time of festival in Valimar...
[Reference] Interview with polutropos by Dawn by polutropos, Dawn Felagund
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…
[Writing] A Common Blue by Himring
Maglor, having little will to live left in sinking Beleriand, is saved by tiny things.
Current Challenge
Birthday Bash
Daily word, image, and poetry prompts are loosely structured around events and milestones leading up to our 20th birthday. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
New in References
Interview with cloudyhymns by Shadow by cloudyhymns, daughterofshadows
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.
Interview with polutropos by Dawn by polutropos, Dawn Felagund
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.
Maglor by polutropos
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.
Featured Themed Collection
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.
Alliterative Verse for Arda by Rhunedhel
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features alliterative poems about Middle-earth.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Writing] Paradox of the Fourth Age by Alassante
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…
[Writing] By Mirrormere by bunn
A new Age dawns, and Moria is retaken at last.
[Writing] Beneath the Bitter Rain by bunn
The Gardens of the Entwives are fallen, but two Entwives remain.
Around the World and Web
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.
Neurodivergent Arda Week 2025
Neurodivergent Arda Week is a Tumblr event to celebrate neurodiversity in Tolkien's works.
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.
Teitho March/April Challenge: Mothers
The Teitho Contest theme for the months of March and April is mothers.
Celebrimbor: 30-Day Character Study by cloudyhymns
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Day 20: Who Are You?
Psychoanalyzing this guy with the power of MBTI and Enneagrams.
(My interpretation of) Celebrimbor got ENFP on the 16 Personalities MBTI test, which was a surprise! I was expecting ENTP. However, the character traits listed for ENFP align well with ones I picked for Celebrimbor: Perfectionism, Ambition, Motivation, and Desire to Lead. While I'm not so sure about the latter, the first three are exactly traits I considered for him. Likewise, the suggested strengths and weaknesses align well: Creative Problem-Solving, Inspiring Energy, Adaptability, and Building Connections, with Dislike of Routine, Easily Distracted, Resisting Structure, and Acting Without Thinking.
Once again, I'm not sure about the latter, but I do think Celebrimbor shares the general Fëanorian tendency to leap without looking. So perhaps it does apply.
Out of curiosity, I went ahead and took the Enneagram test for Celebrimbor as well. Celebrimbor got Type 3: The Achiever. As the Enneagram Institute puts it, "[Threes] are people of action and achievement. It is as if they 'put their feelings in a box' so they can get ahead with what they want to achieve" (Enneagram Institute, Type 3).
One defining characteristic of Type 3 is desiring success for the lack of worthless it seemingly provides, rather than for money or power, and if that isn't Celebrimbor, I don't know what is. The Enneagram Institute lists Type 3's key motivations as "[The] want to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves from others, to have attention, to be admired, and to impress others" (Enneagram Institute, Type 3). While "admired" brings Annatar to mind, Celebrimbor precisely fits the bill.
An additional line from the Enneagram Institute that stood out to me was: "Healthy Threes embody the best in a culture, and others are able to see their hopes and dreams mirrored in them." To me, this describes why Celebrimbor becomes the leader of the Gwaith-í-Mirdain and thereby the ruler of Eregion--because he is the peak of their craft and the one to unite them and the other races.
Tests and Links
