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
Family Matters
Step inside of one of the families of "The Silmarillion" and tell their tale with a fanwork that illustrates the conflicts and relationships that occur within a family. 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 27: Beyond the Tales
A collection of references for future study.
I collected articles on three different categories: The character archetype of the Magician, various types of smithing, and early pyrotechnic development. Hopefully some of them strike your fancy!
The Magician archetype
"The Archetypal Magician" by Darren Kelsey
"Archetypes and Types" by Tiina Hautala and Vesa Routamaa
"The Mage as the Hero: An Archetypal Study of Fantasy Literature" by Minas Gerais
"The Archetype of the Magician" by John Granrose
Smithing, forge-work, fire-gilding, historical blacksmithing, etc.
"The Tools and Trade Techniques of the Blacksmith" by Henry J. Kauffman, Metalworking Trades in Early America, 1995
"The Medieval Roots of Colonial Iron Manufacturing Technology" (Penn State)
"Magical (and Maligned) Metalworkers: Understanding Representations of Early and High Medieval Blacksmiths: The Occult in Pre-Modern Sciences, Medicine, Literature, Religion, and Astrology" by Warren Tormey
"All that glitters: the case for goldworking at the early medieval monastery at Portmahomack" by Cecily Spall
"An Archaeometallurgical Study of Medieval Knives from Kinet Höyük, Turkey" by Ümit Güder and Scott Redford
"The manufacturing technology of iron swords from the capital of the Han Empire in China" by Fengyan Zhao and Manli Sun
"Material characterization of forged bronzes from ancient China (c. 11th-2nd century BCE) reveals development of the non-mainstream metalworking technique in Chinese bronze production" by Xintian Zhang, Yazheng Wang, Yifan Liang, and Quanyu Wang
"The origins of metallurgy in China" by Lin Meicun and Xiang Liu
"Work on the cutting edge: metallographic investigation of Late Bronze Age tools in southeastern Lower Austria" by Marianne Mödlinger and Peter Trebsche
"Process and technical characteristics of traditional gilding technology on silver: experimental replication and analysis of silver gilded products" by Shao Yanbing, Fengrui Jiang, and Junchang Yang
"The practice and characterization of historic fire gilding techniques" by Kilian Anheuser
Pyrotechnics and propellants
"Early Chinese military pyrotechnics" by Tenney L. Davis and James R. Ware
"Gunpowder in Medieval China" by Elijah Hood
"Gunpowder: Origins in the East" by the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology
