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!
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.
Cultus Dispatches: Fandom Chocolate … or Authors Love Comments Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data provides insight into how comments benefit authors and which authors are most impacted by a lack of comments, with a digression on authors' perspectives one-click feedback like kudos.
A Sense of History: Passing Ships As Tolkien's characters in various texts gaze out to the sea, what do they see? What is brought by the ships coming out of the West?
Beta-Reader List Now Available The beta-reader list and profiles have been moved into our new system and are available again.
Nimruzimir, a natural philosopher recently out of his apprenticeship, hardly considers himself very important to anyone, least of all his colleagues. When his strange, prophetic fits bring him to the attention of the High Priest, however, he may find that his existence is less superfluous than…
This is my new poetical attempt to add my own interpretation to Tolkien's Cosmology as to Eru's Creation and the Valar's minds and behind-the-scene providence reasons and mechanisms.. I often review Eä as part of our own world, just in another dimension, this is why I have always seriously…
My newly drawn map of Aman, as complete as I could make it.
Current Challenge
Bollywood
Prompts this month are films, songs, and tropes from India's dazzling film industry, Bollywood. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Holiday Party
No matter if you're in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, it's a time of year to think about holidays. Whether you're bundling up in blankets or slipping a swimsuit into your suitcase, we invite you to an SWG holiday party! Read more ...
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that authors view comments as driving their motivation to create fanfiction. However, perception of comments by authors is part of a larger shift in fandom around how and how often fans interact with each other.
The arrival and departure of ships across the Great Sea carries mythic significance for the peoples of Middle-earth. The image of ships crossing out of and back into a mysterious West appears as well in Beowulf and is alluded to in Tolkien's tower analogy in his lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," where the tower allows those who climb it to observe the passage of the ships.
Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data shows that while most authors self-identify as taking their craft seriously, a growing subset of authors may be pushing that norm.
He and Diamond were visiting, though Pippin had been disappearing every afternoon, and taking Frodo and Elanor and most other lads and lasses in the neighborhood with him—though why they couldn’t use Pippin’s own pony, Sam couldn’t imagine.
So gathered they were to Bree, what lieutenants who could be spared, from their scattered watches west and east, for their chieftain had returned from his long sojourn in lands godless and mountains strange.
Aragorn returns from the South to tells his tales. Halbarad listens.
Elrond Week 2024
Elrond Week is a fandom event dedicated to Elrond Peredhel that will run from July 10th to July 16th on Tumblr.
July challenge at tolkienshortfanworks posted
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for July has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic challenge is: original character or unnamed canon character; the formal challenge: fixed length of multiple of 50 words. New participants welcome.
Teitho June/July Challenge: Mentor
The June/July prompt for the Teitho challenge is "mentor" and invites fanworks about this relationship in Tolkien's works.
Subscribe to the SWG Newsletter
Comments
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.
I found this story very strong and original. A lot of fanfic is (in a warm and pleasant way) echoes back shared interpretations and preferences about favorite canon characters and events. I know I love to write that sort of familiar (to me) fanfic and read it too! I also really enjoy cross-fertilization. But this one came out of some other place for me! (I wanna say it shows that you don't sit around reading a bunch of the current Silm meta! Not that there is anything wrong with that--I'm a glutton for it myself.)
Wow! I like this story a lot. I would never have written it. I do know a few people who recently have chosen to explore the War of Wrath and others who have written fic relating to followers of Oromë--usually not in the same stories. And I like the idea of dream therapy and a guy underestimating how much he has to contribute and being corrected and re-directed.
Thanks so much, Oshun. You're my biggest fan and the inspector who keeps me writing.
I admit to having a soft spot for several of the Valar, Orome being one and Irmo being another. I actually meant this story to be about Eärendil fighting the dragon but it got away from me. I find the idea of these beings, which have been around since the dawn of time, going to physical war hard to wrap my head around. I'm drawn to the notion of how these traumatic events affect the average person/immortal being. it's a fascinating idea, but too much to explore in a short piece. Good enough for a fairytale of sorts though.
You're right, I don't keep up with or follow trends I just write what a prompt suggests. This one got away frim me. I was going to write about Eärendil fighting the dragon and it turned into this. A leopard can't change its spots.
The name Ruiechil is straight from Darth Fingon. I don't even attempt to make these up on my own. lol
I'm glad you liked this and I'm grateful for your help with it.
Thanks, Himring! The quote made me think of dragons for some reason and that made me think of The War of Wrath. I'm glad you like the little tramatuzed Maia. He has his work cut out for him with all the future wars but he really found his true calling. :-)
I don't think I've ever seen a story centered on a Maia who fought (and "died") in the War of Wrath, so this was wholly unexpected and intriguing. I'm glad Ruiechil has found healing and a new purpose after the loss of his home. Loved the vivid description of the dream, too.
Thanks for your comments, Lyra. They're much appreciated. I thought the perspective of a foot soldier in the War of Wrath would be interesting to explore. War changes people so I'm sure it would change some Maia too. Thanks also for your comments about the descriptions. I love writing them.
I enjoyed this very much. So descriptive! In a gloriously dark and gloomy way. I've always desired to write something deliciously horrific and beautiful at the same time, but never have managed it. You have done so with such an original story. There is something about writing from an OC's POV that allows the imagination to create such wonderful descriptions and ideas.
I really liked the line about Eru allowing discord into the music. I've often wondered why he didn't do something about it and avoid all the suffering and misery that so many of Tolkien's characters suffered.
Thank you for writing such an inspiring and moving piece.
What a nice compliment, jenni. Thanks so much! The first line I chose made me think of The War of Wrath right away and the thought of the dragons making even the Valar fall back in fear and amazement is a stunning idea. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I don't think the Valar ever understood the discord either, but they have a rather narrow perspective whereas Eru sees the big picture, and his ways are his own.
Comments
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.