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."
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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 Challenge: Birthday Bash
In honor of our twentieth birthday, we look back at twenty years of SWG history with a new poetry, image, and word prompt each day.
New & Updated Fanworks
[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.
[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…
[Artwork] 2025 Birthday Bash Prompt Fills by silmalope
Sketches inspired by the 2025 Birthday Bash challenge prompts!
[Reference] 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…
[Writing] White Water Flowing by StarSpray
In Valinor and homesick for Imladris, Celebrían decides to build a new one.
[Writing] The Suffering of Maedhros by Annatar_Targaryen
Maedhros, eldest son of Feanor, is captured by Morgoth and chained to the cliffs of Thargorodrim by his order. There is no hope of rescue until his dearest friend appears. (one-shot)
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
Roaring Twenties
Use bingo prompts from 1920s-themed cards to create a fanwork. Read more ...
New in References
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.
Interview with Maglor by Shadow by maglor-my-beloved, daughterofshadows
Maglor spoke with Shadow about his upcoming presentation for Mereth Aderthad, "Gil-galad was an Elven King: Kingship and Personhood in the Last High King of the Noldor," and what makes Gil-galad such an intriguing—and mysterious—character.
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
Neurodivergent Arda Week 2025
Neurodivergent Arda Week is a Tumblr event to celebrate neurodiversity in Tolkien's works.
Tolkien at UVM Registration Open
The theme for this hybrid conference is Tolkien and War with John Garth as the keynote speaker.
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.
Feanorian Week 2025
Feanorian Week is a Tumblr event offering optional prompts for fanworks about the sons of Feanor and their parents.
Teitho March/April Challenge: Mothers
The Teitho Contest theme for the months of March and April is mothers.
Restoration and Rebuilding
The Silmarillion can feel like an unrelentingly tragic work. Yet at the end of every downfall comes a time of restoration that drives not just the storyline but our beloved characters of Middle-earth forward into the next chapter of their history.
In honor of Akallabêth in August, our annual celebration of fanworks set in the Second Age, this month's challenge will center on the themes of rebuilding and restoration.
You may select the prompt or prompts that speak to you from the list below.
This challenge opened in .
Prompts
Choose your prompt from the collection below.
- View Prompts
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Quotes
"When we rebuild a house, we are rebuilding a home. When we recover from disaster, we are rebuilding lives and livelihoods."
- Sri Mulyani Indrawati"For me, Art is the restoration of order. It may discuss all sort of terrible things, but there must be satisfaction at the end. A little bit of hunger, but also satisfaction."
- Toni Morrison“When the storm has passed, put your energy into rebuilding your life. Don’t waste time looking back.” - Leon Brown
“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(Or if you prefer the original: "Man muß immerfort verändern, erneuern, verjüngern, um nicht zu verstocken.")“I can see in the acorn the oak tree. I see the growth, the rebuilding, the restoring.” - Maya Angelou
“Designing a dream city is easy; rebuilding a living one takes imagination.” - Jane Jacobs
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
J.R.R. Tolkien“I have to be alone very often. I'd be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That's how I refuel." -Audrey Hepburn
“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.” -Robin Wall Kimmerer
“You will be one of the menders of this world; not the makers, nor yet the breakers, just one of the menders.” -Rosemary Sutcliff
Audio
James Newton Howard - Soundtrack for Restoration (1995)
Thomas Newman - "Come Back to Us" (from 1917)
Nat King Cole - "Pick Yourself Up"
Meat Loaf, feat. Marion Raven - "It's All Coming Back To Me Now"
Peter Gabriel - "Here Comes The Flood"
Dragonforce - "Dawn Over A New World"
John Farnham - "Have A Little Faith (In Us)"
Starship - "We Built This City"
Bob Dylan - "The Times They Are a Changin'"
Sam Cooke - "A Change Is Gonna Come"
Mediæval Bæbes - "Return of the Birds"
Video
Restoration of Stained Glass Windows
River restoration & natural flood management
Restoration of Antique Pocket Watch
Images
Fanworks Tagged with Restoration and Rebuilding
Restoration & Rebuilding Drabbles by Grundy
Drabbles written for the Restoration & Rebuilding challenge instadrabbling event. Each drabble is its own chapter, with the main character(s) listed in the title. Prompts are listed in the chapter notes.
Quilt of Growth by AdmirableMonster
Little snapshots of different worlds, for the restoration and rebuilding challenge. Written during Instadrabbling in August 2022.
Scrapbook by Independence1776
Maglor brings Nerdanel a scrapbook of his time in Middle-earth.
Shadow's Instadrabbles by daughterofshadows
The home of my insta-drabbling pieces!
(and the odd drabble of undetermined origin)
All Hues and Honeys by Dawn Felagund
This is my latest collection of pieces too small to stand alone, often written for events on the SWG Discord.
The Latest:
"Fly." Fingon's faith in his friendship with Maedhros leads him to the decision to rescue him.
"Salt." Uinen discovers the kinslaying.
"Sunship." Nerdanel places the final cog in the sunship as an act of resistance.
"No One Heard That." The histories withheld some details of Fëanor's muster of the Noldor.
"Cracked." Námo explains death to a young Fëanor.
"Sunship, Reprise." The sunship's launching, from the perspective of the other side of the sea.
"Shadows beyond a Campfire." The sons of Fëanor build a campfire after the Nirnaeth.
"The Neologist." Pengolodh on language and history at three points in Gondolin's history.
Morning Mist and Silver Sun by StarSpray
A place to store drabbles and ficlets, mostly written for various prompts.
