Bingo Cards Wanted for Potluck Bingo
Our November-December challenge will be Potluck Bingo, featuring cards created by you! If you'd like to create cards or prompts for cards, we are taking submissions.
SWG News
Tolkien Meta Week, December 8-14
We will be hosting a Tolkien Meta Week in December, here on the archive and on our Tumblr, for nonfiction fanworks about Tolkien.
New Challenge: Orctober
Orcs on a quest for freedom seek a place sheltered and safe from the Dark Lord. Fulfill prompts to gather the clues needed to bring them to freedom.
Mereth Aderthad 2025: Call for Presenters for Meta, Research, and Scholarship Open
We welcome proposals from creators of meta, research, and scholarship about Tolkien for our July 2025 hybrid Mereth Aderthad event!
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] The Eyes and Ears of Morgoth by Chilled in Hithlum
I recently revisited my first submission called The Eyes and Ears of Melkor (still listed) and found it somewhat lacking. Obviously the outline was already set by Professor Tolkien and in this alone the idea holds up, so I decided to have another crack at telling the tale of Húrin's captivity…
[Writing] One Flesh, One Soul. Part II by FellFireFan
The fates of the lovers have been sealed. After Aegnor makes a promise to Andreth he seeks council one last time from Finrod to reveal the identity of the maiden who had stolen his heart and hopes Finrod will share in his newfound happiness. However, it does not go well between the brothers, and…
[Writing] One Flesh, One Soul. Part I by FellFireFan
Aegnor, Lord of Dorthonion, is an Elven Prince with quite a reputation. Fiery, earthy and sensual with a wrath that no one would knowingly provoke. He is beautiful, wild and playful as he is dangerous, passionate and utterly terrifying. A far cry from the noble decorum expected as an elven…
[Writing] Ransom of the Fairy Twins by Rocky41_7
Maglor and Maedhros trade Elrond and Elros to King Gil-galad in exchange for a Silmaril, but they have miscalculated.
[Writing] in all this godforsaken dark by Zdenka
On the Helcaraxë, Fingolfin invokes his family's strength and courage rather than the Valar.
[Writing] Heyr himna smiðr by Zdenka
In the wake of Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Dwarves of Belegost mourn their dead.
[Writing] The Seven Gates by Laerthel
The impossible happened – a Silmaril has been stolen from Morgoth’s crown. Maedhros decides to reunite the People of Beleriand against the Enemy and attack him while he is still unprepared (which is by no means less impossible). Meanwhile, in the hidden city of Gondolin, Lord…
Current Challenge
Potluck Bingo
As the year draws to a close, we gather with friends and share memories and gifts and, of course, a good meal. And there’s nothing like a potluck to make sure there’s something for everyone! For our last challenge of 2024, we’re offering Potluck Bingo. We hope to have a smorgasbord of bingo cards made by you prompting a delectable spread of fanworks, with something to suit all tastes. (The mods will contribute a few boards to get things started. But as with any potluck, the more, the merrier!) Read more ...
Random Challenge
Beyond the Circles of Middle-earth
Create a fanwork that places a Silmarillion character into a fictional setting from our real-world literature Read more ...
New in References
Doom and Ascent: The Argument of ‘Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics’ by Simon J. Cook
Simon reads 'Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics' to conclude his account of the Anglo-Saxon tower of its allegory.
Why People Don't Comment: Data and History From the Tolkienfic Fandom by Dawn Walls-Thumma
A reworking of the 2018 article for Long Live Feedback that includes data from the 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey, pointing to a lack of comments as related to skill, confidence, and community connection.
Death, Grief, and the Other in the "Quenta Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma
The narrator of the Quenta Silmarillion uses death, grief, and mourning rituals to generate sympathy for or dehumanize groups of characters considered the Other.
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] Partners in Craft by elennalore
Annatar realises that he might like Celebrimbor too much.
[Writing] Staging a Battle by StarSpray
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.
[Writing] From whose bourn no traveller returns by losselen
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.
Around the World and Web
November challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The challenge for November has been posted to the tolkienshortfanworks community on Dreamwidth. Thematic prompt: refuge. Formal challenge: include imitation of a sound. As always, these can be filled independently and also freely combined with SWG and other challenges. New participants welcome!
November 2024 Call for Papers and Proposals
Calls for papers and proposals for conferences and publications that are open during the month of November 2024.
White Oliphaunt 2024
The White Oliphaunt is a Tolkien fanwork exchange for humorous gifts.
Tolkien Society: Christopher Tolkien Centenary Conference
The Tolkien Society will be hosting the online Christopher Tolkien Centenary Conference on November 23-24, 2024.
Teitho October/November Challenge: Legacy
For October/November, the Teitho contest invites fanfiction and art around the theme of Legacy.
Differing Perspectives
Choose a drabble or another work by an author that illustrates a single character's perspective. After seeking the original author's permission, write the same event--using all of the author's original conventions--from a different character's perspective.
This challenge opened in .
Fanworks Tagged with Differing Perspectives
Enemies to Sons by eris_of_imladris
Gil-galad’s relationship with Elrond and Elros from beginning to end. A prequel, midquel and sequel to Fourth Father from Gil-galad's POV, as requested by Tamuril2 on ao3. Written in the spirit of the Differing Perspectives challenge.
On Writing Tolkien's Elves by oshun
I took the opportunity of the August 2012 Non-fiction challenge at the LotR Community Live Journal to write up some very personal thoughts of my own. I spend a part of every month, trying to write a character biography for the Silmarillion Writers Guild. Those are certainly not free of opinion, but are hopefully written in a more objective and overall more scholarly tone than this one. Anyway, for your kind perusal is this piece, halfway between a rant and a whine, but filled with not only with heart, but references to the texts.
The Fall of the Noldor by Erurainon
A lay of the Elder Days focused on the fortunes of the house of Feanor, the Silmarils of yore, the dark magesty of Morgoth, and the ending of the wars of Balariand all in verse.
Your Dungeons are Inadequate by Aiwen
A letter from Sauron to Finrod Felegund sent shortly after the fall of Minas Tirith. Sauron has some complaints he wishes to make.
Looking Back, Looking Forward by Rhapsody
The thoughts on friendship between Celegorm and Aredhel when both leave Valinor behind on their journey into exile.
