#silmarillion writers guild

[silmarillionwritersguild-art]

@ohmyarda's expressive portrait of Tar-Míriel Ar-Zimraphel illustrates @grundyscribbling's biography of the character.

The downfall of Númenor is one of the (maybe the?) most cataclysmic events in the history of Arda. Involving a literal reshaping of the world and the consequent annihilation of an entire people, it was brought on by the rebellious voyage of Ar-Pharazôn to Aman, against the laws of the Valar. As his (unwilling) wife, Tar-Míriel had a front-row seat to the whole slow toppling of Númenor. Yet, as Grundy notes in this month's biography of Míriel:

"The text does not record Míriel’s reaction to any of these events."

As Grundy's biography of Míriel shows, she emerges as a sort of grace note on Pharazôn's story, at first just a name but then given something of a story of her own. I say "something" because her story is still very much enmeshed in her victimhood at his hands, so much that what she thought or how she reacted (or didn't) to the decisions he made go completely unrecorded.

We've now surpassed more than 150 character biographies on our site. Our reason for beginning that project back in 2007 was to provide resources for people creating fanworks. And while, if asked at the time, we probably would have said a primary aim was making more accessible the histories of some of the more complicated characters, Míriel is a reminder that an equally important purpose is bringing to light those characters whose histories Tolkien left missing, like Míriel. (She is mentioned twice in the published Silmarillion.)

Maybe her reaction to the ending of her world will at last be recorded.

You can read Grundy's biography of Tar-Míriel here, pubished by the @silmarillionwritersguild.

[hhimring]

Stamps for January to May above, stamps for June to December below.

SWG Monthly Challenge stamps, with much thanks to their talented creators.

Some of these are comment stamps. There were plenty of great challenge responses to read and comment on last year.

You can get a better view of the stamps on my profile page at the Silmarillion Writers Guild, which will also allow you to click through to other writers' challenge responses (and my own).

[silmarillionwritersguild]

But if we speak of a Cauldron, we must not wholly forget the Cooks. There are many things in the Cauldron, but the Cooks do not dip in the ladle quite blindly. Their selection is important. The gods are after all gods, and it is a matter of some moment what stories are told of them. … Small wonder that spell means both a story told, and a formula of power over living men.

~ Tolkien, On Fairy-stories

Tolkien is often credited with establishing the modern fantasy genre as it is known today. Certainly, his work has inspired authors, artists, filmmakers, and other creatives for decades. However, as his 1938 lecture On Fairy-stories attests, he saw his own work as a "cauldron of story," drawing with skill from centuries of myth, legend, and tales to come before him.

This month's challenge considers Tolkien's many inspirations, from the books and poems he read, to the illustrations they contained, to the places important in his life. If you wish to participate this month, you will be assigned a prompt by a moderator that you can use to create a fanwork. As always, you can interpret your prompt however you want and use any part or parts you want—we encourage creative uses of our prompts! If a prompt doesn't speak to you, let one of our moderators know, and we'll dip the ladle again. To receive a prompt, comment on our Dreamwidth, send us an ask on Tumblr, post in the #monthly-challenges channel on our Discord, or message us through the SWG site. If you have a preference for the type of prompt we send you, please specify if you would like an image of a location, an image of a book cover/illustration, or a quote.

In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 August 2023. As July is Disability Pride Month, we also offer a stamp for any fanworks featuring a character with a disability. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.

[statuesquueart]

Did Andromeda know that the sea was haunted That her beauty was a curse?

Silmariën and Isilmë, from the wise and the lovely.

For SWG @silmarillionwritersguild ‘s Jubilee challenge (March 2019: Hidden Figures). View the art and read it here!

[arizonapoppy]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Andreth | Saelind & Finrod Felagund | Findaráto Characters: Andreth | Saelind, Finrod Felagund | Findaráto Additional Tags: Off-Screen Aegnor, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, Museums, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Magical Realism, Alternate Universe, Angst, Hope vs. Despair, Alternate Universe - Museum Words: 1552

Summary:

Finrod visits Andreth at her museum, where she works as a conservationist.

A museum + magical realism AU retelling of the Athrabeth for the "Also Appearing" Monthly Challenge at the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild.

-----

Special thanks to my beta, @independence1776 !

Read it on Ao3

Read it on the Silmarillion Writers’ Guild

I’m curious to hear what everyone thinks- did I hit the mark? Did I commit heresies? Leave me a comment or an ask!

[intensionsuspension]

Apparently Celegorm and Finrod were the same character at one point earlier in Tolkien’s works and honestly it explains so much about the things I found odd/strange about Beren and Luthien/The Lay of Leithian in the broader context of the Silmarillion.

I find the idea of this proto-Celegorm/Finrod being forced to choose between two simultaneous and contradictory oaths to be extremely compelling. In a way I’m kind of sad that Tolkien didn’t stick with it, but I also love both Celegorm and Finrod as characters independently and it’s hard to imagine the Silmarillion without Finrod proper. However this definitely explains where the werewolf throat removal idea came from.

I attached the article by Dawn Felagund from the Silmarillion Writer’s Guild below.

[nothinghereisworking]

Matryoshkha-inspired art for the SWG Meet & Greet Challenge

Doors of Durin, Celebrimbor, and Narvi. This was inspired by the collaborative nature of the challenge and was used as the banner art.

Ink and watercolor on paper.

 Eol, Aredhel, and Maeglin (and his pet mole).  This was for the International Fanworks stamp.

Ink and watercolor on paper.

To fit the Meet & Greet challenge, I picked some famous "meetings" out of the Silmarillion to depict. These were for the creator and comment stamps

In order of largest to smallest: 

Thingol and Melian meeting in Nan Elmoth Finrod finding the Beorians and playing to them as they slept Oromë finding the awakened Elves at Cuivienen Beren seeing Luthien dancing in Doriath

Ink and watercolor on paper

[grey-gazania-fic]

Fouled Water

(Caranthir, rated G)

The moment Caranthir had seen Maedhros’ map of East Beleriand, he had known why his eldest brother was sending him to Thargelion. It was a banishment of sorts; save for Ossiriand to the south, where their youngest brothers would be safer and of better use, Thargelion was the furthest from Dorthonion, and thus the furthest from Angrod and Aegnor.

Caranthir knew it was his own fault for lashing out at Angrod during that ill-fated council meeting, though he was too proud to ever admit it aloud. He’d made a mess of things, and Maedhros’ rebuke, though firm, hadn’t been enough to salvage the situation. But it was just so difficult to stay calm around Finarfin’s children -- all of them, really, but Angrod in particular. Being in a room with him was like being pummeled by something sharp and hard, like the hailstones that sometimes fell in Mithrim’s chill northern winters, and Caranthir could stand it for only so long.

You don’t understand, he wanted to say to Maedhros. I didn’t ask to be this way. I didn’t ask to feel what everyone around me feels. If I could change it, don’t you think I would? But he held his tongue. His brother had enough things to worry about, and Caranthir couldn’t help feeling guilty that he had added yet more weight to Maedhros’ burdens. So he accepted Thargelion without complaint. At least the place had a lake, which was more than could be said for any of his brothers’ lands.

Though Caranthir loved to swim, he’d never cared for the ocean. It was too salty, too gritty, too abrasive, and the violence of the sea during their voyage in the stolen swanships still haunted him. He’d been certain that he would be shipwrecked and drowned in the briny depths, as had happened to so many of his father’s followers. Even now, he half wondered if Uinen might rise against Fëanor’s sons in wrath once more if they ventured to the coast.

But Helevorn was utterly unlike the ocean. Though strong winds could raise swells on its surface, when the air was calm, the lake was as smooth and still as the glass for which it was named. And though it was dark and deep -- so deep that he’d run out of rope on his first attempt to measure it -- the water was pleasingly cool and clear. Floating on his back, hearing nothing but the peeping of the sandpipers and the plaintive call of the nearby loons, he finally felt at peace.

Now his lake is dead. Some foul concoction of Morgoth’s has turned the water murky and acidic. The weeds have withered, and putrid fish and the feathered carcasses of birds bob on the surface, floating between patches of burning oil. His fortress on Mount Rerir, too, is in flames, but his eyes sting more for the loss of Helevorn.

It’s the smoke, he tells himself, though he knows it’s a lie. It’s just the smoke irritating your eyes.

Blinking away the tears, he turns his horse to the south. There is no one left to wait for. Everyone who could escape Morgoth’s deadly host has already fled, making their way to Ossiriand with all haste. Only Caranthir and his rear guard remain.

“Move out,” he orders, his voice rough from the smoke. “There’s nothing more we can do here.”

He leads his soldiers in their retreat, and he doesn’t look back.

[maedhrosiseverything2me]

(mae sitting alone peacefully)

Y/N: umm... is that seat taken:)?

Maedhros:.... that's my lap.

Y/N: I know (smiles innocently)

Maedhros:*smirking while tapping on his lap* come here you little sh!t.

.

.

Y/N:

ME:...

[ladysternchen]

Betrayal-Again part 2

Lúthien whirled around, but her thoughts whirled faster. Daeron had betrayed her. He had truly betrayed her trust a second time, something so painful that she could not allow herself to think about it just now. All her hatred was instead focused on the elf before her, her own father. Fleetingly, she thought of the knife that hung by her side. He would not expect that, and would not defend himself if that meant harming her, either. One quick stab, almost painless, and then, you see, I am the one to make the rules, and can do as I please. The next moment had her stumble back, appalled by her own thoughts. Had she truly come so far as to think of murdering her closest kin? She, who had grieved for cousins she had never known, and whole-heartedly shared her father’s and uncle’s hatred towards the kinslayers? Had she just now truly considered killing her sire? Daeron, clearly seeking to steady her, placed his hands on her back, and she snarled at him. “Don’t touch me! You… I loved you, ever! Since we were elflings, you were my very best friend. I were ever dear to me as a brother. I trusted you. I forgave you. I thought you cared for me, truly cared for me.” “I do, Lúthien, I care for you more than I care for my own life…” he pleaded, but Lúthien wouldn’t even let him finish, drowning his words in a derisive laugh.  “Sure. Just as much as my dear father, ey?”  Once more, she turned to the King, who stood still as a statue, his expression impossible to read even for Lúthien.  “I know you are angry, and also how unjust this must feel to you, but you need to see sense. I don’t know what this human did to you to make you act…” Again, Lúthien’s hand longed for the hilt of the knife. “What he did to me? Did to me? You…”  But words failed her, indignation striking her momentarily dumb. Again, her father spoke, just as evenly as before. “You will not go after Beren. He knows the task. If he indeed is the man he believes himself to be, than he will be true to his oath.” “And you think you will hinder me? The daughter of Melian the Maia?” Lúthien thought she saw her father wince ever so slightly at her words, but if so, he swiftly recovered. “You will not leave my realm. Ai Lúthien, do not make me lead you back to Menegroth like a prisoner…” She laughed mirthlessly. “Like the prisoner I am, you mean?” “If there is no other way in which I can keep my only child safe, then yes.” Silence spiralled horribly between them, until finally, Lúthien broke it. “Fine then.” she said, tears of anger and despair falling from her eyes. “I shall bow to the law of the King. Put me in chains, if you will, and watch me bleed to death from the hurt you have inflicted upon me. But make no mistake, lord, you will bleed with me, for I am your daughter no longer!” She meant to wound as much as she possibly could, and it pleased her greatly that she knew her words to find their mark. As for Daeron… she turned once more, surveying the minstrel haughtily. “Get yourself gone from under my eyes, Daeron. Once and for all.” And with that, she followed the king back to Menegroth in silence, her heart aching as never before. She had finally lost them all.

[silmarillionwritersguild-art]

Featuring @ylieke's incredible art like this portrait of Sauron

Ringed by wordless faces, the portrait room in an art museum has a certain hush to it. There is the human face, many times over, a deceptively simple theme. Yet within those faces, lines hint at past pain. Eyes flash from a face defined by age or youth. The best portraits seem to capture just a moment in a story passing on either side of that brief second in time. It is possible to imagine what happened leading up to the portrait and what transpired after. The impeccable, impressionistic paintings of Ylieke seem to belong in such a gallery. Although Ylieke describes her work as centered on storytelling, these are not complicated action scenes. Instead, it is the eyes, the hands, the faces of her characters that speak to what they are feeling and experiencing in that moment, leaving no doubt that there is a rich story happening on either side of it.

In our latest Tolkien Fanartics column, firstamazon @ettelene (Tumblr) caught up with Ylieke to learn more about her technique, goals, and beliefs as a fan artist. Interestingly, Ylieke describes her own work as, "not so good at drawing emotions," with which this viewer would strongly disagree. However, no matter what you creative form of choosing, Ylieke's careful look at her own work and approach to art might be useful advice: "Sometimes illustrations just don’t come out as they were envisioned. The best course of action in this case is to finalize the work as well as you can and move on. The next work will be 0.001% better."

You can read firstamazon's interview with Ylieke here: https://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/node/6965, published by @silmarillionwritersguild.

P.S. If you'd like to get our weekly email newsletter, you can subscribe here. Each week's edition includes fanworks added to the SWG that week, SWG news, and a rundown on ongoing events around the Tolkien fandom ... and of course our regular columns like Tolkien Fanartics, Character of the Month, a Sense of History (real-world comparisons), Cultus Dispatches (Tolkien fan studies) and more!

[urwendii]

100-words Drabbles: SWG Experimental Challenge

also read on: swg

Melkor x Fluithuin /✨/ 2. Maglor x Daeron

3. Mairon & Melian /✨/ 4. Eönwë x Arien

5. Galadriel x Luthien /✨/ 6. Mairon x Arien

7. Sons of Fëanor /✨/ 8. Maedhros x Mairon

9. Fëanor & Nolofinwë /✨/ 10. Maiar of Ulmo /✨/ 11. Aulë & Tevildo

[hhimring]

SWG Meet & Greet Challenge prompt

👋 Hello fellow participants in the SWG's Meet & Greet Matryoshka challenge,

Here is the writing prompt I received today to share with you:

A fresh start

Also, here's a link to the challenge page to remind you about the rules for the challenge, etc.

You can also find information on that page about how to ask me for another writing prompt I have collected or a reminder about this one, if you would like to.

Good luck with the writing! ☘

And while I am about it, here is a heart for you, whether 14 February is a particular day for you or not (only if wanted, of course!):

💚

[silmarillionwritersguild]

If you enjoy the SWG and want to help keep the site alive and thriving, we are looking for volunteers to help with a few minor but important roles running the site. You can always find open volunteer positions on our volunteer page with complete up-to-date details on each role. The following new roles have been added:

Social media manager: works with the moderator team to ensure that announcements posted to the site make it onto our social media accounts on Discord, Tumblr, and Dreamwidth.

Around the World and Web editor: ensures that that section of the site is updated at least weekly.

Both roles require about 30 minutes to an hour of time commitment per week. SWG moderators and volunteers always work together to ensure that we cover time off for each other when needed.

We are also sunsetting our Character of the Month column for the simple reason that most of the major characters have now been covered! We have a few characters we want to make absolutely sure we include: Elendil, Gothmog, Yavanna, Eönwë, Manwë, Hador, Nienor, Melkor, Curufin, Marach, and Olwë. If you'd like to take on one of these characters, writers of all ability levels are welcome, and we are happy to provide support to writers new to nonfiction and research writing.

Interested in helping us out? Contact the mods with questions or if you'd like to volunteer!

[eilinelsghost]

Plopping this in here once more for the evening crowd.

Part 04 of Atandil is now up on both AO3 and SWG:

Read on AO3

Read on SWG