Silmarillion Writers' Guild

*All who dwelt in Aman were filled with wonder and delight at the work of
Fëanor. And Varda hallowed the Silmarils, so that thereafter no mortal
flesh, nor hands unclean, nor anything of evil will might touch them, but it
was scorched and withered; and Mandos foretold that the fates of Arda,
earth, sea, and air, lay locked within them. The heart of Fëanor was fast
bound to these things that he himself had made.*
The Silmarillion, *Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor*

Over the last month, we have compassed fully the Circles of the World, from
beginnings to endings. Today--the final day of Back to Middle-earth
Month--we consider one final theme that links them all: Fate.

Fate underlies all of the events of *The Silmarillion. * It gives purpose to
the pointless and makes sense of the inscrutable. Each birth and each death,
each wonder discovered then lost in downfall, each love plighted and parted,
each war weathered and creation revealed, each allegiance forged and blade
raised in betrayal, and each petty rivalry and profound friendship occur for
a reason.

Today's stories are about Fate.

Noliel's excerpt from "Where the Heart Is" brings the fate of the Noldor
full circle through Maglor: from Cuiviénen to Cuiviénen. Ranger1's aptly
titled "Fate" ponders Finwë's fate, while Oshun's excerpt from "A New Day"
describes the enmeshed fates of Maedhros and Fingon. Dawn Felagund considers
the purpose behind the senseless loss of Amandil from Númenor in "This
Place." Finally, Robinka's drabble "Suicide Is Painless" looks at the fate
of Maedhros, as well as the fate of each of us who has made Tolkien's works
a part of his or her life. "I guess it is likely to say that my fate is to
read and love Tolkien's works," she says. "I do not mind at all."

Today's stories about Fate can be found at
http://www.silmaril lionwritersguild .org/b2mem2008/ fate.php.

That concludes our Back to Middle-earth Month project The Circles of the
World. We hope that you have enjoyed the contributions of the participating
authors, poets, and artists and thank our readers, volunteers, and
contributors alike for their support of the project. We'll see you next
year!

Discover: to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or find out; gain sight
or knowledge of something previously unseen or unknown. Few subjects
captivate authors like discovery, as evidenced by the wealth and variety of
responses we received for today's theme, and, at times, the act of writing
is itself an act of discovery.

Elleth's aptly titled story "Discovery" opens today's theme with a question:
What is that light under the door? Ranger1 writes of the love of Galadriel
and Celeborn, a discovery that will span, and change, the history of
Middle-earth across the ages. Moving into the Second Age, Rhapsody the Bard
considers discovery--and hope--after the fall of Númenor. Wrapping up three
ages of discovery is Ellie's excerpt from "Glistening Part V" about Elrond's
discovery of his purpose in Middle-earth going into the Third Age.

Isil Elensar cannot resist a happy ending, and her story "Similitude"
presents Maglor with two startling discoveries that will change his tragic
fate. In Dawn Felagund's "Stars of the Lesser," Pengolodh discovers that
every story has two sides. Taking a darker turn is ford_of_bruinen' s third
in the "Glimpses" series, where Fëanor discovers death in the most unlikely
of places. Today's theme is wrapped up by an excerpt from pandemonium_ 213's
novella "The Apprentice." Here, we join Annatar and his apprentice as they
catch fireflies and discover new knowledge and light.

Today's stories about creation can be found at
http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/b2mem2008/discovery.php.

This concludes the first week of B2MeM postings for the Beginnings theme.
Next week, we consider Conflict, beginning with War on Monday.

The full Back to Middle-earth Month 2008 project can be found at
http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/b2mem2008.php.

The first part of our Back to Middle-Earth Month project - Birth - is available!

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Every story has a beginning, and many of the finest stories begin with birth. Whether the birth of the world, of a hero--or a villain--or of an idea, both literal and symbolic births fill our stories.

Today, we look at our stories about birth. Isil Elensar contributes an excerpt from her short story "A Precious Gift" about the birth of Fingolfin. It was written, appropriately, as a baby gift for one of her dearest friends. Ford_of_bruinen writes about Fingolfin's birth too, from a different point of view: Fëanor's. She also writes of the beginnings of her love for the stories of J.R.R. Tolkien.

"The stories in The Silmarillion are not in The Silmarillion; they are in the minds of the readers," writes Ranger1, and "Birth of Birth" looks at one such episode: the first births among the Elves of Cuiviénen. And, finally, an excerpt from Dawn Felagund's "Lament the Morning" considers the mingling of birth, death, and beginnings when Fëanor was born.

Today's stories can be found at http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/b2mem2008/birth.php.

On Wednesday, we will look at another beginning--creation--and the stories and artwork inspired by it.

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The full B2MeM 2008 project can be found at http://www.silmaril lionwritersguild .org/b2mem2008. php