#teitho challenge

[teitho]

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER TEITHO PROMPT: Do you remember . . .

This prompt can be used for any character, any book, any timeframe in Tolkien’s work! We can’t wait to see what memories you will use for your stories and art this month!

Will you have your characters think back on good times or bad? Difficult days or ones of joy? A simple day or a fraught one?

Is it a thought going back to the Light of the Two Trees? The first sunrise over Beleriand?

The shadows of Menegroth? The caves of Nargothrond? The Halls of Theoden? Sunlight on a river?

Or perhaps three stone Trolls? A raven? Or the taste of strawberries on a spring day in the Shire?

Please do remember to submit your story/art for this prompt to teitho.contest@gmail.com by September 30, 2024!

Your Teitho mods,

Sian22, lotrfan, and Cassie

(As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions or prompt suggestions or suggestions for promoting teitho!)

[ladysternchen]

What Is Right And What Is Easy

Finwë

“(Melkor becomes suspicious, and guesses war is purposed against him, because of the Quendi. During Oromë’s absence his emissaries are busy, and many lies circulate. The `heresy’ awakes in new form: the Valar clearly do exist; but they have abandoned Endor; rightly as the appointed realm of the Quendi. Now they are becoming jealous, and wish to control the Quendi as vassals, and so re-possess themselves of Endor. Finwë, a gallant and adventurous young quende, direct descendant of Tata […], is much taken by these ideas; less so his friend, Elwë, descendant of Enel)”- J.R.R.Tolkien (editor Carl F. Hofstetter): the Nature of Middle-Earth, Chapter XIII ‘Key Dates’

“Finwë! Lord Oromë has returned!”

Finwë wrinkled his nose, looking sceptically at his friend.

“So?” he asked finally, wincing inwardly at how cool he knew his voice sounded. Unsurprisingly, Elwë frowned at his friend’s less than enthusiastic attitude.

“What do you mean, ‘so’? He is going to tell us more of Valinor, and besides, when he is here, no Shadow will dare come close.”

“The Shadow is conquered, they say.”

“I hear that. But there are still enough foul things on the loose in these woods!”

“Yes…” Finwë said. “…or so the Vala says.”

Elwë just stared at his friend, until Finwë bit his tongue in dreadful realisation. 

“Elwë, I… forgive me, I did not mean to…”

“It’s fine! But will you come now and hear for yourself what Oromë has to say?”

“What if he is only trying to lure us to Valinor, though? What if the Valar are really truly the evil ones? I mean, we are happy here, are we not?”

Elwë considered that for a while, his eyes on the star-strewn heavens. At last he sighed deeply, looking as if he were carrying a much older elf’s burdens. 

“I don’t believe it. I know many do, I know it sounds so very… plausible. But there is no evil in Oromë. Anger, perhaps, wrath even, but no evil. Have you seen the light that shines within his eyes? Something so pure cannot in itself be evil, I am sure about it! So will you come with me back to the others?”

Finwë still was reluctant, though he had to admit that Elwë had a good point.

“But you were the one to take ages to start trusting Oromë…”

Elwë shook his head.

“No, your memory deceives you there, my friend. I trusted Oromë from the start. But I needed time to think over what he told us.”

An almost pained look crossed Finwë’s face.

“Yes. I know you did. You always think everything over. But it seems that that is no bad thing this time. Alright. Let’s go!”

Ingwë

He balled his fists in frustration beneath his cloak, doing his best to keep his face even. Lord Imin was smiling understandingly and somehow, that made him even angrier, and he was by the Valar not prone to anger quickly.

“The tales you tell of Valinor are blissful, Ingwë and I understand your youthful desire to seek new shores…”

“Lord, with all due respect, you speak as if with the wisdom of age, that truly only the Powers, who are ageless and timeless, possess. It is said by them that this is the Age of the youth of all Quendi, so it might be all our youthful duty to find a home that is more suitable for our kind.”

Still, Imin was smiling, and Ingwë could have hit him for it. Behind Imin, Iminyë, Tata and Tatië, Enel and Enelyë stood with grimmer expressions, though all very much signalling consent to the eldest’ words. Ingwë chanced a glance at Finwë and Elwë, who stood beside him, Finwë glaring furiously at the elders, Elwë with his gaze lowered to the ground, looking about as comfortable in his position as a speared fish. It was all Ingwë could do not to roll his eyes at the pair of them, for none of them was in the least helpful, though for very contrasting reasons. Wryly, he thought that if one could somehow mix his friends together, make one out of two, they might actually become useful.

“You are bold, Ingwë. But consider this- here is where we awoke, where we are meant to be. The shores of the sacred waters of Cuiviénen are our home. The Quendi belong here, as the Valar belong in their realm of eternal bliss. We shall be ever glad of their friendship and help, but the offer to live among them we must refuse!”

“But…”

“The people of the stars we are, young lord!” said Enel, speaking up for the first time. “Have you not told us of eternal light there in Aman? How could the Eldar prosper in such a land? It seems to me that they would live in bliss for only a short time, burning with a flame too bright for their being, and then soon perish!”

Ingwë resigned himself to saying what he had tried to avoid saying until now for Elwë’s sake, but now felt he must voice.

“But it seems likely that we shall perish here even sooner. Was it not, Lord Enel, Lady Enelyë, a prince of your house that was only lately slaughtered, his wife taken by the Shadows, only to leave their infant son behind? Is that what you would choose for your people truly?”

Predictably, a shudder went through the crowd and Ingwë sensed more than saw Finwë’s piercing glare while he laid a comforting arm around Elwë’s shoulders.

“That is quite enough, Ingwë!” Ilion spoke up, and though his tone was gentle, Ingwë could discern the warning in his father’s words.

“The Quendi that awoke on these shores will stay by these shores, whether you youngsters like it or not!” Tata stated, and had those not been words of doom, Ingwë would have laughed. It was easy to trace the passion with which words were spoken from Tata to his youngest lord without any trouble. 

“Then the Quendi will have to decide whom they will follow.” said Ingwë, raising his voice, so that everyone could hear him. “I ask therefore the tribe of the Minyar, my people, to choose whom they will follow!” 

Elwë

Stars. Light. Diamonds in the sky. Or pearls on endless shores, shimmering in the light of the Trees. What was right? What wrong?

His head swam as if he had received a heavy blow, making him incapable of even a single straight thought, confused, and lost. Entirely lost.

Trees? Or stars? Lady Yavanna? Or Queen Varda?

It does not work like that, young lord.

Varda’s laughter, so clear, so warm, so pure.

You need not decide. My stars remain where they are, regardless whether your people do so as well.

He stumbled, branches piercing the palms of his hands as he fell on them.

Yavanna and Varda had exchanged mirthful glances at his words. He had not understood, but then, there had been so much he had not understood.

It would have been so easy, to give into the will of many of his people, to stay on starlit shores, the journey so difficult, Aman so bright, the sea so wide.

Do I choose what is easy? Or do I choose what is right? 

He had never doubted Oromë, nor the Valar in general. And Finwë…

Finwë. Thoughts of his dearest friend stirred his mind out of its exhausted stupor. He had gone to visit Finwë, but then…

Mist seemed to fog his mind again. He would surly die here, and soon. His throat was dry, and his limbs shook with the effort of scrambling to his feet again. Tired. He was so tired.

And yet he blinked, and after a little while his vision cleared enough for him to see what was in front of him- bushes, too thick and thorny to penetrate. To his left the trees stood closely together, to his right, the terrain fell a little, the ground rocky and treacherous, and yet… it sloped downhill, and going downhill would be so much less exhausting, at least for a little while. And did not all this land fall towards the sea? The sea… he had a feeling that he needed to be there. Nowë’s little toy ships on the mirror-clear surface of Cuiviénen. Home. The easy way.

Do I choose what is easy, or what my heart tells me is right?

The song pulled him towards the trees, so beautiful, and there was something familiar about it, something that made him think of Oromë. Had the Vala come again? Would he save him?

But was this all real? Was anything real? Who was he? Where was he? What was he doing there?

Song. Light. The way to go.

His last thought, before he forced himself to walk on, his mind then so set on putting one foot in front of the other that there was no room for anything else, was of the song, and of how, when his strength would finally be spent, the music would be the last thing he heard, and that was a very comforting thought.

Olwë

The sea rushed back and forth, back, and forth. Olwë lost himself in that rhythm, as he had done frequently ever since they had reached the coast. Back, and forth. Yet today, that sound brought him no comfort.

Back…

Was he supposed to do that? Turn back now, after they had come so far? Refuse Ossë and his island and stay? 

… and forth…

It was almost time now, the Maia had said, and Olwë knew it well enough within his own heart. They had long lingered here, and now was the time to go on.

Though could he go on? 

‘How can you do this?’ Elmo had asked him last night, despair and barely concealed fury in his voice. 

‘I can do this because our people are my responsibility now, and I have to lead them on. That is what Elwë wanted, what he laboured for for all these long years!’ he had answered, trying to convince himself as much as his little brother. 

There would be no reaching Aman after that. If he left now, he left Elwë behind, his dreams and hopes, and everyone who refused to leave without him.

No. No no no! 

He needed to be firm on this, could not allow the voices in his head to re-awaken. There was no older brother anymore to leave behind. 

Elwë is gone, he is dead, there is no other explanation! 

Elmo and Nowë were being stupid, and Beleg and Mablung and everyone else who wanted him to delay their journey further. He knew, he was utterly certain, that Elwë had not just walked away from his people, had not left them by his own free will. And that left only two possibilities- either he was dead, killed in some freak accident or by some fell thing, or… no, but that, too, was something he could not allow himself to think. And yet he could do nothing against his imagination showing him what would likely be Elwë’s fate were he indeed unlucky enough to live still. Captivity. Torture. Torture beyond what an elf could endure, until nothing was left of him but a maimed body and mind, bound to the will of the Shadow. Olwë had never believed it was truly gone. The one called Melkor might be, but not Evil itself. He wanted nothing more than to be gone from these shores, to be where the Powers dwelled, where it was safe.

‘Is that truly how you repay him for everything he has done for us? You just give up on him?’

Olwë had caught Elmo by the wrists then, forcing him to calm down and listen.

‘I am NOT abandoning him. But we searched, Elmo. Everywhere. Many, many times. Elwë is gone. And I know this is what he would have wanted me to do- complete his work, lead his people on. Get us, you and me, to safety!’

‘Aye, I agree. That would be exactly what he would say, being noble, acting the hero. Because he has learned to always put us first because he loved to think of our safety as his responsibility, and oh, did he enjoy himself in that role. But we have a responsibility for him, too. We are brothers. And what are brothers for if not to look after one another?’

Elmo’s words stung still. A lot. But what really hurt was what Elmo had said next.

“I am not leaving here without him. He promised me not to leave me again and I do not think he did. And I am most certainly not leaving him!”

So there he was now. If he chose to leave Middle-Earth, he was losing both his brothers, and Nowë, too, if his cousin did not return to the them soon. He was losing all his family. There would be nobody there to pat him on the back, to say they were proud of him when they would finally reach Aman. He thought of his wife and their future children. Her parents had stayed at Cuiviénen, her sisters left them on the journey. Their children would just miss so much. No cousins to build boats with. No uncles and aunts to fish them out of the waves if they ever got over-excited. He would call himself king, and ever in his heart feel that this crown did not belong to him.

 And if he were to meet Elwë again? They had learned that the Fëar of those that had died could be rehoused after a fashion, return among the living. So what would happen if he did come face to face with his older brother once more and had to explain to him that he  had left Elmo behind? Elwë would never, ever, forgive him.

Back…

Maybe they could really be happy here. The sea was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The stars overhead gave them light. Ossë and Uinen and Ulmo were ever there, so would it really be so bad to stay? And after all, that meant they could one day reconnect with those they had left behind. This, after all, was home.

… and forth.

But really, his mind was set, and had been from the start. He would do what he and Elwë had set out to do what now felt like an eternity ago. 

When he sought out Elmo, he knew at first glance that his face showed his decision, for his brother smiled sadly at him.

“I stand by what I said. I will not leave Middle-Earth without Elwë.”

“Thus we, too, must part then. But Elmo? Promise me you will stay safe. Promise me you will find love and happiness, whether you ever find Elwë or not. And if by some chance you do find him alive, tell him I love him. And that his excuse had better be good!”

Elmo nodded, and Olwë embraced his brother, then turned to board the island at last, to turn his back to the lands of his birth, never to look back.

[astoryinred]

Now that Éowyn is sure who and what she wants, there's some unfinished business she needs to handle -- such as explaining things to her brother.

Posted for "Longing" in the Teitho challenge.

[sian22redux]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Éowyn/Faramir (Son of Denethor II) Characters: Faramir, Éowyn (Tolkien), Finduilas of Dol Amroth, Thorongil, Aragorn | Estel, Boromir, Finduilas of Ithilien, Elboron (Tolkien), Theomund of Ithilien Summary:

One diary. Three different Mettare Eves. Three generations of the Steward's family. Sometimes a secret wishes to be shared.

Written as Annafan's belated Christmas present and for Teitho Challenge 'Curiosity' where it placed first.   Faramir certainly didn’t get his love of Quenya poetry from Denethor! :)

[roselightfairy]

Fic Rec

Of Wine and Rhymes by Adelie P.

Summary: Lively nights in Emyn Arnen lead to a new invention, which is immediately put to good use. Also featuring: Aragorn, Arwen, Éomer and Lothíriel. A tongue-in-cheek one-shot written for the February Teitho challenge (the theme was "First") with no connection to my other stories.

...

If you want to read a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek fic that had me doubling over with laughter, in which Faramir (with Gimli’s help) invents the printing press and Arwen writes erotic poetry, please read this.

[independence1776]

Snowflake Challenge Day 9

Challenge #9: In your own space, brag about yourself. Tell us what things you've done that you're proud of; the things that make you the wonderful person you are.

Have a list of all the fanworks I posted in 2020.

Graphics

1. This is how we defend ourselves. Moodboard created for Back to Middle-earth Month. Full text on moodboard: “This is how we defend ourselves: Sword and shield, song and story, family and friends.” 2. Title page for ‘Stars, hide your fires’. This was the title page for the Tolkien fic “Stars, hide your fires” written by Fernstrike and Raiyana, which was also illustrated by Lyra. It was created as part of my team’s response to SWG’s Block Party challenge for the Team Storytelling event. 3. LotR graphic for Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday. Every autumn, I get the urge to reread LotR.

Meta

4. How long was Caleb Dume Depa Billaba’s Padawan? What it says on the tin. Fanfic 5. Cold. Maglor and the cold. No warnings; rated general, gen. 169 words. Written for Teitho’s 2019 Nov/Dec challenge, but the anonymity rules meant it was posted in early January. (Also posted on AO3.) 6. Shifting Dunes. Owen and Obi-Wan talk while Luke trains. Beru/Owen/Obi-Wan. No warnings; rated general; poly. 785 words. Written for Maythe4thbewithyou. 7. Answers Yet to Come. A month after the war ends, Cal Kestis runs into Caleb Dume on one of the not-quite-forbidden lower levels of the Jedi Temple. No warnings; rated general; canon divergent AU. 1066 words. Written for JediJune. 8. Evolving Roles. A sixteen-year-old Kanan gets stranded in Anchorhead and runs into Obi-Wan. No archive warnings; rated teens, canon divergent AU. 2835 words. Written for FandomTrumpsHate 2020. 9. Never Discussed But Silently Acknowledged. After two years on Tatooine, Ben Kenobi is generally considered well worth the effort to court due to his clear ability to take care of himself alone in the desert. Beru and Owen make their opinion clear. Beru/Owen/Obi-Wan. No warnings, rated general, poly. 1800 words. Written for Star Wars Rare Pairs. 10. Little Things. Kanan shares a bit of his past with Ezra. No warnings, rated general, gen. 683 words. Written for Rebels Secret Santa.

[ao3feed-tolkien]

Another Man's Treasure

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/cwvnOxZ

by WindSurfBabe

A tale in which losing things is no misfortune, and finding them, no serendipity. 1st place in the August/September 2022 Teitho Challenge "Rings".

Words: 4770, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar, Narvi (Tolkien), Original Hobbit Character(s)

Additional Tags: Teitho Fanfiction Contest

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/cwvnOxZ

[ao3feed-thehobbit]

The Children of the Kindly West

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2WMnOJS

by Altariel

When a small boy gets sick, tall tales are the best entertainment. Written for the Teitho Contest Picture Challenge IV, where it placed first.

Words: 1672, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Garden of Gondor

Fandoms: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Faramir (Son of Denethor II), Aragorn | Estel, Éowyn (Tolkien), Eldarion (Tolkien), Elboron (Tolkien), Original Characters

Additional Tags: Teitho Fanfiction Contest

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2WMnOJS

[teitho]

Our prompt for Nov/Dec is Healing.

Healing figures significantly in many of Tolkien’s works. We encounter healers like Elrond, the staff of the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith, Aragorn and the healing hands of the King.

We see many characters being healed—Frodo, Faramir, Eowyn, Merry.

Healing isn’t only confined to physical injury—there is healing of mental and emotional hurts as well.

And we also see incomplete healing—where characters may be healed of bodily injuries swiftly but the horrors and trauma they endured persist—Maedhros, Gwindor, Frodo.

Healing also affects the land in Tolkien. Ithilien—where Legolas and his people go at Aragorn’s request, to rejuvenate and cleanse the land—is just one example of this.

Healing can also be seen in the context of interpersonal relationships—Maedhros healing the rift in the house of Finwë, the repair of Bilbo and Thorin’s friendship at the end of the Battle of Five Armies.

What stories of healing will you give us? We can’t wait to see where your imagination takes you!

Stories or art should be submitted to teitho.contest@gmail.com by Dec 31!

Your mods

Sian22, lotrfan, and Cassie.

[ladysternchen]

teitho-challenge ‘crossroads’

Any of you who entered it, have you had any reply? I’m kind of worried that my mail didn’t reach them, but at the same time don’t want to bother them...

[vellichrome]

The Song of the Sword

by: Tanis (iiiionly) | [ao3] [ffn]

The Gen version of this story won 3rd Place in the June 2013 Teitho Challenge - Weapons. Aragorn sets about reforging the sword of Narsil in order to save a friend's life. As this follows neither book nor movie canon, it would probably fall under the category of AU. Featuring Aragorn and Legolas, with mild slash connotations.

This is a sequel to Breath of an Elf, which was a tag to Neoinean's fabulous story, ... and it was done.

[teitho]

Our Teitho prompt for September/October is Delay.

Choose any character, any circumstance, any time period. Will you delve into Gandalf’s delay returning to the Shire to meet Frodo? Or Maedhros striving to join Fingon and the other assembled armies?

Sometimes delaying is a bad thing or a sign of indecision, but sometimes it may inadvertently be a good thing. Could a delay, inadvertent or not, change the course of events?

What story will you tell us this month? We can’t wait to see your stories and/or art! Don’t delay sending in your fic or art entries to teitho.contest@gmail.com by October 31st!

Your teitho mods

[teitho]

JUNE/JULY PROMPT!

Our Teitho June/July prompt is Mentor!

So many examples of such relationships in Tolkien's works! From Mahtan's mentorship of Fëanor to Galadriel's towards Arwen. The example BIlbo set for Frodo. The way Gandalf is a mentor to many of the characters along the way--Aragorn, Thorin, Bilbo, Frodo, Theoden, and more.

We see short term and long term mentorships--both for good and evil. Eru Iluvatar's guidance of the Valar. Melkor's tutelage of Sauron over the ages. The many generations of Dunedain guided by Elrond's counsel and wisdom.

Aragorn himself is a mentor to the hobbits.

Some are long lasting, others--like Theoden to Merry--are brief yet deeply meaningful.

Mentors can be teachers, friends, parents, adversaries, people we encounter by chance, or for just a brief moment in time.

What stories of mentors do you want to tell? We look forward to your submissions for this challenge!

Please submit your stories by July 31 to teitho.contest@gmail.com.

your teitho mods

Sian, lotrfan, and Cassie

[teitho]

WE ARE BACK!

We are very excited to be back with a new Teitho challenge for December/January!

Our challenge this time is SNOW.

Where will you take us with this prompt? Mountain peaks or cruel Caradhras? The frozen terrain of the Helcaraxë?

Or perhaps the snowy fields of Rohan. A blizzard in the Shire. Winter at the Havens.

Bundled up inside or braving the elements? A gentle fall of snow or a winter storm? Or perhaps snowed in?

It’s all up to you and we can’t wait see what you have for us this time!

Please submit your stories before January 31, 2024, to teitheo.contest@gmail.com.

Happy Writing!

lotrfan and Sian22

[teitho]

Our April/May prompt uses the source material directly for inspiration. Choose any of the following quotes as inspiration for your story!

1. From The Silmarillion:

“the deeds that we shall do shall be the matter of song until the last days of Arda.”

2. From The Hobbit:

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

3. From The Lord of the Rings:

“All’s well as ends Better!”

What thoughts and feelings do these quotes inspire? They may come from different books and from different characters, but they can encompass many moments from Tolkien’s legendarium.

The tales of Beleriand may have inspired song but so did the events of the Last Alliance, the search for the Entwives, the destruction on the One ring, the ride of the Rohirrim.

Many characters find something on their adventures—it could be an object but sometimes it’s a secret, unexpected information, or even something they learn about themselves.

Perhaps you would like to write about the moments those words reference? What did Mandos think of Fëanor’s words? Fingolfin? The Noldor gathered in that place?

There is no requirement to use the quote directly in your story but you are free to do so, if you like.

We are excited to read your submissions! Please email your stories to teitho.contest@gmail.com by May 31!

Your Teitho mods

Sian22, lotrfan and Cassie

[teitho]

We have two entries for our DELAY prompt! Please read and vote!