"No [one] is an Island, entire of it self; every [one] is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main." - John Donne

The theme of fellowship and friendship is one that plays throughout The Lord of the Rings. From Merry, Pippin and Fredegar plotting to help Frodo, to Elrond forming the fellowship, to the three hunters refusing to abandon their friends to the Uruk-Hai, it is clear that they all knew the importance of depending on one another.

For January and February, our theme will be Relationships.

In addition to the friendship mentioned, there are also examples of romantic relationships in the stories. Aragorn and Arwen loved for decades, and it was that love that spurred Aragorn to pursue his rightful place as king. While it was Aragorn's skill as a healer, and knowledge of athelas, that brought Faramir and Eowyn back from the shadow-lands of the Black Breath, it was the love they found in the Healing Houses’ gardens that truly healed them.

There are even examples of adversarial relationships! There was certainly little love lost between Eomer and Grima, or between Sam and Gollum. Melkor set himself up to be an adversary of Illuvitar and the other Ainur by creating discord. Even Gimli and Legolas started with a contentious relationship, before they became fast friends.

Whatever type of relationship you choose to write about, we hope that you will help strengthen the bonds of fellowship with your fellow fans and writers by sharing your story with us by February 29!

Send your entries to teitho.contest@gmail.com. The contest is anonymous and the entry can't be posted publicaly until the results of the challenge are announced. Please mind our rules when submitting your entries for the contest.

Happy writing and drawing!