The Story of the Volsungs is an epic work by William Morris, numbering over 10,000 lines and notable for inspiring the high fantasy literature of J. R. R. Tolkien and other famous authors.In his lifetime, Morris was praised by contemporaries for this poem, inspired by the existing legends of Nibelungenlied and the Volsungs, dating to the Middle Ages. The warrior society these tales depict are thought to have a reasonable measure of grounding in the reality of Nordic life as it was during antiquity; a martial culture, where strength and iron playing their pivotal part. We are introduced to the legend with a wedding; King Volsung's daughter Signy marries Siggeir, king of the Goths. However the God Odin, disguised as an elderly man of benign appearance, enters the ceremony and drives a blade into a tree trunk. Inviting everyone in the room to draw their swords in response, it is to the shock of those attending the ceremony that only Sigmund, a young and otherwise undistinguished man, is able to do so.
The Story of the Volsungs is an epic work by William Morris, numbering over 10,000 lines and notable for inspiring the high fantasy literature of J. R. R. Tolkien and other famous authors.In his lifetime, Morris was praised by contemporaries for this poem, inspired by the existing legends of Nibelungenlied and the Volsungs, dating to the Middle Ages. The warrior society these tales depict are thought to have a reasonable measure of grounding in the reality of Nordic life as it was during antiquity; a martial culture, where strength and iron playing their pivotal part. We are introduced to the legend with a wedding; King Volsung's daughter Signy marries Siggeir, king of the Goths. However the God Odin, disguised as an elderly man of benign appearance, enters the ceremony and drives a blade into a tree trunk. Inviting everyone in the room to draw their swords in response, it is to the shock of those attending the ceremony that only Sigmund, a young and otherwise undistinguished man, is able to do so.
The author tells the story of Peter, King of Upmeads, and his four sons, Blaise, Hugh, Gregory, and Ralph. These four sons decide one day that they would like to explore the world, so their father gives them permission. From that point on, the plot centers on the youngest son, Ralph. William Morris was a Renaissance Man who left interesting marks across a variety of fields -- he was an artist, a philosopher, a politician, a utopian fantasist, and, as this wonderful tale will demonstrate, a man with the capacity for romance on an epic scale.
The Roots of the Mountain J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, said that his writing was inspired and influenced by the books of William Morris. A tale of a romance that unites two long-ago peoples and of the battle to defend their freedom against invading Huns. Roots of the Mountains has all the glory and strife of war, along with a love triangle similar to the one hinted at in Lord of the Ring. If you like folklore and stories that seem to draw from ancient Norse legends and Celtic peoples, you will love this story.
William Morris is more widely known for his beautifully designed 'Arts and Crafts' wallpapers, but his first love was ancient Nordic Poetry, and especially the 13th century Icelandic 'Volsunga Saga'. Morris was obsessed with this tale from his youth, and over many years penned a 10,000 line epic poem that, on publication, was accorded high praise by such literary luminaries as George Bernard Shaw and T. E. Lawrence. The saga tells the History of the Volsungs, a tale strewn with epic battles, supernatural visitations, dragon-guarded treasures, enchanted swords forged from ancient weapons, magical rings, beautiful maidens, undying loves and implacable hatreds. The motifs and themes in the 'Volsunga Saga' have inspired a host of artistic works, among them Richard Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen' and J. R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'. William Morris' full poem proved taxing for most readers, and a shorter version - with some of the less compelling episodes précised by W Turner and H Scott - was published in 1910 to great acclaim. It is here presented in a new edition, complete with original glossary, additional imagery and a précis of the rarely-noted Book IV.
How we can bring the character and nature of God to our colleagues at work
Golden Wings and Other Fantasy Stories is a collection of fantasy short stories by William Morris including the classics "Lindenborg Pool" and "The Hollow Land" among others.
The Well at the World's End was among the very first of its kind - it is an epic romance of duplicity, machination, passion, and wizardry, and is, in short, a vast odyssey into the weird. It is a beautifully rich fantasy, a vibrant fairy tale without fairies. It is the most entrancing of William Morris's late romances - part futuristic fantasy novel, part old-fashioned fairy tale. Morris writes his magic love story with a sense of color and pattern, and the sheer imaginative fervor of one of the most brilliant decorative artists that has ever lived. A Classic fantasy novel!
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