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Mythology The Gods, Heroes, and Monsters of Ancient Greece (Ologies)

The Illustrated A-Z Of Classic Mythology: The Legends Of Ancient Greece, Rome And The Norse And Celtic Worlds; A Visual Dictionary With 1000 Entries And More Than 600 Fine Art Images

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, 75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology: The myths and legends of the ancient worlds, from Greece, Rome and Egypt to the Norse and Celtic lands, through Persia and India to China and the Far East

100 Characters from Classical Mythology: Discover the Fascinating Stories of the Greek and Roman Deities

Bulfinch's Mythology: All Volumes

Bulfinch's Mythology:
All Volumes

Thomas Bulfinch's compendium of Greek, Norse and Anglo-Saxon myths and legends offers superb insight into the origins, themes and contexts of ancient stories.

This edition unites all volumes into a single, overarching text perfect for referencing, and inclusive of a lengthy, comprehensive glossary. Bulfinch's Mythology is a crucial text for enthusiasts of ancient myths and lore, as well as students and teachers of classics or ancient literature. It offers a well-researched, literate and comprehensive narration upon legends both renowned and obscure, with insight into the cultures and societies which birthed these stories plentiful.

After introducing the premise of the work, Bulfinch delves sequentially into the myths and legends of Ancient Greece. We witness adventures and follies of various Gods of the Greek pantheon, while mythic peoples such as the Myrmidons and beasts like the Chimaera and the Sphinx also appear.

Following a brief appearance of the Egyptian deities and Eastern myths originating from the Indian subcontinent, Bulfinch turns his focus upon the Nordic myths of antiquity. Valhalla and the Gods conceived by the Norse peoples are examined in depth, with the emergence of Thor and the origin of the Elves particular highlights.

A large portion of this work concerns the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. All the famous characters of Arthurian lore are present; Lancelot, Merlin, Queen Guinevere (Guenever), Tristham and Isolde, Percival and others make their due appearance. The famous quest for the Holy Grail - or Sangreal - forms a lengthy part of this section.

Following the Arthurian myths, Bulfinch turns to the Mabinogeon - the earliest Medieval prose writings of the British Isles. Traced to the 12th and 13th centuries, these stories concern the origins of the British people, the famed Lady of the Fountain, and other aspects of chivalric society.

The book concludes with the legends of Charlemagne, where we learn how the various invasions and battles the ancient Frankish king partook in were mythologised and romanticised. Aspects of mythic lore, such as the appearance of Orcs and magical enchanting, offer a profound look into the development of these legends.

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 1, 2016)

BULFINCH'S MYTHOLOGY

VOLUME TWO

THE AGE OF CHIVALRY

OR

LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR

BY THOMAS BULFINCH

[1858]

Table of Contents

Glossary

Part I.

King Arthur and His Knights.

Chapter VIII.

The Story of Launcelot.– The Lady of Shalott.

KING ARTHUR proclaimed a solemn tournament to be held at Winchester. The king, not less impatient than his knights for this festival, set off some days before to superintend the preparations, leaving the queen with her court at Camelot. Sir Launcelot, under pretence of indisposition, remained behind also. His intention was to attend the tournament in disguise; and having communicated his project to Guenever, he mounted his horse, set off without any attendant, and, counterfeiting the feebleness of age, took the most unfrequented road to Winchester, and passed unnoticed as an old knight who was going to be a spectator of the sports. Even Arthur and Gawain, who happened to behold him from the windows of a castle under which he passed, were the dupes of his disguise. But an accident betrayed him. His horse happened to stumble, and the hero, forgetting for a moment his assumed character, recovered the animal with a strength and agility so peculiar to himself, that they instantly recognized the inimitable Launcelot. They suffered him, however, to proceed on his journey without interruption, convinced that his extraordinary feats of arms must discover him at the approaching festival.

In the evening Launcelot was magnificently entertained as a stranger knight at the neighboring castle of Shalott. The lord of this castle had a daughter of exquisite beauty, and two sons lately received into the order of knighthood, one of whom was at that time ill in bed, and thereby prevented from attending the tournament, for which both brothers had long made preparations. Launcelot offered to attend the other, if he were permitted to borrow the armor of the invalid, and the lord of Shalott, without knowing the name of his guest, being satisfied from his appearance that his son could not have a better assistant in arms, most thankfully accepted the offer. In the meantime the young lady, who had been much struck by the first appearance of the stranger knight, continued to survey him with increased attention, and before the conclusion of supper, became so deeply enamored of him, that, after frequent changes of color, and other symptoms which Sir Launcelot could not possibly mistake, she was obliged to retire to her chamber, and seek relief in tears. Sir Launcelot hastened to convey to her, by means of her brother, the information that his heart was already disposed of, but that it would be his pride and pleasure to act as her knight at the approaching tournament. The lady, obliged to be satisfied with that courtesy, presented him her scarf to be worn at the tournament.

Launcelot set off in the morning with the young knight, who, on their approaching Winchester, carried him to the castle of a lady, sister to the lord of Shalott, by whom they were hospitably entertained. The next day they put on their armor, which was perfectly plain, and without any device, as was usual to youths during the first year of knighthood, their shields being only painted red, as some color was necessary to enable them to be recognized by their attendants. Launcelot wore on his crest the scarf of the maid of Shalott, and, thus equipped, proceeded to the tournament, where the knights were divided into two companies, the one commanded by Sir Galehaut, the other by King Arthur. Having surveyed the combat for a short time from without the lists, and observed that Sir Galehaut's party began to give way, they joined the press and attacked the royal knights, the young man choosing such adversaries as were suited to his strength, while his companion selected the principal champions of the Round Table, and successively overthrew Gawain, Bohort, and Lionel. The astonishment of the spectators was extreme, for it was thought that no one but Launcelot could possess such invincible force; yet the favor on his crest seemed to preclude the possibility of his being thus disguised, for Launcelot had never been known to wear the badge of any but his sovereign lady. At length Sir Hector, Launcelot's brother, engaged him, and, after a dreadful combat, wounded him dangerously in the head, but was himself completely stunned by a blow on the helmet, and felled to the ground; after which the conqueror rode off at full speed, attended by his companion.

They returned to the castle of Shalott, where Launcelot was attended with the greatest care by the good earl, by his two sons, and, above all, by his fair daughter, whose medical skill probably much hastened the period of his recovery. His health was almost completely restored, when Sir Hector, Sir Bohort, and Sir Lionel, who, after the return of the court to Camelot, had undertaken the quest of their relation, discovered him walking on the walls of the castle. Their meeting was very joyful; they passed three days in the castle amidst constant festivities, and bantered each other on the events of the tournament. Launcelot, though he began by vowing vengeance against the author of his wound, yet ended by declaring that he felt rewarded for the pain by the pride he took in witnessing his brother's extraordinary prowess. He then dismissed them with a message to the queen, promising to follow immediately, it being necessary that he should first take a formal leave of his kind hosts, as well as of the fair maid of Shalott.

The young lady, after vainly attempting to detain him by her tears and solicitations, saw him depart without leaving her any ground for hope.

It was early summer when the tournament took place; but some months had passed since Launcelot's departure, and winter was now near at hand. The health and strength of the Lady of Shalott had gradually sunk, and she felt that she could not live apart from the object of her affections. She left the castle, and, descending to the river's brink, placed herself in a boat, which she loosed from its moorings, and suffered to bear her down the current toward Camelot.

One morning, as Arthur and Sir Lionel looked from the window of the tower, the walls of which were washed by a river, they descried a boat richly ornamented, and covered with an awning of cloth of gold, which appeared to be floating down the stream without any human guidance. It struck the shore while they watched it, and they hastened down to examine it. Beneath the awning they discovered the dead body of a beautiful woman, in whose features Sir Lionel easily recognized the lovely maid of Shalott, Pursuing their search, they discovered a purse richly embroidered with gold and jewels, and within the purse a letter, which Arthur opened, and found addressed to himself and all the knights of the Round Table, stating that Launcelot of the Lake, the most accomplished of knights and most beautiful of men, but at the same time the most cruel and inflexible, had by his rigor produced the death of the wretched maiden, whose love was no less invincible than his cruelty.

The king immediately gave orders for the interment of the lady, with all the honors suited to her rank, at the same time explaining to the knights the history of her affection for Launcelot, which moved the compassion and regret of all.

Tennyson has chosen the story of the Lady of Shalott for the subject of a poem:–

"There she weaves by night and day

A magic web with colors gay.

She has heard a whisper say

A curse is on her if she stay

To look down to Camelot.

She knows not what the curse may be,

And so she weaveth steadily,

And little other care hath she,

The Lady of Shalott.

"And moving thro' a mirror clear

That hangs before her all the year,

Shadows of the world appear.

There she sees the highway near

Winding down to Camelot:

There the river eddy whirls,

And there the surly village churls,

And the red cloaks of market girls

Pass onward from Shalott.

"Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,

An abbot on an ambling pad,

Sometimes a curly shepherd lad,

Or long-haired page in crimson clad

Goes by to towered Camelot.

And sometimes thro' the mirror blue

The knights come riding two and two:

She has no loyal knight and true,

The Lady of Shalott.

"But in her web she still delights

To weave the mirror's magic sights,

For often thro' the silent nights

A funeral, with plumes and lights

And music, went to Camelot:

Or when the moon was overhead,

Came two young lovers lately wed;

'I am half sick of shadows,' said

The Lady of Shalott."

The poem goes on as the story: the lady sees Launcelot, he rides away, and she afterward dies and floats down the river in a boat to Camelot. The poem ends as follows:–

"Under tower and balcony,

By garden wall and gallery,

A gleaming shape she floated by

Dead-pale between the houses high,

Silent unto Camelot.

Out upon the wharves they came,

Knight and burgher, lord and dame,

And round the prow they read her name,

The Lady of Shalott.

"Who is this? and what is here?

And in the lighted palace near

Died the sound of royal cheer;

And they crossed themselves for fear

All the knights at Camelot:

But Launcelot mused a little space;

He said 'She has a lovely face;

God in his mercy lend her grace,

The Lady of Shalott.'"

The story of "Elaine, the fair, Elaine, the lovable, Elaine, the lily-maid of Astolat," one of the earliest of the "Idylls of the King," is of course the same tale as the Lady of Shalott.

Table of Contents

Glossary

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The Complete World of Greek Mythology (The Complete Series)

The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

World Mythology: An Anthology of Great Myths and Epics

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BULFINCH'S MYTHOLOGY

VOLUME TWO

THE AGE OF CHIVALRY

ORLEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR

BY THOMAS BULFINCH

[1858]

Part I.

King Arthur and His Knights.

Chapter VIII.

The Story of Launcelot.– The Lady of Shalott.

Princess Bride 1987 Wallace Shawn (Vizzini) and Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya)

Going Where Darwin
Feared to Tread

Communism's
45 Goals

Going Where Darwin
Feared to Tread

Ardipithecus
Ramidus

Human Genome
Project

OR

LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR