Sacred Texts  Legends & Sagas  William Morris 
The Garden of the Hesperides, by Lord Frederick Leighton [1892] (Public Domain Image)

The Earthly Paradise

September-November

by William Morris

[1870]
Contents    Start Reading
March-August |  September-November |  December-February

This is the second part of a three part etext of William Morris' epic-length poem, The Earthly Paradise. In this portion, Morris expands his scope from classical mythology into the Near East with The Man who never laughed again, and the Northern realm with the extended The Lovers of Gudrun, a retelling of an episode from the Icelandic Laxdaela Saga, and East of the Moon, West of the Sun.

Confusingly, this is actually part III of the original edition (the first volume was considered part I and II).

Title Page
Contents

September

Introduction
The Death of Paris
The Land East of the Sun and West of the Moon

October

Introduction
The Story of Accontius and Cydippe
The Man Who Never Laughed Again

November

Introduction
The Story of Rhodope

The Lovers of Gudrun

Of Herdholt and Bathstead
The Prophecy of Guest the Wise
Gudrun twice Wedded, Widowed and Wooed of Kiartan
The Dealings of King Olaf Tryggvison with the Icelanders
Bodli brings Tidings to Bathstead
Kiartan's Farewell to Norway
Kiartan back in Iceland; Refna comes into the Tale
Tidings brought to Bathstead of Kiartan's coming back
Kiartan weds Refna
The Sword comes back without the Scabbard
The Stealing of the Coif
Refna hears Women talking
Kiartan fetches the price of the Coif from Bathstead
Thorhalla tells of Kiartan's Comings and Goings
The Slaying of Kiartan Olafson
Kiartan brought dead to Bathstead
What Folk did at Herdholt after the Slaying
Gudrun's deeming of the Men who loved her.

 

Advertisements from Original Edition