The Quest of the Holy Grail

By

Composed by an unknown author in early thirteenth-century France, The Quest of the Holy Grail is a fusion of Arthurian legend and Christian symbolism, reinterpreting ancient Celtic myth as a profou...

Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories

By Hermann Palsson

Written around the thirteenth century AD by Icelandic monks, the seven tales collected here offer a combination of pagan elements tightly woven into the pattern of Christian ethics. They take as th...

The Owl and the Nightingale Penguin Classics

By Anonymous

The Death of King Arthur

By

Recounting the final days of Arthur, this thirteenth-century French version of the Camelot legend, written by an unknown author, is set in a world of fading chivalric glory. It depicts the Round Ta...

Beowulf

By Alexander Michael, Anonymous

This translation conveys the artistry and eloquence of the eighth century Old English poem, Beowulf, which is set in the heroic societies of fifth-century Scandinavia.

Speaking of Siva

By A. K. Ramanujan

Tales from the Thousand and One Nights

By

The tales told by Scheherazade over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahryar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From th...

The Psalms

By Anonymous

Egil's Saga

By Snorri Sturluson, Anonymous

The Rig Veda: An Anthology of One Hundred and Eight Hymns

By Anonymous