Dragons, Elves, and Heroes
Encyclopedia
Dragons, Elves, and Heroes is an anthology
of fantasy
short stories, edited by Lin Carter
. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books
in October 1969 as the sixth volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
. It was the first such anthology assembled by Carter for the series, issued simultaneously with the second, The Young Magicians
.
The book collects nineteen early fantasy tales and poems by various authors, with an overall introduction and notes by Carter. Most of the pieces are Medieval in date, and none later than the nineteenth century. The anthology is a companion volume to Carter's subsequent Golden Cities, Far
(1970), which also collects early fantasies.
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
short stories, edited by Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
in October 1969 as the sixth volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
The Ballantine Adult Fantasy series was an imprint of Ballantine Books. Launched in 1969 , the series reissued a number of works of fantasy literature, which were out of print or dispersed in back issues of pulp magazines , in cheap paperback form—including works...
. It was the first such anthology assembled by Carter for the series, issued simultaneously with the second, The Young Magicians
The Young Magicians
The Young Magicians is an anthology of fantasy short stories, edited by Lin Carter. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books in October 1969 as the seventh volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series...
.
The book collects nineteen early fantasy tales and poems by various authors, with an overall introduction and notes by Carter. Most of the pieces are Medieval in date, and none later than the nineteenth century. The anthology is a companion volume to Carter's subsequent Golden Cities, Far
Golden Cities, Far
Golden Cities, Far is an anthology of fantasy short stories, edited by Lin Carter. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books in October 1970 as the twenty-second volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series...
(1970), which also collects early fantasies.
Contents
- "Introduction: Over the Hills and Far Away" (Lin CarterLin CarterLinwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
) - "The Ogre" - from BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
, translated by Norma Lorre Goodrich - "The High History of the Sword Gram" - from The Volsunga SagaVolsunga sagaThe Völsungasaga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry...
, translated by William MorrisWilliam MorrisWilliam Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement... - "Manawyddan Son of the Boundless" - from The Mabinogion, retold by Kenneth Morris
- "Puck's Song" (poem) - from Puck of Pook's HillPuck of Pook's HillPuck of Pook's Hill is a historical fantasy book by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1906, containing a series of short stories set in different periods of English history. The stories are all narrated to two children living near Burwash, in the area of Kipling's own house Bateman's, by people...
, by Rudyard KiplingRudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature... - "Barrow-Wight" - from The Grettir SagaGrettis sagaGrettis saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It details the life of Grettir Ásmundarson, a bellicose Icelandic outlaw.- Overview :...
, translated by S. Baring-Gould - "Fingal at the Siege of Carric-thura" - from The Poems of OssianOssianOssian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
, by James MacphersonJames MacphersonJames Macpherson was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of poems.-Early life:... - "The Sword of Avalon" - from Le Morte d'ArthurLe Morte d'ArthurLe Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table...
, by Sir Thomas Malory - "Tom O'Bedlam's SongTom o' Bedlam"Tom O' Bedlam" is the name of a critically acclaimed anonymous poem written circa 1600 about a Bedlamite....
" (poem), Anonymous - "The Last Giant of the Elder Age" - from The Kiev CycleBylinaBylina or Bylyna is a traditional Russian oral epic narrative poem. Byliny singers loosely utilize historical fact greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole to create their songs...
, translated by Isabel Florence HapgoodIsabel Florence HapgoodIsabel Florence Hapgood was an U.S. writer and translator of Russian texts.Hapgood was born in Boston, the descendant of a long-established New England family. She studied Germanic and Slavic languages, specializing in Orthodox liturgical texts. She was one of the major figures in the dialogue... - "The Lost Words of Power" (poem) - from The Kalevala, translated by John Martin CrawfordJohn Martin Crawford (scholar)John Martin Crawford was an American physician and scholar who translated the Finnish epic Kalevala into English based on a previous German translation by Franz Anton Schiefner published in 1852, to be published for the first time in 1888....
- "Wonderful Things Beyond Cathay" - from Mandeville's TravelsJohn Mandeville"Jehan de Mandeville", translated as "Sir John Mandeville", is the name claimed by the compiler of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a book account of his supposed travels, written in Anglo-Norman French, and first circulated between 1357 and 1371.By aid of translations into many other languages...
, edited by Arthur Layard - "Prospero Evokes the Air Spirits" (poem) - from The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"... - "The Lords of Faerie" - from The Faerie Queen, by Edmund SpenserEdmund SpenserEdmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
- "Tales of the Wisdom of the Ancients" - from The Gesta RomanorumGesta RomanorumGesta Romanorum, a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th...
, translated by Charles SwanCharles SwanCharles Swan was a reluctant buccaneer, killed 1690.Captain Swan was forced into piracy by his crew in the 1680s, and proceeded to write letters to the owners of his ship Cygnet in London, begging them to intercede with James II of England for his pardon - even as he looted his way up and down the...
and revised by Wynnard Hooper - "The Magical Palace of Darkness" - from Palmerin of England, by Francisco de MoraesFrancisco de MoraesFrancisco de Moraes Cabral was a Portuguese writer. Born in Braganza, he served as personal secretary to the Portuguese ambassador in France, and composed, during two voyages to Paris , a chivalric romance called Palmerin d’Angleterre , a "spin-off" of...
- "Rustum Against the City of Demons" - from The Shah-NamahShahnamehThe Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
of FirdausiFerdowsiFerdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
, in a version by Lin CarterLin CarterLinwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida... - "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower CameChilde Roland to the Dark Tower Came"Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is a poem by English author Robert Browning, written in 1855 and first published that same year in the collection entitled Men and Women. The title, which forms the last words of the poem, is a line from William Shakespeare's play King Lear...
" (poem), by Robert BrowningRobert BrowningRobert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:... - "The Princess of Babylon" - from The Romances of VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
- "The Horns of Elfland" (poem), by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- Untitled end note by Lin CarterLin CarterLinwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...