The Age of Chivalry

by Thomas Bulfinch

Here, in a dazzling panoply, are the legendary figures from the age of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, Robin Hood, Richard the Lionhearted and his crusaders, and a host of other famous and lesser-known characters. This collection includes tales from Camelot, dramatic narratives from The Mabinogeon, and stories of the noble warriors of English history. Bulfinch's skillful storytelling not only relates these ancient myths and legends but also discusses their roles in literature and art, with numerous allusions to poetry and paintings. Generations of children and adults have thrilled to these timeless tales, and young readers can find no better introduction to the enchantment of medieval myths and legends.

Genres: Mythology, History, Classics, Nonfiction, Medieval, Arthurian, Reference

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1858

About the author

Thomas Bulfinch was an American writer born in Newton, Massachusetts, best known for the book Bulfinch's Mythology.

Reviews

[Деница Райкова]

Denitza Raykova
1 min
Томас Булфинч - "Митове и легенди от рицарските времена", изд. "Рива", 2018 г., прев. Розалина Евдокимова

Когато осъзнаеш, че времето ти да четеш рицарски истории май е отминало...
... те обзема едно чувство на тъга и негодувание. Към самия теб.
С много голямо желание седнах да чета тази книга. Помня как влезе в "списъка за пазаруване" за Пролетния базар. Стигаше ми само заглавието, за да реша, че искам да я имам. А когато видях на корицата името на Томас Булфинч, това само затвърди решението ми. Не бях попадала досега на събрани и /или/ преразказани истории, но името беше достатъчно известно, за да реша, че ме очаква хубаво книжно преживяване.
Пък и... В групата сигурно има доста хора, които си спомнят онова старо издание "В страната на легендите" с вълшебната корица и чудесното оформление. Аз определено го помня. Помня как отново и отново четях историята за Тристат и Изолда - още от първото прочитане на сборника тя ми стана любима. Помня имената на скъпоценни камъни, които научих от тях. И най-вее, помня колко омайващо ми звучаха всички истории.
И очаквах да се почувствам по същия начин и сега.
Само че - и пак ще кажа, дори и ако се приеме за оправдание - да, знам, че Булфинч е име в събирането на такива легенди, - но "звученето" на книгата не ми хареса. Първите страници наистина обещаваха да са "хващащи", но някъде към средата книгата започна да ме "губи". Не ми допадна стилът, на места историята ми дойде твърде многословна, и, честно казано, макар че от детските ми години не ми се е случвало да "прескачам" страници, сега на моменти ми идваше да го направя.
Казаното дотук важи най-вече за историите, свързани с крал Артур - а, както се оказа, това е всъщност една доста голяма част от книгата. И си го обяснявам най-вече с това, че навремето толкова често препрочитах тези истории.
От 18-а глава нататък обаче /след 170-а страница/ книгата започна да ме увлича все повече. Много ми харесаха историите за Герайнт и тези за Господарката на фонтана, и искрено съжалих, че беше отделено толкова малко място на историите за Робин Худ.
Като цяло - книгата допълни това, което вече знаех за героите, споменаващи се в нея, от "Страната на легендите", и ме "запозна" с нови, за които чувах за пръв път. Една литературна "среща", която сега беше просто приятна, а можеше да бъде омайваща и запомняща се, ако се беше осъществила няколко години по-рано...

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Не съм я свършвал реално, но Goodreads продължават да се помайват и да не дават опция Dropped. Книгата е интересна за историци на средновековната литература, но за читател, търсещ приятна отмора с четивото е с безкрайно остарял стил. Не мисля, че е издадена правилно от "Рива", без никакъв коментар за това кога е писана. Затова и не спестявам лошата оценка.

[Tinquerbelle]

Bulfinch, Thomas
Bulfinch's Mythology

In compilation only.

1) Introduction
2) The Mythical History of England
3) Merlin
4) Arthur
5) Arthur (continued)
6) Sir Gawain
7) Caradoc Briefbras; or, Caradoc with the Shrunken Arm
8) Lancelot of the Lake
9) The Adventure of the Cart
10) The Lady of Shalott
11) Queen Guenever's Peril
12) Tristram and Isoude
13) Tristram and Isoude (continued)
14) Sir Tristram's Battle with Sir Lancelot
15) The Round Table
16) Sir Palamedes
17) Sir Tristram
18) Perceval
19) The Sangreal, or Holy Ghost
20) The Sangreal (continued)
21) The Sangreal (continued)
22) Sir Agrivain's Treason
23) Morte d'Arthur
24) Introductory Note to the Mabinogeon
25) The Britons
26) The Lady of the Fountain
27) The Lady of the Fountain (continued)
28) The Lady of the Fountain (continued)
29) Geraint, the Son of Erbin
30) Geraint, the Son of Erbin (continued)
31) Geraint, the Son of Erbin (continued)
32) Pwyll, Prince of Dyved
33) Branwen, the Daughter of Llyr
34) Manawyddan
35) Kilwich and Olwen
36) Kilwich and Olwen (continued
37) Taliesin
38) Beowulf
39) Cuchulain, Champion of Ireland
40) Hereward the Wake
41) Robin Hood

[Hannah Mozingo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't have read this, had I not been required to for my Medieval literature class. It was ok, but not exactly my cup of tea. It was a lot of random old stories and legends compiled into a book, mildly interesting and rather long winded. I didn't dislike it, I just didn't love it.

[Ava Giuliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not pay attention long enough for this to not be boring

[Kristens.reading.nook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my 7th graders homeschool curriculum. I’m just not that interested in the time of knights. So my rating more reflects that than the author’s ability to write about the time period.

[Diana Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the book for me. I was hoping for more about Charlemagne and some of the legends surrounding this great King. Instead I was reading fantasy land adventures with Knights who become enchanted, wizards, sorcery,magical beings including flying beasts. But that wasn't my main problem with the text, there was such an extraordinary jumping around from one scenario to the next. The story would start to come together and the writer would tell us "we will get back to them later", or some such wording and by that time you forget where you left of with the characters. I don't doubt that many people would love this read but I'm one who needs more consistency.

[Andre Piucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Arthur's pretensions were that he was a brave, though not always a successful warrior; he had withstood with great resolution the arms of the infidels, that is to say of the Saxons, and his memory was held in the highest estimation by his countrymen, the Britons, who carried with them into Wales, and into the kindred country of Armorica, or Brittany, the memory of his exploits, which their national vanity insensibly exaggerated, till the little prince of the Silures (South Wales) was magnified into the conqueror of England, of Gaul, and of the greater part of Europe."

[B.M.R. Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I think about Bulfinch the more I like him. His writing is an excellent introduction to anybody who is interested in learning archaic lexicon and syntax.

Each chapter is short and sweat. They are never too long, and if I may add, I think this book is a great casual read. It's good to pick up and read from every once and a while; maybe just to get your mind thinking in a higher level English for a while, after having read countless Facebook posts... bereft of grammar and thought--I digress.

Read it.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, to be fair i am not much of a King Arthur type of guy so maybe this book wasn't for me to begin with, but with that said, I found the writing boring, the stories a little hard to follow, and the magic of the the legend not even there. I did learn a few things about King Arthur and the Round Table but wasn't much impressed with Bulfinch's description of it. I know this book is a holy grail (pun intended) to chivalry lovers but i don't think this book is for much anybody else.

[Andre Piucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Those who have investigated the origin of the romantic fables relating to Charlemagne and his peers are of opinion that the deeds of Charles Martel, and perhaps of other Charleses, have been blended in popular tradition with those properly belonging to Charlemagne. (...) Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, succeeded his father, Pepin, on the throne in the year 768. This prince, though the hero of numerous romantic legends, appears greater in history than in fiction."

[TimetoFangirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for research, not for fun, which is reflected in the rating. The writing of this is VERY fairy tale, where the narrator describes a series of folklore adventures in an old-school way. I appreciated the information, there isn't a single stronger collection of Charlemagne-related folklore than this.

[Donna Shackleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Phew, this was a tiring book to read! It had a lot of old English that was very hard to understand and I had to look up many words. Some of the stories were very interesting but others were so detailed that I got lost in the telling.

[F S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and entertaining.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book of the Bulfinch trilogy covers the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and the tales of Charlemagne and the romantic age. The collection is complete and the commentaries are insightful and complete as one expects of Bulfinch's work.
All three of these volumes are a must for any serious collector or student of the mythology of the middle ages and I thoroughly enjoyed recalling those stories I knew and discovering the knights and heroes (and even the mice) I didn't know about.

[Ashley Lynn Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to complete all the books in my children’s middle school literature curriculum, so this was over a few years. I remember some stories well and others I slogged through. If I compare it to other mythology of its type I enjoyed it very much. I love Bulfinch’s language abilities. I get bogged down in King Arthur literature.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of mini stories of historical events and how they played out. It moves through history very quickly, from battle to battle to historical figures. It’s interesting, and the narrator does a good job.

[Julie Mabus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the second half was more interesting than the first. I prefer other retelling if Arthur. Some of the other English lore was interesting. I almost gave up on it but pushed through since I am asking my kids to read it for school.

[Allie Seliger · Rating 3 out of 5]

After 3+ years of gradually trying to work through this book, I give up. Staying awake for a whole chapter was a challenge, which is a shame because the stories are actually super interesting. But the prose is *unbelievably* dry and repetitive.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up this title on sale at college bookstore. Read it when I had spare time.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish...

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

homeschool book

[Zachary Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some neat stuff in here

[Signor Mambrino]

There are two versions of Age of Chivalry. One ends with a shorter section on the heroes of England and Ireland, and the other ends with a section on King Richard and Chevy Chase. The latter is very boring.
The earlier sections in both are the same. They are OK.
I am very happy to be finished with Bulfinch.

[Rosie Gearhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Roger Green’s King Arthur much better than this. Maybe I read it too fast, but it was just so much information. The stories all ran into each other. This particular version has beautiful illustrations, though!

[Todd Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Age of Chivalry is a compilation of Medieval myths focusing on: the Arthurian legends, Welsh myths and the tales of Robin Hood. As one might expect there are maidens, knights, jousts, horses, quests, tournaments, smiting, magic … and in one inexplicable instance – a badger in a bag.

The Arthur, Tristan and Isolde, and Robin Hood stories have had a significant literary influence, but I have to say … once you’ve heard one knightly tale, you’ve pretty much heard them all.

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition included a third section on "The Knights of English History" by Edward Everett Hale, added 17 years after Bullfinch's death. There was also a short into by Beryl Rowland. The two parts by Bullfinch were about King Arthur and his men, Tristam and Isolde and the quest for the Holy Grail (or Sangreal); and tales from the Mabinogeon, "tales" in Welsh.

I found the latter section to be the most fascinating, because the characters within were so human and humorous. The tale of Owain's romance with the Lady of the Fountain, the Grimm-like tale of Taleisin the youthful, magical bard and the tale of Manawyddan, who through either imbecilic obdurance or subtle cunning was going to hang a mouse for stealing, are all stand-outs. Hale's contribution, which deals with Robin Hood, the battles between the Earls of Douglas and Percy and Prince Edward's wars with the French, are interesting but not as stylish and witty. A good classic to have under one's belt.

[Tinquerbelle]

Bulfinch, Thomas
Bulfinch's Mythology

In compilation only.

1) Introduction
2) The Peers, or Paladins
3) The Tournament
4) The Siege of Albracca
5) Adventures of Rinaldo and Orlando
6) The Invasion of France
7) The Invasion of France (continued)
8) Bradamante and Rogero
9) Astolpho and the Enchantress
10) The Orc
11) Atolpho's Adventures Continued, and Isabella's Began
12) Medoro
13) Orlando Mad
14) Zerbino and Isabella
15) Astolpho in Abyssinia
16) The War in Africa
17) Rogero and Bradamante
18) The Battle of Roncesvalles
19) Rinaldo and Bayard
20) Death of Rinaldo
21) Huon of Bordeaux
22) Huon of Bordeaux (continued)
23) Huon of Bordeaux (continued)
24) Ogier, the Dane
25) Ogier, the Dane (continued)
26) Ogier, the Dane (continued)
27) Proverbial Expressions

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 2 out of 5]

What gorgeous illustrations! What daft stories!
I'm not sure how the stories of Oliver and Roland etc. captured the imaginations of our forebears, because the actions of the Saracens and the Christians in here are... the amount of pointless gang warfare going on here, with everything focused on weird points of 'honor' (sure, after your betrothed has followed you all over Europe and gotten you retrieved from captivity after captivity, you finally marry her and then you lose your life to protect the *sword* that your friend threw away, when he ran mad and started killing innocent bystanders? Right...)