The Well at the World's End: A Tale
1896
The Well at the World's End: A Tale
1896
Published in 1896, The Well at the World's End stands as one of the foundational texts of modern fantasy, predating Tolkien by nearly half a century. William Morris, the great decorative artist and craftsman, wrote this tale of the youngest son of King Peter, whose kingdom of Upmeads has kept its sons cloistered and safe from the world's dangers. But Ralph hungers for more than the walled gardens of his father's realm. When his three older brothers set out on separate quests, Ralph breaks from tradition and rides alone into the famed Wood Perilous, seeking the legendary Well at the World's End a cup of which promises hope and fulfillment to all who drink it. What follows is an odyssey through a medieval landscape teeming with knights, sorcerers, fair maidens, and dark enchantments. Morris writes with the ornate richness of the Pre-Raphaelite painters, weaving a tapestry of color and chivalric romance that feels both ancient and startlingly fresh. This is a book for readers who want fantasy before it became formula: strange, lyrical, and unafraid of genuine peril.
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“Let tomorrow cross its own rivers.””
— William Morris
“When a rich man is hurt his wail goeth heavens high and none may say he heareth not.””
— William Morris
“Tush, man! praise the day when the sun has set.””
— William Morris
“Long ago there was a little land, over which ruled a regulus or kinglet, who was called King Peter, though his kingdom was but little. He had four sons whose names were Blaise, Hugh, Gregory and Ralph: of these Ralph was the youngest, whereas he was but of twenty winters and one; and Blaise was the oldest and had seen thirty winters. Now it came to this at last, that to these young men the kingdom of their father seemed strait; and they longed to see the ways of other men, and to strive for life. For though they were king's sons, they had but little world's wealth; save and except good meat and drink, and enough or too much thereof; house-room of the best; friends to be merry with, and maidens to kiss, and these also as good as might be; freedom withal to come and go as they would; the heavens above them, the earth to bear them up, and the meadows and acres, the woods and fair streams, and the little hills of Upmeads, for that was the name of their country and the kingdom of King Peter.””
— William Morris
“Master Clement, how far dost thou make it to Higham-on-the-Way?" "A matter of forty miles," said the Chapman; "because, as thou wottest, if ye ride south from hence, ye shall presently bring your nose up against the big downs, and must needs climb them at once; and when ye are at the top of Bear Hill, and look south away ye shall see nought but downs on downs with never a road to call a road, and never a castle, or church, or homestead: nought but some shepherd's hut; or at the most the little house of a holy man with a little chapel thereby in some swelly of the chalk, where the water hath trickled into a pool; for otherwise the place is waterless." Therewith he took a long pull at the tankard by his side, and went on:””
— William Morris
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Morris, William. The Well at the World's End: A Tale. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-well-at-the-world-s-end-a-tale-17231d43-6c11-4914-b0f5-ba821157bda6.Morris, W. (1896). The Well at the World's End: A Tale. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-well-at-the-world-s-end-a-tale-17231d43-6c11-4914-b0f5-ba821157bda6Morris, William. The Well at the World's End: A Tale. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-well-at-the-world-s-end-a-tale-17231d43-6c11-4914-b0f5-ba821157bda6.
