Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© tangopaso, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Thetis snubs Eris, goddess of Discord, and sets off a series of events leading to the Trojan War.
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© Allie Caulfield, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Florence used her logical mind and society connections to save thousands of lives in the Crimean War.
Vatopedi Monastery, Mount Athos, Greece.
The Virgin Mary and her son team up to get the best out of some careless monks.
© Wernervc, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
A British victory at tragic cost, in which both sides had to learn a new way of fighting.
© Adam Ward, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
An enduringly popular poem by the author of ‘Treasure Island’.
© MEH Bergmann, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Hospitality and sympathy, but no help - the Byzantine Emperor learns a bitter lesson about western diplomacy.