Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Nachosan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
A knight issues a bizarre challenge to King Arthur and his court.
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© Jonathan Billinger, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
The oldest surviving heroic legend in English begins with a wild creature of the fens that hunts men for prey.
© Jorge Royan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
The simple melody of the United Kingdom’s national anthem has stirred the souls of some great composers.
© Eric Jones, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
St Dwynwen was a 5th century princess regarded by some as Wales’s answer to St Valentine.
© No Swan So Fine, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Alban voluntarily swapped places with a priest, and was executed for being a member of a banned religious sect.
© Bubo, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Britain never knew she was a nation of voracious readers until printing entered the steam age.