Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages by Wilhelm Wagner

Description

Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages is a book by Wilhelm Wägner, first published in 1884. It presents an engaging anthology of medieval European legends—adapted from Germanic and Norse sources—covering narratives such as the Langobardian tales of Alboin and Rosamund, the Amelung myths, the saga of Dietrich of Bern, the Nibelung Hero and his tragic downfall, Beowulf’s dragon‑slaying, Carolingian epics like Roland and William of Orange, and Arthurian legends including Percival, Tristan and Isolde, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser. Wägner, a German theologian, educator and scholar of folklore and literary heritage, compiled these stories in clear, accessible English adaptations with illustrative detail, aiming to preserve the emotional and cultural force of medieval romance. His work reflects nineteenth‑century scholarly fascination with ancestral myth-making and the moral ideals of chivalry, valor, courtly love and legendary heroism; it remains a vivid portal into Europe’s heroic past and the narrative traditions that shaped its literary imagination. This is a translation by M. W. Macdowall.

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