The House of the Wolfings
Morris built this early invented-world romance out of Germanic legend and his own love of the heroic past. The Wolfings and their kindred, a free tribal people of the northern forests, face the disciplined legions of Rome pushing into their land. Their war leader Thiodolf carries a dwarf-made mail-shirt given him by his supernatural lover, Wood-Sun, not knowing that its protection will betray his folk in the hour of battle. Written in a deliberately archaic mix of prose and verse, the tale weaves fate, kinship, and sacrifice around the defense of a homeland. It stands among the first modern fantasies set wholly in an imagined world, and it left its mark on Tolkien. Free to read here as a PDF and EPUB edition.
About the Author
William Morris (1834-1896) was an English poet, designer, and socialist whose wallpapers and textiles helped define the Arts and Crafts movement. Late in life he turned to prose romances set in imagined lands, and those books are now regarded as foundations of modern fantasy literature.
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