Myths and Legends of the Medieval World

Watts takes readers into a medieval world where magic, holy relics, angels and demons, visions, and fearsome mythological creatures were an accepted reality. No one can deny the enduring power of medieval myths and legends. Tales of King Arthur, Merlin, Robin Hood, Sir Lancelot, magic, dragons, giants, demons, and the Holy Grail are as fascinating for us today as they have ever been. However, the stories we have inherited from our medieval forebears have often been transformed by the embellishments and additions of later generations. In every century since the Middle Ages, stories have been re-imagined, re-told, and sometimes radically changed to suit the audience of the day. This book aims to transport the reader back to the age of the Plantagenets and re-tell these stories as they would have been understood at the time. It explores the stories in detail and looks at what they meant to people living then, how they were told and why they were important. Myths and Legends of the Medieval World provides a detailed account of medieval mythology in its original context. It offers a window into a medieval mind-set in which such things as angels, demons, visions, magic, holy relics, and other supernatural entities were an accepted reality. Explore some of the most puzzling and captivating mysteries of the Middle Ages. What lay behind the legend of the Holy Grail. How did people regard the perilous world of the medieval fairy. How did the medieval world view witchcraft. And what happened during the infamous trial of the Templars. These are all questions that Myths and Legends of the Medieval World sets out to answer.