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Welcome to the pathfinder "It's Totally Epic!" In this pathfinder, you will find all sorts of information about the epic heroes you have studied. You will also find information about books about these heroes, their countries and cultures and just some random fun stuff as well! Looking for a band named after an epic hero? Yes, you might find that here! So, to begin your research, just click on one of the links below and begin your own epic quest!

What the heck is an epic hero?
If you think that epic is an adjective describing something really awesome, you might have to re-think that. Of course, an epic hero is a hero who is far above a normal hero, so maybe that adjective still works! However, there are many things that make a story an epic and make a hero an epic hero. Check out some of these links to learn about epics and their heroes.

Beowulf
Beowulf is considered to be the "English" epic, but did you know that it actually takes place in southern Sweden? This area was called Geatland in Beowulf and the people were the Geats. Of course, it is written in Anglo-Saxon, the language of England before the Norman conquest.



You've studied some picture books of Beowulf and looked at the original poem in translation. Here are some more resources about Beowulf the epic poem. But, you'll also find information about Sweden and even some fun resources like comic books and other funny things.

Still confused? Check out this website called Beowulf for Beginners.

Here is a page of links to different Beowulf pages and resources on the web-- Legends: Beowulf.

Yahoo! has a community called Associated Content and they have a member who has created another summary of Beowulf. The bonus is that there are some interesting links on the right, just in case you're interested in a comparison of Beowulf and Batman or wonder how Beowulf fits into existentialist philosophy. Just sayin'....

This teacher has posted her power point on Beowulf and the epic cycle. No, you cannot use this as your project! But it's interesting to look at if you still have questions.

Interested in the whole translation of Beowulf? One of the most famous was completed by Irish poet Seamus Heaney. You can find it here on Google books. If you're interested in knowing more about Seamus Heaney, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995, then you're in luck! One of the world's best known scholars of the works of Seamus Heaney lives right here in Hickory! Dr. Rand Brandes teaches at Lenoir-Rhyne University in the English department. He often invites Mr. Heaney to do readings at LRU.

If the full translation in verse is not exactly your speed, maybe a graphic novel is. There is a series of graphic novels that tell the the story of Beowulf, complete with gory pictures. The author keeps his own blog called Beowulf Graphic Novel. You can purchase the graphic novel at Amazon.

Epics are normally such great stories, that they inspire many works of art, and Beowulf is no exception. There are movies, novels and artwork that all try to capture to spirit and adventure of Beowulf. You might want to check them out!

Believe it or not, wikipedia is actually a great place to start that quest! They have a page that lists many of the artistic depictions of Beowulf!

Rosemary Sutcliff is an author who is well-known for her re-tellings of King Arthur, but she also wrote a re-telling of Beowulf. Check out her novel, Dragonslayer''at Patrick Beaver Library.

Of course, if you sympathize with the monster, there's a book out there for you as well. In the 1970's John Gardner wrote a book called Grendel, which tells the whole story from the monster's point of view. Yes, for reals!

In 2007, there was a much talked about film adaptation of Beowulf. The special effects are supposed to be great, just don't forget it's about Beowulf. Most people forgot everything except the barely dressed scenes with Angelina Jolie! The movie is not a faithful adaptation, but Neil Gaiman is one of the screenplay writers. Check out the trailer....

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If you're not having fun yet, this website will help you out with that! There is actually a heavy metal band from Denmark named Grendel. And you really don't even need to understand Danish to enjoy heavy metal, right?

Finally, you might be interested in learning more about Geatland. If so, you just need to look up some information about southern Sweden. Here are some websites to help you get started with that:

The Official Gateway to Sweden

Visit Sweden: The Official Tourism website

The CIA World Fact Book on Sweden

The State Department Sweden page

Cuchulainn
Cuchulainn is the Irish epic hero. His story can be found in the Irish Ulster Cycle. He was a part of of the famous Red Branch of Ulster, a group of warriors from the north of Ireland. In Irish, his name means "The Hound of Ulster". Of course, his mother didn't give him that name. His original name was Setanta. You'll have to read more about him to find out how he got the second name!



Ireland Information.com is a great place to find information about Ireland and visiting there. They also have this article about Cuchulainn.

The British website "Heroes from around the World" has this interesting article about Cuchulainn also.

Godchecker.com is the place to find out about all the gods and heroes of the world, including Cuchulainn and other Celtic gods and heroes!

Triskelle is a website all about Ireland and its music, history and interesting places to visit. In the ancient history section, of course there is a description of Cuchulainn.

Interested in reading more about the adventures of Cuchulainn? Well, like the Irish, you're in luck! There is an online graphic novel series called Cu Chulainn: The Epic Hound of Ulster and it's available free online! You can read in English, French, German or Gaelic Irish. They are up to issue 57 and you can find all of them in the archives!

If novels are more your style, check out Red Branch by Morgan Llwyelyn. She has made a living by writing fiction based on the great heroes of Ireland.

Library Ireland has an entire online book dedicated to the legends of Ireland. Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts by Patrick Kennedy is available for free to read, if you don't mind a somewhat dry and academic re-telling.

Of course, no discussion of Irish heroes would be complete without music. The Irish are well-known for their love of music and of course, many Irish musicians sing of the deeds of Cuchulainn. After all, the original epics were sung for audiences to begin with as well! But many modern Irish bands have continued to sing about the deeds of Irish heroes.

This song, called "The Blood of Cuchulainn" by Michael and Jeff Danna, is from the soundtrack for "The Boondock Saints 2".

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Check out the heavy metal band, Cruachan! Like Irish punk, they combine traditional Irish instruments like Uillean pipes and tin whistles with guitars. They have at least 2 songs about Cuchulainn and many of their songs tell the stories of Irish legend.

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Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh is one of the oldest literary works in existence. It is the Babylonian epic. It is actually written on stone tablets! Here are some interesting websites to check out about Gilgamesh.

This website from Washington State University is a good summary of each tablet. There are also links to information about Mesopotamia and cunieform, the language used to write Gilgamesh.

Smithsonian magazine has a whole series of articles dealing with Gilgamesh!

The first article tells about how the tablets were discovered in the 19th century.

The second article tells the story of George Smith, the British archeologist who discovered the Gilgamesh tablets.

The third article tells about the work translating the epic.

There is also a Washington Post article called "In Search of Gilgamesh: the epic hero of ancient Babylonia" that summarizes the whole story of the discovery of the tablets.

There are, of course, many verse translations of Gilgamesh into English, but if you prefer an easier read, there is also a novel version of the story. Check out Never Grow Old: The Novel of Gilgamesh by Brian Trent.

King Arthur
The story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table is one of the most well-known stories in the world. Arthur's Camelot has come to represent the ideal human community. Many scholars believe that there was an historical Arthur, but he was simply a Celtic warlord in Dark Ages Britain. However, his stories have grown to become one of the largest canons in Western literature. Here, you can explore King Arthur, the myth and the man!

So much has been written about King Arthur that it is sometimes hard to figure out where to start! Hopefully, this pathfinder will point you in the right direction for your interests.

Many consider Sir Thomas Mallory's "La Morte D'Arthur" to be the first novel in English. You can find the work in its entirety at the website for the library at the University of Virginia. La Morte d'Arthur

Of course, Mallory was not the first person to write about King Arthur. That honor belongs to Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose "History of the Kings of Britain" is the first written documentation of Arthur. Check out the full translation from the Latin at caerleon.net

Another famous version from the Arthurian cycle in English is "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". This poem by an anonymous author tells the story of one of Arthur's knights, Sir Gawain. You can check out the page about this poem at luminarium.org where they have links to online versions as well as scholarly articles.

There are many books right here in the FTF library about Arthur. Check out some of these:

King Arthur by Rosalind Kervin.

The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Howard Pyle.

The Sword and the Circle: The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Rosemary Sutcliff.

Quest for a King: Searching for the real King Arthur by Catherine Andronik.

The Search for King Arthur by David Day.

King Arthur: How history is invented by Jeremy Roberts.

And in fiction, there are books based on King Arthur as well.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot.

This novel has just been adapted into a made-for-TV movie by the Disney Channel. Check out the trailer for the movie: UtButa9k7HY

The Last Grail Keeper by Pamela Smith Hill.

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve.

I am Mordred: A tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer.

Sword of the Rightful King: a novel of King Arthur by Jane Yolen.

The internet is full of information about King Arthur. Check out some of these websites:

Here is a list of Arthurian resources on the web from Georgetown University.

The website Britannia History has lots of information about the history of Britain and of course, they have a page full of resources about King Arthur.

King Arthur's Knights.com is a website entirely devoted to Arthurian studies, both historical and mythological.

Of course, King Arthur has inspired many films, books and works of art throughout the ages. Check out all of these works based on the story of Arthur and his knights.

There are many, many novels that have been written about the legend of King Arthur. Here are some of the most well-known from the 20th century.

One of the most classic re-tellings of King Arthur is T. H. White's The Once and Future King.

Mary Stewart has been captivating audiences for 30 years with her Arthurian Saga. There are 4 books in the series: The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment and The Wicked Day. Much of the series gives the history of Merlin before continuing into the tale of Arthur.

Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley tells the story of Arthur from the perspective of the women. This book was also turned into a made-for-TV movie.

Amazon listed several graphic novels about King Arthur, including:

King Arthur: Excaliber Unsheathed

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Arthur and Lancelot: The Fight for Camelot

There are also several lists that people have posted on Amazon of recommendations for Arthurian fiction. Check out a couple of them and see what you think.

King Arthur and his Knights

The Ultimate Guide to King Arthur books

In addition to novels, there have been many film adaptation of King Arthur. Here is a very brief overview of some of those.

On Wikipedia, there is actually a list of many Arthur movies called, appropriately, A List of films based on Arthurian legend.

On this page on epinions.com, a guy named Dr. Dev gives his personal list of the best film adaptations of the Arthurian legend.

Here is a scene from his first choice. See what you think of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"!

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Many people really like the 2004 film version starring Keira Knightly. Here is the theatrical trailer for that movie:

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Artists have also found inspiration in the tales of Camelot. In fact, Arthur and his knights, and ladies, were very popular subjects among the Pre-Raphealites of the 19th century. Professor Rosalind Reilly at the University of Richmond put together this magnificent list of Arthurian art at https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~rreilly/arthur/artgalleryarthur.html. She actually has a whole website to go along with her course on The Legend of King Arthur at https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~rreilly/arthurindex.html. It has some very interesting information and links.

Painters were not the only 19th century artists to look at the tales of King Arthur for inspiration. The famous poet Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote an epic (pun intended!) poem entitled "The Idylls of the King". It's only 12 books long! You can download it for free at Project Gutenburg. Or you could read the summary at Wikipedia! Probably a combination of the 2 is the best way to go.

Tennyson's verse has been set to music in a lovely rendition by Canadian artist Loreena McKennett. She chose to sing about Lady Elaine, the Lady of Shalott. And her version is only 10 minutes long!

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If all of these things seem a little too academic for you, never fear! There are even King Arthur games!

You can kill Saxons all day by playing King Arthur: The War Game.

If you check out this Listmania list from Amazon, you will also find many King Arthur role-playing games.

And for one more little bit of fun, make sure you check out the Krewe of King Arthur the next time you go to Mardi Gras!

This section is only the tip of the iceburg when it comes to the world of King Arthur. Get out and see what you can find on your own also!

Robin Hood
"Lythe and listin, gentilmen,

That be of frebore blode;

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,

His name was Robyn Hode."

-A Gest of Robyn Hode

Who doesn't know the story of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men in Sherwood Forest? Skilled archers who stole from the rich and gave to the poor? Though debate rages about the existence of the historical Robin Hood, the myth lives on in many different forms!

If you are a fan of Robin Hood, you might want to visit his homeland. The Sherwood Forest Trust has a lot of information about the present day Sherwood Forest. They are working to protect and preserve the forest.

You might also want to check out the official website for Nottinghamshire to see where Robin Hood met many times with his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Also, check out this audio-video tour of Nottinghamshire.

The BBC has information about attending the Robin Hood Pageant held every year in Nottingham.

Once you have checked out the locations of the Robin Hood legends, it's time to get a little more academic. Here are some sites to help you research the historical Robin Hood.

Georgetown University still has a page up with access to some resources about Robin Hood, but it is no longer being updated and maintained. However the Robin Hood Labyrinth Bibliography does still have some interesting resources.

One of the professors at Montclair State University maintains a page of internet Medieval resources, including some about Robin Hood.

The BBC also has a page about Robin Hood on their History page.

There are many organizations around the world dedicated to the myth and the man. Here's a sampling of them:

The Worldwide Robin Hood Society in England.

The Robin Hood Project at Rochester University

Bold Outlaw is an online resource guide to Robin Hood.