Anglo-Saxon Myths: The Struggle For The Seven Kingdoms

by Brice Stratford, Jesús Sotés (Illustrator)

Enchanting tales of the gods, kings, and monsters that populated the Anglo-Saxon world.

An atmospheric collection of 30 folk tales exploring stories of cosmology, monsters, conflicts and courtship from the Seven Kingdoms to Middle Earth. This is an entertaining portal into a world overflowing with mythology, magic and all manner of beguiling creatures, which has inspired everything from the Lord of the Rings to Game of Thrones.

The book is divided into 3 Scop is a set of stories told by the Anglo-Saxon storyteller Scop, from the creation to the destruction of the world. It explores what remains of the gods and monsters of the Anglo-Saxon cosmology. Wreccan is pagan stories exploring self-discovery and development through exile. Variations of these tales would have told by the Anglo-Saxons themselves, including Sigemund's rebellion and the trials of Beowulf. Bretwalda stories revolve around Bretwalda the chief Anglo-Saxon king who ruled over the majority of the Seven Kingdoms. These stories reflect a period when both the old gods and Christianity existed simultaneously.

Remarkable illustrations by Jesús Sotés breathe new life into these tales of the past.

Genres: Mythology, Anglo Saxon

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 29, 2022

Reviews

[Mark Allen]

What an excellent book, witten in the form of an individual telling a story, the story of the Anglo-Saxon people... From the gods through Guthlac, the finest man between the seas.

A rich and varied tapestry that draws in the reader and i am sure would captivate an audience if passed on, as the author himself suggests it should be, by word of mouth.

Definitely a book i will read again!

[Ana]

Really interesting similarities here with Norse and Greek/Roman myths! It was also cool to read about some of the stories that inspired Tolkien and were behind Paul Kingsnorth's 'The Wake', which I really enjoyed.

[Benj]

An eclectic mix of stories, some faintly reminiscent of the old Norse sagas, others with hints of Tolkien, but most I've never come across before. Where do they come from? There's no bibliography. At the end he acknowledges his debt to Tolkien, Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Venerable Bede, but I'm not aware of any of them writing down myths of this nature. In the absence of any further information, I cannot shake the suspicion that Stratford made some of them up.

[Michael Reist]

This is an excellent compilation. I highly recommend it. It needs to get much more attention. One reviewer compared Brice Stratford to Snorri of the Edda. I think there's truth in that. I have tried to research the background of where he got these characters and I have learned much in the process. Thanks to Brice Stratford for bringing life to a forgotten period of mythology.

[G.A.Monster]

Outstanding epic!!!! I hope for this to be expanded in the future. Should stand with the Eddas in any Pagan library.

[Emma McGilvray]

this is the first extensive book i have read about anglo-saxon myths and i found it very fun to compare them to nordic and celtic myths. a lot of good ideas for a book.

[David]

A really well told trip through the Anglo-Saxon myths. My only issue was the lack of references/further reading.

[Alex Perrie]

Some stories new to me. Simple but delicately written. Easy but not that memorable.

[Brooke Louise]

So engaging and really interesting!