Golden Walter, a merchant’s son, flees his unhappy marriage and an unfaithful wife by boarding a trading ship. Upon reaching a strange coast, he pursues a vision of three figures: a beautiful Maid, a menacing Dwarf, and a powerful Lady. His path leads him into a supernatural wilderness where he discovers the Lady rules as a sorceress through fear and deception. Walter aligns with the captive Maid to escape the Lady’s enchantments, eventually crossing into the land of the Bear-folk and securing a throne.
Readers interested in the origins of epic fantasy value this book for its archaic prose and traditional quest structure. It appeals to those studying how nineteenth-century writers adapted medieval romance into the modern novel. The text provides a clear example of world-building through physical geography and ritual rather than explicit magic systems. A reader learns how Morris used the pastoral landscape as a setting for moral testing and the transition from adolescence to leadership.
- Published
- 1894
- Language
- EN
