The cover page is adapted from Anjalankoski Rapids, a painting completed in 1867 by Ferdinand von Wright. The cover and title pages feature the League Spartan and Sorts Mill Goudy typefaces created in 2014 and 2009 by The League of Moveable Type. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_von_Wrightwww.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/
The Sundering Flood
Chapters (68)
- I: Of a River Called the Sundering Flood, and of the Folk That Dwelt Thereby 0:00
- II: Of Wethermel and the Child Osberne 11:33
- III: Wolves Harry the Flock 23:57
- IV: Surly John Falls Out with the Goodman 31:40
- V: Osberne Slays the Wolves 38:13
- VI: They Fare to the Cloven Mote 44:23
- VII: Of a Newcomer, and His Gift to Osberne 53:20
- VIII: The Goodman Gets a New Hired Man 1:02:39
- IX: The Bight of the Cloven Knoll 1:06:59
- X: Osberne and Elfhild Hold Converse Together 1:21:32
- XI: Osberne Shoots a Gift Across the Flood 1:33:06
- XII: Of a Guest Called Waywearer 1:45:56
- XIII: Steelhead Gives Osberne the Sword Boardcleaver 1:52:42
- XIV: The Gifts of Steelhead 2:00:15
- XV: Surly John Brings a Guest to Wethermel 2:09:01
- XVI: Hardcastle Would Seize Wethermel 2:16:49
- XVII: The Slaying of Hardcastle 2:30:21
- XVIII: Elfhild Hears of the Slaying 2:35:59
- XIX: The Winter Passes and Elfhild Tells of the Death of Her Kinswoman 2:40:04
- XX: Osberne Fares to Eastcheaping and Brings Gifts for Elfhild 2:49:07
- XXI: Warriors from Eastcheaping Ride Into the Dale 2:55:42
- XXII: Osberne Takes Leave of Elfhild 3:02:38
- XXIII: Osberne Is Chosen Captain of the Dalesmen 3:09:30
- XXIV: A Skirmish with the Baron of Deepdale in the Marshes 3:19:27
- XXV: Stephen Tells of an Adventure in the Camp of the Foemen 3:31:29
- XXVI: They Bring the Baron Into Eastcheaping 3:44:52
- XXVII: They Parley from the Walls 3:53:39
- XXVIII: The Baron of Deepdale Makes Peace 4:04:31
- XXIX: Osberne and His Men Return to Wethermel 4:08:50
- XXX: Osberne Goes to the Trysting-Place 4:15:13
- XXXI: They Meet Through Autumn and Winter 4:38:08
- XXXII: Foemen Among the Westdalers 4:40:17
- XXXIII: Osberne Seeks Tidings of Elfhild 4:51:22
- XXXIV: Osberne Sorrows for the Loss of Elfhild 4:55:13
- XXXV: Osberne Seeks Counsel of Steelhead 5:06:36
- XXXVI: The Staves Which Osberne Taught to the Dalesmen 5:16:23
- XXXVII: Osberne Takes Leave of Wethermel 5:20:50
- XXXVIII: Osberne Parts from Stephen the Eater 5:27:59
- XXXIX: Osberne Gets Him a New Master 5:30:11
- XL: Osberne Rides with Sir Godrick 5:44:33
- XLI: They Joust with the Knight of the Fish 5:55:52
- XLII: They Deliver the Thorp-Dwellers from the Black Skinners 6:01:49
- XLIII: They Come to the Edge of the Wood Masterless 6:07:42
- XLIV: They Reach Longshaw and Osberne Gets Him a New Name 6:15:20
- XLV: The Red Lad Scatters the Host of the Barons 6:24:00
- XLVI: Osberne Enters the City of the Sundering Flood 6:34:59
- XLVII: The Battle in the Square 6:40:24
- XLVIII: Sir Godrick Is Chosen Burgreve of the City 6:49:08
- XLIX: Of the City King and the Outland King 6:57:56
- L: The Red Lad Speaks Privily with Sir Godrick 7:02:50
- LI: Osberne Is Beguiled by Felons 7:09:19
- LII: The Meeting of Osberne and Elfhild 7:19:52
- LIII: Strangers Come to Wethermel 7:31:44
- LIV: The Carline Beginneth Her Tale 7:36:49
- LV: The Blue Knight Buys the Maiden of the Chapman 7:49:49
- LVI: The Blue Knight Talks with the Maiden by the Way 8:07:47
- LVII: They Come to Brookside 8:19:35
- LVIII: Peaceful Days in the Castle of Brookside 8:34:01
- LIX: Tidings of Longshaw and of the Hosting of the Barons’ League 8:40:19
- LX: The Blue Knight Gathers Men and Departs from Brookside 8:47:56
- LXI: The Maiden and the Carline Flee to the Grey Sisters 8:52:41
- LXII: They Fall in with Three Chapmen 9:00:18
- LXIII: They Escape from the Chapmen by the Carline’s Wizardry 9:10:09
- LXIV: The Carline Endeth Her Tale 9:19:12
- LXV: Osberne and Elfhild Make Themselves Known to Their People 9:32:08
- LXVI: The Lip of the Sundering Flood 9:34:37
- LXVII: A Friend at Need 9:38:17
- LXVIII: The Knight of Longshaw Gathereth Force 9:41:48
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Young Osberne seems destined for greatness. As a fearless boy, he shows a willingness to fight. He’s helped at key times in his life by a mysterious friend who appears briefly to give aid or to provide magical gifts. One day Osberne discovers a girl, Elfhild, who lives on the other side of the Sundering Flood, a strong and wide river that cannot be crossed. These two keep finding ways to secretly meet, though they can only converse over the unbridgeable gap. As they grow up, their love deepens. When violent events pull them each away from their homes, and from from each other, and into adventure, they hope that fate will somehow reunite them at last.
The Sundering Flood is the last of William Morris’s novels, left as a manuscript before his death. The manuscript is considered unfinished: there are a few early plot elements that are never expanded upon, and some minor plot errors left uncorrected. His daughter May edited the manuscript and oversaw its publication in 1897, adding her own necessary changes to complete these unfinished threads. In later editions, she included editorial brackets to note where such changes and interpolations were made; these brackets are not retained in this edition.
The Sundering Flood is one of the first novels to overlay supernatural elements over an imaginary world, and is also likely to be the first novel in its genre to include a map of its world as a frontispiece, making it a foundational text of the modern fantasy genre as we know it today.