Greece’s Acheloüs (or Akhelóös) River, which flows well over 200 kilometers through Epirus to the Corinthian Gulf, is arguably the longest river in Greece....
Njal’s Saga (written anonymously in the 13th century)
"Money means less than life."
This quote, from the largely fictionalized Njal’s Saga, was attributed to anonymous...
According to folklore set in 10th-century Iceland, a man named Thrain Sigfusson was invited to attend the wedding feast of his prominent nephew, Gunnar...
Njal’s Saga (written anonymously in the 13th century)
"It's not breaking a settlement...if a man deals lawfully with another—with law our land shall rise, but...
Greece’s Acheloüs (or Akhelóös) River, which flows well over 200 kilometers through Epirus to the Corinthian Gulf, is arguably the longest river in Greece....
This print, by the Austrian-German artist Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner (c. 1702-1761), was inspired by the ancient myth of Momus, who judged an art contest...
When describing how governments divide up the powers of a sovereign entity, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (c. 1712-1778) likened it to dismemberment (such as one limb...
Jarl Rognvald Kali of Orkney (d. 1158)
"I'll swear, clever sweetheart,
you're a slender delight
to grasp and to'cuddle,
my golden-locked girl.
Ravenous the hawk, crimson-
clawed, flesh-crammed -
but now,...
(Hera Campana. Marble, Roman copy of an Hellenistic original, 2nd century AD, via Creative Commons)
In Greek mythology, few divine couples were perfect. More...
Hesiod (c. 8th century BCE)
"Seek no evil gains: evil gains are no better than losses."
From Hesiod’s Works and Days (between lines 335-364), translated by M....
Peregrinus of Parium, who evidently liked the nickname Proteus (and is therefore often known as Peregrinus Proteus), was a 2nd-century philosopher from the Cynic...
This painting, by the artist Benjamin Wolff (c. 19th century), was inspired by the death of a Carthaginian noblewoman named Sophonisba (also spelled Sophonisbe...
William Shakespeare (c. 1564 – 1616)
" anything can be amiss,
When simplicity and duty tender it."
From William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act...
Sir Winston Churchill (c. 1874-1965)
"How else are we going to marshal adequate and if possible overwhelming forces against brazen, unprovoked aggression, except by a...
William Shakespeare (c. 1564 – 1616)
"Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
More than cool reason ever comprehends.
The lunatic, the...
("The Custer Fight" by Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926), via Creative Commons)
Around 1874, the United States discovered there was gold buried in the Black...
(Werewolf illustration for the story "The Werewolf Howls". Internal illustration from the pulp magazine Weird Tales (November 1941, vol. 36, no. 2, page 38),...
(Miyamoto Musashi fighting Tsukahara Bokuden, painted by Yoshitoshi (1839–1892), via Creative Commons)
Birth of a Legend
Around 1584, a boy was born into the...
Miyamoto Musashi (Japanese samurai, duelist, artist, construction worker, and author, c. 1584-1645)
"Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser...
Geoffrey Chaucer (English poet, 1342-1400)
"Our will is always catching on the nail,
Wanting a hoary head and a green tail,
Like leeks have got; the strength...
(Late medieval or Renaissance illustration of a plague doctor, via Creative Commons)
Doctor Charles de l’Orme (1584-1678) is credited with the iconic plague doctor’s...
The Malleus Maleficarum (Written by Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, c. 1487)
"So heinous are the crimes of witches that they even exceed the sins...
