ISSUE
NO. 20
ARTWORK ALICIA JOY TAYLOR
Stories
‘TEARS THROUGH THE HARP’S TWANGING’
essay | tolkien/old english poetry
by ELEANOR PARKER
Full title: ‘Tears Through the Harp’s Twanging’: The Battle of Maldon and Tolkien’s The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth. Medievalist scholar Eleanor Parker explores Tolkien’s
Art Design by Sam Stephens
SIR GAWAIN & THE GREEN KNIGHT
poetry | arthurian legend
by PAUL DOUGLAS DEANE
The Beheading Scene from the opening section of the poem.
Artwork by Alicia Joy Taylor | Design by Sam Stephens
WILL THE BEST BEOWULF PLEASE STAND UP?
essay | anglo-saxon verse
by SAMUEL J. STEPHENS
Essay about Beowulf translations, specifically advocating for Frederick Rebsamen’s 1991 translation.
Art Design by Sam Stephens
PERCIVAL & THECLA
poetry | arthurian legend
by SAMUEL J. STEPHENS
The continuation of Percival and Hawkcrest (Percival Part I). In this one, Percival enters Hawkcrest’s enchanted house, discovers that his host has enslaved Christians, and meets the maiden Thecla, with whom he escapes.
Art Design by Sam Stephens
TWO SHORT ALLITERATIVE POEMS
poetry | arthurian legend
Featuring poems by Solvor Bjarna & Samuel J. Stephens
Two short alliterative poems, presented together.
Artwork by Alicia Joy Taylor | Design by Sam Stephens
CHARLES THE FIRST
poetry | narrative poetry
by WILLIAM G. CARPENTER
The continuation of the English Civil War Epic, this time focusing on King Charles I.
Art Design by Sam Stephens
THE EPIC ACTS OF THE APOSTLES PART V
poetry | biblical narrative
by ALICIA JOY TAYLOR
The fifth part (fourth installment) of The Epic Acts of the Apostles.
Art Design by Sam Stephens
STILLNESS: BASHŌ’S HAIKU
essay | haiku
by NATHAN GILMORE
Nathan’s essay about Bashō. Definitely a counterintuitive inclusion, but purposefully so. Presented as an “anti-epic” essay, however the briefness of haiku may occasionally overlap with the briefness of A-S verse.
Art Design by Sam Stephens
Features
FILM FILINGS
August 2026
edited by Nathan Gilmore
In this edition of Film Filings, Poss reviews the titanic-title of 2026: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Christopher Witty reviews the BBC folk-horror adaptation of Alan Garner’s The Owl Service; then, two snapshot reviews by Witty and Stephens of the unique adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu from 2005; Nathan Gilmore reviews the late-masterpiece of John Ford’s American myth-making: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, then Yojiro Takita’s Departures from 2008, and Spielberg’s all-too-relevant AI: Artificial Intelligence from 2001. Rounding us off is Sam Stephens’ review of the 1996 Hamlet, Kenneth Branagh’s catch-all adaptation of Shakespeare’s most famous play.
Artwork by
EDITOR’S GAZETTE
writing advice | reflections | lists | etc
The second edition of this feature. A bit of this and that from the Chief Editor of Illuminations of the Fantastic.
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