
Gates of Imagination
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany
Beyond the fields we know lies Elfland, where time does not move and nothing ever ends. The people of Erl grow weary of ordinary rule. They want to be governed by a magic lord, so they send their young prince Alveric across the twilight border of Elfland to win Lirazel, the daughter of the Elf King. He returns with her - but an elf-princess cannot be held by mortal hours, by village custom, or by the slow grief of a world that ages. When her father's third and mightiest rune calls her home, Elfland withdraws to the utmost east, leaving Alveric to wander the years in search of a country that will not be found, while their son Orion grows up hunting unicorns along the border of two worlds. First published in 1924, this is Lord Dunsany's masterpiece and one of the foundational works of modern fantasy literature; a direct influence on Tolkien, Lovecraft, Le Guin, Neil Gaiman and Peter S. Beagle. A lyrical, dreamlike fairy tale for adults about longing, mortality, and the cost of inviting magic across your threshold. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gates-of-imagination--6962309/support .






