It is a norm with all novels to feature heart pounding action , and exotic mysteries and epic fantasies and in literature we find these traits in stories and adventures of medieval knights . For instance the stories of King Arthur and his twelve knights are so famous that they have been immortalized forever .
Sir Henry Rider Haggard was not a great artist in anyone’s estimation , least of all his own. Still less was he a great writer of short fiction ; one seeks in vain for his name in critical surveys of the short story of the nineteenth or early twentieth century . By far the greater part of his fictional output was novels – more than fifty novels , as opposed to three volumes of shorter fiction – and amongst these numerous novels is The Brethren – A Tale Of The Crusades . The Brethren offers us an captivating tale into which enters the essential virtues and vices , emotions and actions of the Christian Crusaders the Saraeen , and the Arab of the mountains .
The narrative begins with Salah-ed-din, Commander of the Faithful brooding over the ways of god in his palace at Damascus . He dreams about his niece Rosamund the daughter of an English knight and Zobelde , Salah’s sister who had been borne away to England by the knight . Salah-ed-din then plans how he can secure the possession of his niece who according to his dream promises to become the peacemaker between the two races ” I am come to save the lives of men through you , ” she answered ; ” therefore was I born of your blood , and therefore I am sent to you . Put up your sword , King , and spare them . “
He ultimately arranges for a ship and sends it to England with a mission and orders to invite her to come to the Levant and take up her royal inheritance . He gave specific orders to his commissioners that should gifts and promises fail to convince the girl to do his will, then the commissioners were to use force, strategy , and even treachery to accomplish their mission .
In England Rosamund is greatly loved by two brothers, each declare their unconditional love to her , but before she can reveal her choice the Saraeens arrive on the coast of Essex and carry her off . The brothers agree to bury their personal rivalry in their endeavor to rescue her from the hands of Salah-ed-Din . How they succeeded and yet how Salah-ed-Din’s dream comes to realization , and which of the Brethren she chooses , forms the motif of the narrative . This in turn is related with that splendid genius of constant suspense , that admirable imagination , that magnificent panorama of dramatic scenes which are characteristic of this writer.
The Middle Ages were dangerous times . A split in religious beliefs caused feuding . These wars fought over religious land were called The Crusades . Through an analysis of the people , places , times , results , religions and relevance of the crusades in today’s society it is obvious that crusading is probably one of the worst ideas ever.
WORKS CITED
A Bibliography of the Works of Sir Henry Rider Haggard 1856-1925. Takeley: Elkin Mathews Ltd. 1947. 258 SS.
The New York Times Published : December 31, 1904 Copyright The New York Times
Project Gutenberg Titles by H. Rider Haggard (Haggard, H. Rider (Henry
Rider), 1856-1925)
