Project Gutenberg 1999-04-01 Public domain in the USA. 3592 Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith) 1874 1936 Chesterton, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Gilbert K. (Gilbert Keith) The Ballad of the White Horse Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_the_White_Horse Produced by Paul Bonner, Martin Ward, and David Widger "The Ballad of the White Horse" by G. K. Chesterton is a poetic narrative written in the early 20th century. The work encompasses a mythical retelling of the story of King Alfred the Great, blending history and legend to explore themes of faith, struggle, and national identity amid the backdrop of Alfred’s battles against the Danish invasions. Through rich imagery and allegorical references, it elevates Alfred from a mere historical figure to a symbol of Christian virtue and resilience. The opening of the poem sets the tone by emphasizing its fictionalized nature, clearly stating that the legends surrounding King Alfred are essential to understanding his significance rather than being historical records. Chesterton outlines how the tales of Alfred—ranging from his famed encounter with cakes to the symbolic White Horse of Berkshire—stir the collective imagination. It highlights the Christian fight against paganism, ultimately seeking to unify the diverse cultural elements of the time. In this introduction, we find the author reflecting on the timelessness of myths and the power of tradition, using Alfred as a lens through which to view the struggle between light and darkness, both in a historical context and as a continuing narrative relevant to any time. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 73.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en White Horse, Vale of (England) -- Poetry Epic poetry Alfred, King of England, 849-899 -- Poetry Great Britain -- History -- Alfred, 871-899 -- Poetry Historical poetry Christian poetry PR Text Category: Poetry Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore Category: British Literature 151195 2025-08-01T10:51:50.148833 text/html 148048 2023-04-18T01:50:46 text/html 121065 2025-08-01T10:51:57.129803 application/epub+zip 124163 2025-08-01T10:51:52.991827 application/epub+zip 110145 2025-08-01T10:51:51.807816 application/epub+zip 227034 2025-08-01T10:51:59.140791 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 236050 2025-08-01T10:51:56.473789 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 203509 2022-09-01T12:14:13.170185 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 141993 2025-08-01T10:51:49.806820 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 141792 2023-04-18T01:50:11 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20075 2025-08-01T10:51:59.310761 application/rdf+xml 11794 2025-08-01T10:51:52.412807 image/jpeg 2967 2025-08-01T10:51:52.161798 image/jpeg 46644 2023-04-18T01:51:50 application/octet-stream application/zip 47929 2023-04-18T01:52:10 application/octet-stream application/zip 118301 2025-08-01T10:51:50.162858 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia