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''The Well at the World's End'' is a fantasy novel by the British artist, poet, and author William Morris. It was first published in 1896 and has been reprinted a number of times since, most notably in two parts as the twentieth and twenty-first volumes of the ''Ballantine Adult Fantasy series'' in August and September 1970. It is also available in one volume along with a similar Morris tale, ''The Wood Beyond the World'' (1894), in ''On the Lines of Morris' Romances: Two Books that Inspired J. R. R. Tolkien.'' ==Plot summary== Using language with elements of the medieval tales which were his models, Morris tells the story of Peter, King of Upmeads, and his four sons, Blaise, Hugh, Gregory, and Ralph. These four sons decide one day that they would like to explore the world, so their father gives them permission. From that point on, the plot centers on the youngest son, Ralph. His explorations begin at Bourton Abbas. Ralph then goes through the Wood Perilous, having various adventures there, including the slaying of two men who had entrapped a woman. That woman later turns out to be the Lady of Abundance, a lady who later becomes his lover for a short time. In one episode Ralph is staying at a castle and inquires about the Lady of the castle (the so-called Lady of Abundance) whom he has not yet seen. Descriptions of her youth and beauty suggest to him that she has drunk from the well at the world’s end. “And now in his heart waxed the desire of that Lady, once seen, as he deemed, in such strange wise; but he wondered within himself if the devil had not sown that longing within him….” A short time later, while still at the castle, Ralph contemplates images of the Lady and “was filled with the sweetness of desire when he looked on them.” Then he reads a book containing information about her, and his desire to meet the Lady of Abundance flames higher. When he goes to bed, he sleeps “for the very weariness of his longing.” He fears leaving the castle because she might come while he is gone. Eventually he leaves the castle and meets the Lady of Abundance, who turns out to be the same lady he had rescued some weeks earlier from two men. When he meets her this time, she is being fought over by two knights, one of whom slays the other. That knight nearly kills Ralph, but the lady intervenes and promises to become the knight’s lover if he would spare Ralph. Eventually, she leads Ralph away during the night to save Ralph’s life from this knight, since Ralph had once saved hers. She tells Ralph of her trip to the Well at the World’s End, her drinking of the water, the tales of her long life, and a maiden that she thought was especially suited to Ralph. Eventually, the knight catches up to them, killing her with his sword while Ralph is out hunting. Upon Ralph’s return, the knight charges Ralph, and Ralph puts an arrow through his head. After Ralph buries both of them, he begins a journey that will take him to the Well at the World’s End. As he comes near the village of Whitwall, he meets a group of men, one of whom is his brother Blaise, and Blaise’s attendant, Richard. He joins them, and Richard tells Ralph about having grown up in Swevenham, from which two men and one woman had once set out for the Well at the World’s End. Richard had never learned what happened to those three. Richard promises to visit Swevenham and learn what he can about the Well at the World’s End. Ralph falls in with some merchants, led by a man named Clement, who travel to the East. Ralph is in search of the Well at the World’s End, and they are in search of trade. This journey takes him far to the east in the direction of the well, through the villages of Cheaping Knowe, Goldburg, and many other hamlets. He learns that a maiden, whom the Lady of Abundance had mentioned to him, has been captured and sold as a slave. He inquires about her, calling her his sister, and he hears that she may have been sold to the Lord of Utterbol, who is a cruel, powerful, and ruthless man named Gandolf. The queen of Goldburg writes Ralph a letter of recommendation to Gandolf, and Morfinn the Minstrel, whom he also met at Goldburg, promises to guide him. Morfinn turns out to be a traitor who delivers Ralph into the hands of the Lord of Utterbol. After some time with Gandolf and his men, Ralph escapes. Meanwhile, Ursula, Ralph’s “sister,” who has been enslaved at Utterbol, escapes and by chance meets Ralph in the woods beneath the mountain, both of them desiring to reach the Well at the World’s End. Eventually their travels take them to the Sage of Swevenham, who gives them instructions for finding the Well at the World’s End. On their journey to the well, they fall in love, especially after Ralph saves her life from the attack of a bear. Eventually they make their way to the sea on the edge of which is the Well at the World’s End. They each drink a cup of its water and are enlivened by it. They backtrack along the path they earlier encountered, meeting the Sage and also the new Lord of Utterbol, who has slain the previous evil lord and remade the city into a good city, and returning the rest of the way to Upmeads. While they have challenges and battles along the way, they succeed in all their endeavors. Their last challenge is a battle against men from the Burg of the Four Friths. These men come against Upmeads to attack it. As Ralph approaches Upmeads, he gathers supporters around him, including the Champions of the Dry Tree. After Ralph and his company stop at Wulstead, where Ralph is reunited with his parents as well as Clement Chapman, he leads a force in excess of a thousand men against the enemy and defeats them. He then brings his parents back to High House in Upmeads to restore them to their throne. As Ralph and Ursula come to the High House, his father and mother install Ralph and Ursula as King and Queen of Upmeads. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Well at the World's End」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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