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King Horn

King Horn, probably the earliest English-language romance, written c.1250 and containing about 1,500 lines. It is by an anonymous author and is based on an earlier work in French. Emphasizing action and adventure, the poem relates the story of a heroic Scottish prince's successful fight to regain his kingdom after his expulsion by invaders.

See edition ed. by J. Hall (1901); W. H. French, Essays on King Horn (1940).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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