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The Water of the Wondrous Isles · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Water of the Wondrous Isles by William Morris.

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  1. Chapter 1

    The First Part: Of the House of Captivity

    Birdalone recounts her early life, from being stolen as a child by a witch to growing up in captivity on an island. She describes her harsh servitude, her secret learning of the Sending Boat magic, and her eventual escape across the water, only to be captured again by the witch's sister.

  2. Chapter 2

    I: Catch at Utterhay

    In the walled town of Utterhay, a mysterious woman with a grey ass observes a poor widow and her baby in the marketplace. She offers the widow gold for lodging, then sends her to buy provisions. While the mother is away, the stranger takes the child and flees into the dreaded wood of Evilshaw, which is believed to be haunted by devils and evil spirits.

  3. Chapter 3

    II: Now Shall Be Told of the House by the Waterside

    The witch-wife travels through the wood for four days with the stolen child, treating her with occasional kindness. On the fifth day, they emerge from the forest to a great lake with two eyots. The witch-wife leads them to a small house on a knoll by the water, where she unloads the ass, brings the child inside, and prepares food, establishing this as her home.

  4. Chapter 4

    III: Of Skin-Changing

    The witch reveals her ability to change her appearance, terrifying the child Birdalone when she appears in a different form the next morning. She explains that she changes her skin for journeys and reassures the child that she will care for her.

  5. Chapter 5

    IV: Of the Waxing of the Stolen Child

    Birdalone grows up in isolation between water and wood, cared for but seldom spoken to by the witch-wife. She learns the ways of nature, befriends wild creatures, and becomes strong and merry. At twelve winters old, her mistress begins to teach her hard labor through punishment, but Birdalone grows stubborn and distrustful. She gains knowledge of the wider world from the witch's tales and her own intuition, and finds solace in the wood, which the witch never enters.

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  1. Chapter 6Of Birdalone, and How She Is Grown Into Maidenhood
  2. Chapter 7VI: Herein Is Told of Birdalone’s Raiment
  3. Chapter 8VII: Birdalone Hath an Adventure in the Wood
  4. Chapter 9VIII: Of Birdalone and the Witch-Wife
  5. Chapter 10IX: Of Birdalone’s Swimming
  6. Chapter 11X: Birdalone Comes on New Tidings
  7. Chapter 12XI: Of Birdalone’s Guilt and the Chastisement Thereof
  8. Chapter 13XII: The Words of the Witch-Wife to Birdalone
  9. Chapter 14XIII: Birdalone Meeteth the Wood-Woman Again
  10. Chapter 15XIV: Of Birdalone's Fishing
  11. Chapter 16XV: Birdalone Weareth Her Serpent-Ring
  12. Chapter 17XVI: Birdalone Meeteth Habundia Again; and Learneth Her First Wisdom of Her
  13. Chapter 18XVII: The Passing of the Year Into Winter
  14. Chapter 19XVIII: Of Spring-Tide and the Mind of Birdalone
  15. Chapter 20XIX: They Bid Farewell, Birdalone and the Wood-Mother
  16. Chapter 21XX: Of Birdalone and the Sending Boat
  17. Chapter 22The Second Part: Of the Wondrous Isles
  18. Chapter 23I: The First Isle
  19. Chapter 24II: Birdalone Falleth in with New Friends
  20. Chapter 25III: Birdalone Is Brought Before the Witch-Wife’s Sister
  21. Chapter 26IV: Of the Witch’s Prison in the Wailing-Tower
  22. Chapter 27V: They Feast in the Witch’s Prison
  23. Chapter 28VI: Atra Tells of How They Three Came Unto the Isle of Increase Unsought
  24. Chapter 29VII: The Three Damsels Take Birdalone Out of the Witch’s Prison
  25. Chapter 30VIII: In What Wise Birdalone Was Clad, and How She Went Her Ways from the Isle of Increase Unsought
  26. Chapter 31IX: How Birdalone Came to the Isle of the Young and the Old
  27. Chapter 32X: Birdalone Comes to the Isle of the Queens
  28. Chapter 33XI: And Now She Comes to the Isle of the Kings
  29. Chapter 34XII: Of Birdalone, How She Came Unto the Isle of Nothing
  30. Chapter 35The Third Part: Of the Castle of the Quest
  31. Chapter 36Birdalone Comes to the Castle of the Quest
  32. Chapter 37II: Of Birdalone, and How She Rested the Night Through in a Bower Without the Castle of the Quest
  33. Chapter 38How Birdalone Dight Her for Meeting the Champions of the Quest
  34. Chapter 39IV: And Now She Meets the Champions
  35. Chapter 40V: Birdalone Has True Tokens from the Champions of the Quest
  36. Chapter 41How the Champions Would Do Birdalone to Be Clad Anew in the Castle of the Quest
  37. Chapter 42VII: Of Birdalone, How She Told the Champions All Her Tale
  38. Chapter 43VIII: In the Meanwhile of the Departing of the Champions, They Would Pleasure Birdalone with Feats of Arms and Games of Prowess
  39. Chapter 44IX: Birdalone Cometh Before the Champions in Her New Array
  40. Chapter 45X: The Champions Go Their Ways in the Sending Boat
  41. Chapter 46The Fourth Part: Of the Days of Abiding
  42. Chapter 47I: Of Birdalone’s Grief; and of Leonard the Chaplain
  43. Chapter 48II: Birdalone Learneth Lore of the Priest. Ten Days of Waiting Wear
  44. Chapter 49III: Now Would Birdalone Ride Abroad
  45. Chapter 50IV: Of Birdalone’s Faring Abroad
  46. Chapter 51V: Sir Aymeris Showeth Birdalone the Mountains Afar Off
  47. Chapter 52VI: Birdalone Heareth Tell Tales of the Black Valley of the Greywethers
  48. Chapter 53VII: Birdalone Beguileth the Priest to Help Her to Outgoing
  49. Chapter 54VIII: Birdalone Fares on Her Adventure
  50. Chapter 55IX: Birdalone Comes to the Black Valley
  51. Chapter 56X: How Birdalone Fell in with a Man in the Black Valley of the Greywethers
  52. Chapter 57XI: Birdalone Is Led Up the Black Valley
  53. Chapter 58XII: How Those Twain Get Them from Out of the Black Valley of the Greywethers
  54. Chapter 59XIII: Now They Rest for the Night in the Strait Pass
  55. Chapter 60XIV: The Black Knight Tells the Truth of Himself
  56. Chapter 61XV: The Black Knight Brings Birdalone to the Bower in the Dale
  57. Chapter 62XVI: Yet a Day and a Night They Tarry in the Dale
  58. Chapter 63I: Of Sir Leonard’s Trouble and the Coming of the Quest
  59. Chapter 64II: Now Ask They of Birdalone, and Sir Leonard Speaks
  60. Chapter 65III: How They Follow the Slot of Birdalone and the Black Knight
  61. Chapter 66IV: Of the Slaying of Friend and Foe
  62. Chapter 67They Come Home to the Castle of the Quest
  63. Chapter 68VI: Of the Talk Betwixt Birdalone and Viridis
  64. Chapter 69VII: Birdalone Telleth the Tale of Her Wandering Up the Valley of the Greywethers
  65. Chapter 70VIII: Atra and Birdalone Talk Together While the Lords Sit at the Murder-Council
  66. Chapter 71IX: Hugh Tells the Story of the Quest's Ending
  67. Chapter 72X: How It Fared with the Three Ladies After the Escape of Birdalone
  68. Chapter 73XI: Birdalone and the Black Squire Talk Together in the Hall of the Castle
  69. Chapter 74XII: The Knights and Their Fellows Betake Them to the Assaulting of the Red Hold
  70. Chapter 75XIII: Birdalone Bethinks Her to Fulfil the Promise Made Unto Atra
  71. Chapter 76XIV: Birdalone Leaves the Castle of the Quest
  72. Chapter 77The Sixth Part: The Days of Absence
  73. Chapter 78I: Birdalone Rides to Greenford and There Takes Leave of Arnold and His Men
  74. Chapter 79II: Of Birdalone and Her Fellowship, Their Faring Over the Downland
  75. Chapter 80III: They Come to the City of the Five Crafts, and Birdalone Meets with the Poor-Wife
  76. Chapter 81Of the Love of Gerard's Sons and of Jacobus for Birdalone
  77. Chapter 82V: Of the Death of Audrey, Mother to Birdalone. She Is Warned in a Dream to Seek the Black Squire, and Is Minded to Depart the City of the Five Crafts, and Seek Again the Castle of the Quest
  78. Chapter 83VI: Of the Sundering of Birdalone from Gerard and His Sons
  79. Chapter 84VII: Birdalone Cometh to Greenford, and Hears of the Wasting of the Castle of the Quest
  80. Chapter 85VIII: Birdalone Cometh to the Castle of the Quest, Heareth the Tale Thereof from Leonard, and Departeth Thence by the Sending Boat
  81. Chapter 86IX: Birdalone Findeth the Isle of Nothing Greatly Bettered, and Is Kindly Entreated There
  82. Chapter 87X: Of Birdalone’s Flitting from the Isle of Nothing
  83. Chapter 88XI: Coming to the Isle of Kings Birdalone Findeth There a Score and Two of Fair Damsels Who Would Fain Have Her Company
  84. Chapter 89XII: Birdalone Cometh Again to the Isle of Queens, and Findeth a Perilous Adventure Therein
  85. Chapter 90XIII: Coming to the Isle of the Young and the Old, Birdalone Findeth It Peopled with Children
  86. Chapter 91XIV: The Sending Boat Disappeareth from the Isle of Increase Unsought, and Birdalone Seeketh to Escape Thence by Swimming
  87. Chapter 92XV: Birdalone Lacketh Little of Drowning, but Cometh Latterly to the Green Eyot
  88. Chapter 93XVI: Birdalone Findeth Her Witch-Mistress Dead
  89. Chapter 94XVII: Birdalone Layeth to Earth the Body of the Witch, and Findeth the Sending Boat Broken Up
  90. Chapter 95XVIII: The Wood-Mother Cometh to Birdalone and Heareth Her Story
  91. Chapter 96XIX: Habundia Hideth Birdalone’s Nakedness with Faery Raiment
  92. Chapter 97XX: Birdalone Telleth Habundia of Her Love for Arthur, and Getteth from Her Promise of Help Therein
  93. Chapter 98XXI: How the Wood-Wife Entered the Cot, and a Wonder That Befell Thereon
  94. Chapter 99XXII: Birdalone Wendeth the Wildwood in Fellowship with Habundia
  95. Chapter 100XXIII: The Wood-Wife Bringeth Birdalone to the Sight of Arthur in the Wildwood
  96. Chapter 101XXIV: The Wood-Mother Changeth Her Form to That of a Woman Stricken in Years
  97. Chapter 102XXV: The Wood-Wife Healeth and Tendeth the Black Squire
  98. Chapter 103XXVI: The Black Squire Telleth the Wood-Wife of His Doings Since Birdalone Went from the Castle of the Quest
  99. Chapter 104XXVII: Sir Arthur Cometh to the House Under the Wood
  100. Chapter 105XXVIII: Fair Days in the House of Love
  101. Chapter 106XXIX: Those Twain Will Seek the Wisdom of the Wood-Wife
  102. Chapter 107XXX: They Have Speech with Habundia Concerning the Green Knight and His Fellows
  103. Chapter 108XXXI: Habundia Cometh with Tidings of Those Dear Friends
  104. Chapter 109XXXII: Of the Fight in the Forest and the Rescue of Those Friends from the Men of the Red Company
  105. Chapter 110XXXIII: Viridis Telleth the Tale of Their Seeking
  106. Chapter 111The Seventh Part: The Days of Returning
  107. Chapter 112I: Sir Hugh Asketh Birdalone Where She Would Have the Abode of Their Fellowship to Be
  108. Chapter 113II: Birdalone Taketh Counsel with Her Wood-Mother Concerning the Matter of Sir Hugh
  109. Chapter 114Of the Journeying Through the Forest of Evilshaw Unto the Town of Utterhay
  110. Chapter 115IV: Of the Abiding in Utterhay in Love and Contentment