What you are about to read is a fascinating collection of legends from the popular historian and author of the 19^th century, Andrew Lang. He wrote, along with his wife, Lenora, many popular collections of myths and fairy tales, such as the color-coded Fairy Book series. J.R.R. Tolkien was highly influenced by Lang’s collections as a child, as well as an adult. In fact, his famous essay, On Fairy Stories, was originally designed to be part of a series of lectures about Andrew Lang.

While Andrew Lang was not a practicing Christian, he decided to publish a book on Saints and Heroes that featured many medieval myths and legends about Catholic saints. It was designed, like many of his books, to be read aloud, specifically to children. While some of the language used can be difficult for the modern reader, it still retains its value as a popular read aloud book, especially among homeschool families. At the same time, Tolkien would argue that these stories are not to be reserved to children but should be enjoyed by adults of every age. We all need to awaken in ourselves a sense of wonder and these legends can help even adults achieve that goal.