The King of Ireland's Son sets out to find the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands and meets the Enchanter's daughter, Fedelma. His adventures lead him to the Land of the Mist, the Town of the Red Castle, and the worlds of Gilly of the Goatskin, the Hags of the Long Teeth, Princess Flame-of-Wine, and the Giant Crom Duv.

This is a true Irish wonder tale: a coming of age story of the youngest son of the King of Ireland who sets off on an impossible quest. The stories weave together, stories within stories, in a fantastic tapestry of humor, poetry, action, and adventure. Perfect for reading aloud at bedtime, generations of children have loved Padraic Colum's unmatched storytelling.

In this Comprehensive collection of tales from long ago are found all the legendary heroes and heroines and the tragic figures of ancient times: Iris, Osiris, Gilgamesh, Hercules, and Pandora, to name just a few. These primal stories, long held sacred, have carried their deeply human significance throughout the centuries.

Padraic Colum brings these stories to life again by recalling the rhythm and melody of traditional storytelling.

He also shows the close relationship between past cultures, including stories from ancient Egypt and Babylon, Greece and Rome, Ireland and Iceland, China and Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, and Peru.