Retelling The Vulgate Cycle
Arthurian
Introduction
This is the Mythopouch retelling of the Vulgate Cycle, also called the Lancelot-Grail Cycle. It is a modern educational retelling of the medieval Old French prose tradition, written for readers aged 15 and up.
The retelling uses original Mythopouch wording. It is not the Old French text and it is not a translation. H. Oskar Sommer's public-domain scholarly edition is kept separately on the Sources page as the historical source witness.
What this retelling is
The Mythopouch retelling is arranged as an eight-volume PDF set. Volumes 1 to 7 contain the seven books, and Volume 8 contains the complete seven-book retelling in one file:
Volume 1 - Book I: The History of the Holy Grail
Volume 2 - Book II: The Story of Merlin
Volume 3 - Book III: The Book of Arthur
Volume 4 - Book IV: Lancelot of the Lake, Part 1
Volume 5 - Book V: Lancelot of the Lake, Part 2
Volume 6 - Book VI: The Quest of the Holy Grail
Volume 7 - Book VII: The Death of King Arthur
Volume 8 - The Complete Seven Books
The complete volume gathers all seven books into one document while preserving the same book order.
How to use it with the Sources page
Use The Vulgate Cycle (Sources) when you need H. Oskar Sommer's Old French source edition, manuscript-based wording or the original seven-volume source arrangement.
Use this retelling when you want the material presented in modern Mythopouch prose. The Mythopouch book order is: Book I The History of the Holy Grail, Book II The Story of Merlin, Book III The Book of Arthur, Books IV and V Lancelot of the Lake, Book VI The Quest of the Holy Grail, and Book VII The Death of King Arthur. Volume 8 contains the complete seven-book retelling.
The medieval Old French texts and Sommer edition are public domain. The modern Mythopouch wording is not.
Summary
A 15+ Mythopouch retelling of the Vulgate Cycle arranged as seven books across Volumes 1 to 7, plus Volume 8 containing the complete text. The sequence follows the Holy Grail, Merlin, the Book of Arthur, Lancelot, the Grail Quest and the death of King Arthur.
Copyright Note
Mythopouch original educational wording. Copyright Mythopouch 2026. The medieval Old French texts and H. Oskar Sommer's 1908-1913 source volumes are public domain. This retelling is not the Old French text and is not a translation.
Sources & Retellings Cultural Context Notice
Mythology developed across different cultures, periods and traditions, and there is rarely one universally accepted version of a story. Mythopouch approaches these traditions with respect while remaining faithful to the complexity of the surviving material. Retellings and educational content may interpret or adapt historical sources, but are not presented as definitive accounts of any culture, religion or belief system.