Golden Legend

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet born in 1807. He is one of the five Fireside Poets. Longfellow is best known for his poems Paul Revere's Ride and Evangeline. The Golden Legend was first told in the 12th century. The hero of the legend was a wealthy man who was stricken with leprosy. He is told he can only be cured by the death of a maiden who is willing to die for him. A girl who belongs to the family of one of his tenants offers to die for her lord. In the final moments he cannot accept her sacrifice and they return home where the hero makes the maiden his wife.