
Works of unknown authorship
7 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poem of the knight who interrupts King Arthur's Christmas celebrations, challenging someone to chop off his head if he can do the same in return
13 December 2018
Featuring: Laura Ashe, Ad Putter, Simon Armitage
The Bhagavad Gita
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the contents and influence of the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most revered texts of Hinduism.
31 March 2011
Featuring: Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Julius J. Lipner, Jessica Frazier
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss The Book of the Dead, an ancient Egyptian collection of spells intended to assist the journey of the deceased through the underworld.
27 April 2017
Featuring: John Taylor, Kate Spence, Richard Parkinson
The Mabinogion
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Welsh stories of Arthurian romance and Celtic mythology created in the oral tradition for centuries before being written down in the Middle Ages.
10 May 2018
Featuring: Sioned Davies, Helen Fulton, Juliette Wood
The Nibelungenlied
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the epic German poem of Siegfried and Kriemhild against Gunther and Brunhilda, two powerful couples whose friendship turns to rivalry and revenge.
1 December 2022
Featuring: Sarah Bowden, Mark Chinca, Bettina Bildhauer
The Song of Roland
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the epic reimagining of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778AD when Charlemagne's rearguard was ambushed and his knight Roland fought and died.
4 November 2021
Featuring: Laura Ashe, Miranda Griffin, Luke Sunderland
The Upanishads
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Upanishads, the sacred texts of Hinduism. Dating from about 700 BC, their mystical and philosophical nature still resonates today.
8 November 2012
Featuring: Jessica Frazier, Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Simon Brodbeck