The original RuneQuest from 1978 included its own Appendix N, which actually predated AD&D’s Appendix N. After finishing the draft of the new edition, I updated that list as to what my biggest literary inspirations were for that. If people think that is useful, we’ll likely include it in the book.
And if people really want to know I am happy to add my list of movies and television shows to that.
Now your list might differ, it might include other things, and that’s cool – but let’s keep the comments focused on this list, rather than come up with your own. At least here.
THE LIST
Anonymous,The Alexander Romance – antiquity’s most successful novel, this work weaves the historical life and exploits of Alexander the Great with the fantastical, including miraculous tales and encounters with sirens and centaurs.
Anonymous, Epic of Gilgamesh – the foundational work for heroic sagas, Gilgamesh is a prototype for Heracles and an influence on later Greek epics.
Anonymous. Njal’s Saga – an excellent look at a Dark Ages culture, and some rousing fighting besides.
Anonymous. Poems of Heaven and Hell from Ancient Mesopotamia – a collection of ancient Mesopotamian myths, including Inanna’s descent to the Underworld.
Campbell, Joseph. Hero with a Thousand Faces, The Masks of God (and others) – the theory of the hero’s journey, source of the monomyth.
Carney, Elizabeth Donnelley. Women and Monarchy in Macedonia – a scholarly look at the important roles wives, mothers, and daughters of kings played in Macedonia, including Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great, and the warrior Cynnane, his half sister.
Daniélou, Alain. The Myths and Gods of India – a classic work on Hindu polytheism and helpful to understand a world of gods.
Eliade, Mircea. Myth of the Eternal Return, The Sacred and the Profane, Shamanism (and others) – a key to understanding myths and rituals.
Ferdowsi. Shahnameh – the Persian book of kings, this is one of the greatest epics of mythology and heroic legends ever written.
Herodotus. The Histories – essential for any clash of cultures, this is the tale of the Greeks versus the Persians, with exotic lands, customs, and tall tales thrown in.
Hesiod, Theogony, Works and Days – the birth of the gods, divine wars, and the shaping of the world.
Homer. The Iliad, The Odyssey – the classics of Greek heroic mythology.
Howard, Robert E. Conan (and others) – the archetypical noble and savage barbarian written with muscle and guts; his notes have been finished with less gusto by other writers as well.
Keegan, John. The Face of Battle – the descriptions in this book are a must for anyone wanting to know some truth in grisly detail about ancient and medieval warfare.
Leiber, Fritz. Swords in the Mist (and others) – a basic source of sword and sorcery fantasy; the stories about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are classics.
Lovecraft, Howard Phillips. The Call of Cthulhu (and others) – the foundation of modern horror, the Cthulhu Mythos is a source of inspiration for Chaos.
Malory, Thomas. Le Morte d’Arthur – an epic of chivalric ideals, quests, and the tragedy of flawed heroes.
Moorcock, Michael. Elric (and others) – a basic source of modern fantasy.
Patterson, Nerys Thomas. Cattle Lords and Clansmen – a scholarly analysis of medieval Irish society that looks at cattle raids, clans, and social structure.
Renault, Mary. The King Must Die, The Bull from the Sea (and others) – excellent mythic-historical fiction.
Smith, Clark Ashton. Hyperborea (and others) – more standards of fantasy fiction, which everyone should at least taste.
Sturlusson, Snorri. Heimskringla – a superb epic tale of kings and heroes by Iceland’s most famous saga writer, proving you do not need fantasy to create legend.
Tolkien, J. R. R. Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion – modern fantasy classics. Tolkien is rightfully accorded as the Master of fantasy.
Valmiki. Ramayana – one of the great epics of Ancient Indian heroic mythology.
Vyasa. The Mahābhārata – one of the great epics of Ancient Indian heroic mythology.
Xenophon. Anabasis – the story of the Ten Thousand, an army of Greek mercenaries and their journey across Asia Minor and Mesopotamia.
Zelazny, Roger. Lord of Light, Amber (series), and others – a basic source of fantasy fiction.
The Aeneid? I’ve read it many times, but honestly I never really dug Virgil. It always seemed overly polished and far less primal and raw than Homer or the others.
Tain Bo Cuailnge? I recently read the new Boyd translation which is fantastic, but to be honest, it felt less RuneQuest than many of the others listed above.