Cover of Bearslayer

Bearslayer

by Andrejs Pumpurs

Reading level
Easy
Price
Free

About the book

"Bearslayer: A free translation from the unrhymed Latvian into English heroic" by Andrejs Pumpurs is an epic poem written between 1872 and 1887. Set during the Livonian Crusades, it follows the mythical hero Lāčplēsis, whose superhuman strength derives from a secret source. When Baltic gods gather to protect Latvians from Christian crusaders, Lāčplēsis must battle monsters, giants, and treacherous enemies. Alongside his beloved Laimdota and fellow hero Koknesis, he faces the Dark Knight in a climactic confrontation that will determine his people's fate.

  • Epic poetry
  • Epic literature, Latvian

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #17445. Bearslayer on Wikipedia.