Contests of skill and bravery where jousting knights on mighty steeds would fight for honor, and perhaps the affections of the lady fair. Grand castles of stone topped with imposing parapets.



It was a time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The great and eternal quest for Excalibur, the elusive Singing Sword fueled centuries of folk lore. All of these medieval themes can be found reflected in decorative and collectible bookends.

The saga of Saint George slaying the infamous dragon still endures as a legend of the great Crusades. Though the dragon was a creation of mythology, the story has stood as a metaphor of the battle against evil, the saintly versus the serpent. Rising from a mythical lake in North Africa, the legend has the dragon about to feast on a virgin girl who had been cast out by superstitious villagers. Coming to the girls rescue, Saint George is said to have dealt the dragon a fatal blow and the rest, as they say, is legend.

The slaying of the mythical dragon is one of the most persistent stories of the ages. Images depicting the great encounter have been the subject of artwork from tapestries to collectible bookends. Whether portrayed with a great sword or a lance, images of St. George can be found across the globe. Images of the fierce struggle between man and beast grace the halls of fine art museums. Some collectible book ends capture the scene in great detail and are highly prized by mythology enthusiasts and collectors of medieval keepsakes.

Dragons of all kinds are popular among collectors. Human history is filled with stories and myths about these fierce some creatures. The common image of a dragon is that of a scaly reptilian beast with ferocious features and great strength. Some portrayals of these mythical creatures claim the ability of the dragon to breath fire. Dragons were thought to stand over sacred places and are considered to be creatures possessing the qualities of benevolence and even good fortune. Dragon figures are very popular among some collectors especially as bookends and other statuary.

Castles have always captured our collective imagination. Great castles stand as symbols of great wealth and power. Throughout history, castles have marked the rise and fall of medieval fiefdoms. Some castle bookends are replicas of famous structures, while others may depict scenes of whimsy and fantasy. From the wonder and splendor of Camelot to the darkness and dour of medieval dungeons, castles stand as reminders of a time of wonderment, treachery and power. Castles are a very popular genre in bookends and often made of stone types such as granite.

Another popular figure in medieval mythology is the venerable wizard. Like witches and warlocks, wizards were thought to possess powers of good, evil or sometimes both. The most well known wizard has to be Merlin. The legend on Merlin the Wizard plays heavily in stories of King Arthur. A number of accounts about this wizard portray him as the antichrist as least a bitter and enigmatic sorcerer. Other stories claim that Merlin was a notorious shape shifter, able to turn himself into any number of creatures. Wizard bookends have been on the must have list of collectors for centuries, emblematic of a combination of supernatural power, magic and whimsy.

Collectible medieval bookends can add to your book collection a sense of the days of yore.