▁a ▁frame ▁story ▁concerning ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁medieval ▁w ander ers ▁searching ▁for ▁a ▁land ▁of ▁ever last ing ▁life . ▁After ▁much ▁dis ill usion ment ▁they ▁discover ▁a ▁surv iving ▁col ony ▁of ▁Gree ks ▁with ▁whom ▁they ▁exchange ▁stories . ▁The ▁poem ▁is ▁divided ▁into ▁twelve ▁sections , ▁each ▁section ▁representing ▁a ▁month ▁of ▁the ▁year ▁and ▁containing ▁two ▁tales ▁told ▁in ▁verse , ▁drawn ▁largely ▁from ▁classical ▁myth ology ▁or ▁media eval ▁leg ends , ▁including ▁the ▁I cel and ic ▁sag as . ▁ ▁All ▁of ▁Morris ' s ▁subsequent ▁books ▁were ▁published ▁as ▁" by ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁The ▁Earth ly ▁Parad ise ". ▁ ▁Story ▁ ▁The ▁pro log ue ▁introdu ces ▁a ▁company ▁of ▁N ors emen ▁who ▁have ▁fled ▁the ▁p est il ence ▁and ▁set ▁sail ▁to ▁seek ▁the ▁f abled ▁Earth ly ▁Parad ise ▁" ac ross ▁the ▁western ▁sea ▁where ▁none ▁grow ▁old ." ▁Not ▁having ▁succeeded ▁in ▁their ▁quest , ▁they ▁have ▁returned ▁" sh ri vel led , ▁bent , ▁and ▁grey ," ▁after ▁length y ▁w ander ings ▁abroad , ▁to ▁a ▁" nam eless ▁city ▁in ▁a ▁distant ▁sea " ▁where ▁the ▁worship ▁of ▁the ▁ancient ▁Greek ▁gods ▁has ▁not ▁died ▁out . ▁In ▁this ▁hosp itable ▁city ▁they ▁spend ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁their ▁lives . ▁Tw ice ▁each ▁month ▁they ▁particip ate ▁in ▁a ▁fe ast ▁at ▁which ▁a ▁tale ▁is ▁told , ▁altern ately , ▁by ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁city ▁el ders ▁and ▁one ▁of