The Letter
As the primary artifact of the legend, this letter quickly generated attention across Europe and survives in some 300 manuscripts in ten-plus languages. The popularity of the Letter was due in part to how it linked the impulse to explore a global landscape with a desire for this landscape to be revealed as a continuation of, rather than a departure from, the known—as already Christian. But as central as the Letter of Prester John was to the development of a legend that survived for the next five centuries, this project demonstrates that the Letter only marks the beginning of a legend that was to persist for the next six centuries. Indeed, the "Letter of Prester John" grew into a global legend that inspired generations of writers and adventurers to seek out this mythical Christian terrestrial paradise.
For a more developed account of the legend's origins please see the Introduction to Era One.
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