Vala, or The Four Zoas by William Blake (composed circa 1796-1807)

This incomplete work exists as a manuscript that is key to understanding Blake’s mythology that seeps into almost all of his other work. In The Book of Thel, Blake mentions “Luvah” (Line 51), which is one of his Giant Forms, the Zoas. Luvah represents passion and sexuality, so it makes sense that Cloud, the most sexual of the creatures Thel talks to, invokes this Zoa. Vala also inspired later esoteric poets, such as W.B. Yeats.

The Odyssey by Homer (circa 800 B.C.E.)

Blake alludes to Homer’s passage about the Cave of the Nymphs in The Book of Thel. This allusion is key to some allegorical readings of the poem. Furthermore, reading Homer aids in understanding Greek myth and the process of myth-making that Blake also participates in throughout his artistic career.

The Faerie Queene, Book III by Edmund Spenser (1590)

The Book of Thel can be compared to The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser; the third book of this very long poem is an allegory about chastity. Britomartis (aka Britomart) represents virginity, like Blake’s Thel. Spenser had Queen Elizabeth in mind when composing his long allegorical poem, and Blake also refers to his virgin, Thel, as a “Queen” (Lines 38, 100, 102).