The Forbidden Scroll

By: Robert Joseph Greene

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

What you are about to read is a short fictional gay love story called “The Forbidden Scroll.” It is the love story between Terryn of Cole, a scribe, and his relationship with Prince Florian of Deira. Terryn was instructed by the Prince to translate a scroll that had the words “Forbidden” written upon it. The contents of the scroll is sexual in nature and causes the two young men to question their sexuality. NOTE: The story is based upon some factual “forbidden” text. There are excepts from the original translated copy which are inserted into this story. During the middle ages, monks purposely sought illiterate young men who they could train to copy images ( in the form of letters) but not be able to read what they saw because it was from the forbidden scroll. In 1557, Pope Paul IV compiled and created the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (the Index of Forbidden Books). The Index of Forbidden Books were a list of books all christians were prohibited from reading or even owning except under special ecclesiastical permission. This scroll was listed on the Index of Forbidden Books and an unedited translation of the scroll is included at the end of this story for all to read.