| 100% | LOST | 4 | "Paradise ___," English epic by John Milton that tells the tale of the Fall of Man |
| 53% | MAHABHARATA | 11 | Ancient Indian epic by Sage Vyasa that tells the tale of the Pandava and Kaurava brothers |
| 45% | BEOWULF | 7 | Old English epic that tells the tale of the eponymous hero of the Geats |
| 45% | MANAS | 5 | Epic of ___, ancient Turkish epic that tells the tale of the Kyrgyz people |
| 44% | ILIAD | 5 | Ancient Greek epic by Homer that tells the tale of the Trojan War |
| 44% | SAGA | 4 | "Grettir's ___," ancient Icelandic epic that tells the tale of the outlaw Grettir |
| 43% | ODYSSEY | 7 | Ancient Greek epic by Homer that tells the tale of the king of Ithaca's journey |
| 37% | WURSTSIDESTORY | 14 | Musical drama that tells the tale of a sausage casing? |
| 36% | HIGHWAY | 7 | "___ Patrolman," 1982 song by Bruce Springsteen that tells the story of two brothers |
| 35% | MILTON | 6 | John —, author of the epic poem Paradise Lost |
| 34% | JACKFROST | 9 | Famed 1979 stop motion animated Christmas TV special that tells the tale of a winter sprite: 2 wds. |
| 33% | HOMECOMING | 10 | 2023 novel by 37-Across that tells the story of a journalist who uncovers secrets from the past |
| 33% | DEPP | 4 | Johnny of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" |
| 32% | BEARD | 5 | "Santa's ___," 1964 song by The Beach Boys that tells the story of Santa's iconic facial hair |
| 32% | URIEL | 5 | Regent of the Sun in John Milton poem Paradise Lost |
| 32% | ORIGINALSIN | 11 | Result of the fall of man |
| 32% | EDEN | 4 | Site of the fall of man |
| 32% | HALLELUJAH | 10 | Oft-covered song by 26-Across that is the subject of the BBC radio documentary "The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall" |
| 32% | CREW | 4 | ___ cut, military-inspired men's haircut, sported by John Cena, that was popular in the '80s |
| 31% | LAND | 4 | "___ of the Pharaohs," 1955 epic film starring Jack Hawkins that is inspired by ancient Egypt |
| 31% | MOON | 4 | "Bad Side of the ___," 1970 Elton John song that was covered by April Wine |
| 31% | DORIAN | 6 | "The Picture of ___ Gray," gothic novel by Oscar Wilde which tells the story of a man and his unusual portrait |
| 30% | SAN | 3 | "Fake Tales of ___ Francisco," song by the Arctic Monkeys that refers to a Californian city |
| 30% | THELIONKING | 11 | 2019 musical drama animated film that tells the story of a young lion cub Simba, whose music was composed by Hans Zimmer: 3 wds. |
| 30% | SPINNINGSILVER | 14 | 2019 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel winner by 27-Across that's loosely based on the tale of "Rumpelstiltskin" (2 wds.) |
| 30% | HAMONRYE | 8 | Semi-autobiographical novel written by Charles Bukowski that tells of his coming-of-age during the Great Depression: 3 wds. |
| 30% | OTHER | 5 | "Of Love and ___ Demons," 1994 novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that tells the story of a 12 year old girl who is bitten by a dog |
| 30% | FOR | 3 | "Saturday Night's ___ Fighting," song by Elton John that celebrates the sixth day of the week |
| 30% | ALEGACYOFSPIES | 14 | 2017 novel by John le Carré that wraps up the story of 30-Across (4 wds.) |
| 30% | ASLEEP | 6 | "When We All Fall ___, Where Do We Go?," studio album by Billie Eilish that won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2020 |