Story of Gawain and the Green Knight

“I agree happily for it sounds a pleasant way to pass the time,” said Gawain.

The next day, Gawain whiled away the day in the company of the lady of the castle. That afternoon, while they sat before the fire, he was startled when the lady asked, “My lord, Gawain, do you not find me attractive?”

“My lady, your beauty is beyond compare,” replied Gawain honestly.

“Then why have you not tried to win my heart?”

“You are indeed beautiful, my lady, and if you were not married to my gracious host, I would most certainly woo you for myself,” Gawain replied.

“My lord has made everything in his castle available to you, Sir Knight,” said the lady.

Gawin did not wish to anger or insult his host by making amorous advances toward his wife, but neither did he wish to hurt the lady’s feelings. “One kiss then,” he said, and the lady was satisfied.

When the lord of the castle returned home, he presented Gawain wit a deer, and Gawain gave the lord a kiss. The lord laughed lustily. “Indeed, that is good fortune, Sir Gawain.”

“The second day went much as the first. The lord returned with a fox, and Gawain gave the lord the two kisses that he had received that day. Again the lord laughed at Gawain’s good fortune.

On the third day, New Year’s Eve, Gawain sat before the fire wit the lady of the castle. Her beauty pleased him, and, as she rose to kiss him, warmth of feeling for her spread throughout his body. He felt nothing but joy in her presence.

“I have enjoyed our time together, Gawain. I shall miss your conversation and handsome presence. Do you not have a token that you might give me to remember you by?”

Gawain replied that he did not. The lady offered him a ring to remember her by, but Gawain refused it. At last she brought forth a finely sewn girdle of green silk Seeing that he was about to refuse this gift also, she made light of its importance.

“This is but a mere scrap of cloth of little value. It’s the feeling that went into its making that makes it special, for no man who wears it will ever be cut down by another of this world.”

Gawain realized that such a garment would be valuable protection for him when he went to face the Green Knight. The lady pressed him to accept the girdle, and he consented. She asked that he always keep it concealed, especially from her husband, and that he never tell anyone about its existence. Gawain agreed that no one would know of it ever.

That night the lord returned with the spoils of his day’s hunting, and Gawain bestowed upon him three of the sweetest kisses a man could give. He said nothing of the green girdle.

“By God, you have had happiness this day,” laughed the lord. They all sat down to dinner and Gawain graciously thanked his hosts for making his stay such a pleasant one. He asked the lord if he could provide a guide to show him the way to the Green Chapel, and the lord agreed.

The world was swept with brewing storms that night as Gawain lay awake worrying over the confrontation to come. At dawn he rose and asked for his horse and his armor. He donned the green girdle beneath his mantle, not for its rich color or fine cloth, but for the protection it would provide when he was unable to take up his sword to defend himself.

The morning was gloomy with mist as Gawain and his guide rode forth to the Green Chapel. Deep in the forest, at the edge of a dark glade, the guide stopped.

“I have brought you as far as I dare,” said the guide. “Ahead lies the Green Chapel. As one who knows you and has come to love you, I warn you to be careful, for the knight who dwells here is fierce and quick to strike. Take a different road, Sir Gawain, and ride safely away from this place. I swear that I will tell no one that you fled from this confrontation.

“Thank you for your help and your good wishes,” said Gawain, “but I cannot turn back, for that would make me a coward. Such an act would be unforgivable. This is my fate, and I will not evade it.”

After saying good-bye, Gawain rode into the clearing and saw the Green Chapel. It sat at the back of the glade, in the shelter of two large oaks. A tangle of ivy laced its rough stone walls and its courtyard was overgrown with herbs. It appeared deserted. “Such a gloomy, ugly place befits its master,” he thought. “But I have agreed to this meeting, and God’s will be done. No matter what happens, I will show no fear.”

“Who is the master here?” Gawain called out. “Where is the one who agreed to meet me on this day?”

“I am here,” called a voice from the slope above Gawain. Gawain looked up, and there stood the Green Knight.

“Shortly you will get what you deserve,” said the Green Knight before turning to continue sharpening his ax with long, powerful strokes. Gawain had never seen a knight take such care or joy in the labor of sharpening a weapon. While the rhythmic whirring of the ax stroking the whetstone clearly brought pleasure to the Green Knight, the high-pitched sound sent a shiver down Gawain’s spine. Yet, no sign of fear showed upon his face.

Soon the Green Knight emerged from a cavern carrying a great Danish ax wit which to return Gawain’s blow. So great in size was the ax that when Gawain saw it, he could not conceive of any mortal man being able to lift it. The back of his neck began to tingle as he anticipated the blow to come.

“Gawain,” said the Green Knight, “you are a man of your word and I am pleased to see you. You have timed your arrival perfectly, as I knew you would. Now, you remember our agreement. Take as little time to prepare as I did when you gave your single blow that took my head. Remove your helmet.”

“Yes, you may strike your one blow, and rest assured it will meet with no resistance from me,” said Gawain.

Gawain the Good removed his helmet and calmly bent forward, exposing his neck for the knight. The Green Knight swiftly raised his ax and brought it down with such strength and ferocity that, had it met with Gawain’s vulnerable neck, his life would surely have been forfeit. But, as the ax came down, Gawain looked from the corner of his eye to see the shining blade descending and turned his shoulder in fear. The Green Knight, seeing Gawain flinch, stayed the blow.

“Gawain the Good, who is known for his great courage, who has never shown fear when confronted by a host of foes, you are flinching in fear. Never would I have thought it of you. When I stood for your blow, no fear did I show, never did I flinch. When it comes to courage, I believe that I am the better man,” said the Green Knight.

“I will not flinch again, Sir Knight,” promised Gawain savagely. “You can be sure of that even though I know that if you separate my head from my body, I cannot retrieve it and put it on again.” Gawain bent again and no move did he make in any part of his body as he waited for the Green Knight’s blow to descend.

The Green Knight noted Gawain’s determined stillness. “In truth, I believe it is your own fear that you fear the most,” he said, almost gently. “Therefore, I will delay this no longer.”

The Green Knight again raised his ax and brought it down quickly. Gawain did not flinch, even when the cold blade of the ax grazed the skin of his neck. When he felt his blood trickle over his shoulders and saw it dribbling to the ground, Gawain moved swiftly, jumping out of the reach of the Green Knight and his ax. He quickly replaced his helmet, and held his shield before him.

“You have had your one blow, sir,” he said. “If you attempt another, I promise that it shall be returned in full measure.”

The Green Knight laughed. “Come, Gawain, do not be so fierce. No one here has given you anything that you did not deserve. The taunting I gave you when I sharpened by ax was for the kiss you took from my wife on the first day of our agreement. The blow from which you flinched was for the day you took two kisses. The blow that wounded you was for the third day, when your honor failed, Gawain the Good. You returned the three kisses, but the girdle you kept for yourself was none other than my own, made for me by my beautiful wife. I know of every moment you spent in my castle while I was hunting, for I devised these tests for you. I sent my wife to try you and you fared well.

Gawain slowly lowered his sword and bent his head in deep shame. Suddenly he ripped off the offending girdle and flung it at the knight.

“I have failed,” Gawain cried. “I have been a coward and have coveted. Fear of your stroke has caused me to forsake in myself all that a knight should be: loyal and giving. I confess to being false and afraid. Only your good will has let me win this day.”

“I assure you that any harm that I have suffered has quickly healed,” said the Green Knight, offering the girdle back to Gawain. “Your sins are forgiven. You are indeed Gawain the Good, and I give to you this green girdle. Wear it in good faith, Sir Knight, as a reminder of the challenge you faced at the Green Chapel.”

“I will wear it not for its beauty but to remind me of my fears and my deceit,” said Gawain, taking the girdle. “When I feel proud of my accomplishments in battle, I will look upon this girdle and it will humble me.”

“Indeed, that is why I was sent to Camelot, to try your pride and to see if the tales that people told of the Knights of the Round Table were true,” explained the Green Knight.

“What is your name, noble knight, so that when I tell this tale, I may tell them of you?” asked Gawain.

“That I will gladly tell you,” said the Green Knight. “I am Bercilak de Hautdesert.”

The two knights embraced, and then parted there in the cold. The Green Knight returned to his wife and his castle, and Gawain ventured into the forest to begin the long journey back to Camelot.