(Ln(x))³

The stanzas end with a 5-line “bob and wheel”: the bob is a short, 2-syllable or so line; the 4 wheel lines rhyme, typically A B A B, often with alliteration within. It’s used to comment on the preceding stanza, and can summarise it, question it, explain it, or make any number of other meta-statements about it.]

Long ago, in a place called Camelot, the great King Arthur was celebrating Christmastide, a twelve day period of feasting and jubilation. [Most English medieval romances were set at Christmas; most French ones were set in Spring, before Easter.] Christmas Day had passed but there was still much feasting to come. Sharing the King's celebrations were the Knights of the Round Table, the most honourable men in all the lands. They were renowned far and wide for their bravery and gallantry. The youngest of these knights was Arthur’s own nephew, Sir Gawain.

[Gawain was the son of Arthur’s half-sister Morgause (or Anna) and King Lot of Orkney; Mordred was one of Gawain’s brothers.]

[Christianity was weakest at Christmas because that’s when the great pagan celebrations were held. A big thing was therefore made of Christmas celebrations, which explains why they went on for so long.]

All were in good spirits and looking forward to a mighty feast. The king raised his cup and, thinking of the entertainment to come, wished aloud that they might have some wonderful mystery or adventure to spice up the feast.

Before he had time to put his cup back on the table, the knights all gasped in astonishment as there rode into the hall the strangest man they had ever seen.

The visitor was extremely tall and his face was as fierce as his arms were strong. His red eyes glowered from beneath great bristly eyebrows and over his broad chest hung a green beard, as big as a bush. His coat, hood and hose were green as was his horse. The horse’s mane and tail were knotted with golden threads and bells. In one hand he held a green holly bough and in the other, a huge razor sharp axe. The axe handle was richly decorated in gold and green [Call to Adventure — discussed shortly].

[The holly bough was a sign of peace. He wasn’t wearing armour or anything, either. Green has several meanings in medieval literature, including poison, decay and witchcraft — all of which are alluded to in the poem, as it uses lots of wordplay and metaphorical connections. The strongest meaning for green was Nature; in combination with gold, it meant youth’s passing.]

The knights were dumbfounded. The king invited the stranger to join them at the table but he replied that he had not come to feast but to prove, once and for all, the courage of the famous fellowship before him.

“If it is battle you seek,” replied the king, “I will gladly accept your invitation.”

“No Sire,” said the Green Knight, “I come not to fight but to challenge.

[The challenge looks like a Call to Adventure, but it’s too overt — there’s no symbolism in it. It’s an event that’s setting up the problem to be solved. The symbolism of the green and gold of his axe is the real CTA: Gawain is being asked if his youth has passed, but he doesn’t recognise this. In the full version, the Green Knight offers his axe as a reward, explicitly drawing attention to it. The axe is the formal Boon that Gawain goes to get, although in this summarisation of the story we don’t see that. As it’s an axe, it suggests that Gawain’s destiny is to be a warrior.]

I want to know if any man here is bold enough to fetch one blow at me with this axe, on condition that, in a year and a day, he shall stand a blow from my hand.”

[A year and a day was the time limit for when death from a wound was murder or not. In the full version, the Green Knight doesn’t ask to be hit by the axe in particular, just to be hit — the knights merely assume he means by the axe. They could have just hit him with the holly bough.]

With that, he raised the giant axe above his head.

All the knights were silent [Refusal of the Call]; no one cared to offer him such an exchange of blows. The Green Knight looked scornfully around those assembled.

[The reason the knights were silent was because none of them wanted to stand out. It’s like when I ask a question in a lecture (or this class!) and no-one answers even though everyone knows the answer; they don’t want to look different to their peers. Here, Gawain’s failure to recognise the CTA aligns with the event setting up the problem.]

“Is this,” he sneered, “the court of which such mighty boasts are made?”

Stung by shame, the King cried out [Supernatural Aid] that he would take up the challenge.

[The shame is that none of his knights responded, not that he himself did not respond as he himself wasn’t challenged.]

“You will see,” said the King, “that we fear not your big words or [that should be “nor”] the sharp steel of your axe.”

The Green Knight sprang from his horse and put the axe in Arthur’s hand but the Knights pulled him away saying it was no adventure for a king.

“Grant me the chance,” begged Sir Gawain. The rash young man was keen to help his king. “This is a game for a young man to play.”

The others backed him and, reluctantly, Arthur withdrew his challenge.

“Nephew,” said the king, “take care that you put all your heart and strength in the stroke, so he can never repay you.”

The Green Knight smiled grimly. “It suits me well,” he said, “to take a blow from thee, but first you [if the summariser uses “thee”, this should be “thou”] must swear that you will seek me out in twelve months and a day, so I can give back what I received from you.”

[This is an important concept in this poem: the exchange. If I give this to you, you must give this to me.]

Sir Gawain gave his word and the giant pulled loose his hood and pushed aside his hair to expose his neck. Stroking his great beard he awaited, unconcerned, what was to come.

The young man grasped the heavy axe, heaved it high and delivered it with all the strength of his arm. Down came the razor sharp axe [Crossing the First Threshold, guardian defeated] on the brawny neck, sheering [that should be “shearing”] through skin and bone so the heavy head fell to the floor. But the giant stood firm and, without flinching, picked up his head and sprang on his horse.

[The Green Knight is acting as guardian here, which is unusual as he’s also the Father later on. Really, he shouldn’t be in the mundane world at all, although the fact he's in disguise and it's the Christmas season gives him a kind of permission because the barriers between worlds are thin.]

The king gasped in amazement, the queen screamed and the knights fell into a stunned silence. As he rode from the hall, head in his hands, his eyes fixed themselves on Sir Gawain.

“I have thy word,” he said. “Do not fail to seek me out; you will find me at the Green Chapel.”

The challenge became the talk of Camelot but, as the weeks went on, other concerns crowded in and the incident was put from most people’s minds. Sir Gawain, however, did not forget; for him the months rushed past.

Soon it was Lent, with its showers and buds, then the warm sun brought forth the flowers, next came the golden harvest and, all too soon, the grass died back, the mists returned and it was winter again.

The king knew his nephew must keep his promise and, on All Hallows, he prepared a great feast in his honour [Belly of the Whale]. The following day, as Sir Gawain rode from Camelot on his horse Gringalet, many of the women could not hold back their tears. No one expected to see the brave knight again.

[Gawain is being reborn as a dead man walking.]

In his search for the Green Chapel, Sir Gawain climbed many a hill and crossed many a marsh and river; he battled bears, wolves and serpents but kept travelling. It was a harsh winter and the brave knight often had to sleep in the open, pelted by sleet and rain. He stopped regularly to ask after the Green Knight but none had heard of such a man. Finally, on Christmas Eve, he found himself lost in a great mossy forest.

[This whole paragraph could be seen as the Road of Trials. The original goes into it in a bit more detail. However, the kissing stuff later is far more obviously a series of trials.]

He prayed that he may be guided to a place to rest. As he opened his eyes he saw, in the glow of the setting sun, a noble castle on a distant hill.

[Entering the castle could also be the Belly of the Whale, but he’s not really being reborn there except perhaps as a guest. It’s certainly part of the Other World.]

Spurring on his weary horse, he galloped towards the fortress.

The lord of the castle met Sir Gawain with a hearty welcome. He was a very tall and sturdy knight. Sir Gawain was shown to a beautiful chamber full of rich tapestries. After he had dressed in his best attire, he joined the Christmas gathering.

At the table was the lord, his beautiful lady, many knights and dames and, at the far end of the table, sat a wrinkled old crone.

For three days he enjoyed the festivities. Then he went to his host to say his farewells. He explained he must be on his way for he needed to find a place known as the Green Chapel. His host, however, assured him it was near at hand. Gawain was pleased to hear his journey was nearly at an end and readily agreed to stay for a further three days.

[The chapel is only 2 miles away, although the description later of getting there seems to be more than 2 miles.]

His host then offered to enliven proceedings with a pledge. He planned to go hunting the next day and offered to exchange what he got in the woods for whatever Sir Gawain received in the Castle. A puzzled Gawain said he expected to receive nothing but the pledge was sealed with a friendly toast.

[If the Lord had merely said he’d give Gawain the spoils of his hunt, that would have been a gift as it’s outside the bounds of normal hospitality. However, by couching it as an exchange (albeit, in Gawain’s view, of something for nothing), that means it’s not a gift so Gawain will not be in his debt.]

The next day the Lord went out early. Sometime later, whilst he was resting in his chamber, Sir Gawain received a visit from the Lady of the castle.

She did not hide her attraction to the young knight but he refused her advances. She would not go, however, without giving him a kiss. When the Lord of the castle returned with a venison, he gave it to Gawain according to their agreement. In return, a very embarrassed Gawain embraced his host and gave him a kiss [Road of Trials #1] (the only thing he had got that day).

[She’s tempting him, but not to go back to the mundane world. It’s a trial]

“Ha! Who gave you that?” said his host but Gawain laughed off the question and they sat down to supper.

[There is a deliberate parallel between the hunting and the seduction scenes. One is the chivalry aspect of his virtues, the other the courtly love aspect, about which more shortly. The deer is played for laughs as an opener; the boar is a hard fight (boars were as dangerous as an armoured knight) but successful; the fox is tricky and unpredictable, but is finally trapped (like Gawain is by the Lady), which is why it stinks. Note that it’s a boar, not a bear as in this translation]

The next day, at cock crow, his host again went hunting in the woods and once more his wife visited Sir Gawain in his chambers. Again he refused her advances but, before she left, she gave him two kisses. This time the Lord of the castle brought home a bear [no, a boar] and a goose. An extremely embarrassed Gawain embraced his host again and this time gave him two kisses [Road of Trials #2].

The next day dawned cold and clear, off went the Lord on his hunt and once more the wife came wooing her guest.

[In the poem, she’s dressed more ravishingly on this occasion than in previous seductions.]

This time she insisted on giving him three kisses and offered him her green silk girdle. When he refused, she said, “My knight, you must face many foes. This is a magic girdle [Road of Trials #3; he fails this one by accepting the gift and not telling the Lord (as then he’d have to hand it over, so couldn’t use it to save his life)]; it has the power to protect whoever wears it against any weapon.” Gawain’s love of life saw his resolve weaken, he knew he couldn't live without his head, so he accepted the gift.

[This scene looks as if it should be Woman as Temptress, but it’s still a trial. Gawain’s problem is that he has two conflicting virtues: chivalry (male-oriented) and courtly love (female-oriented). He is honour-bound to do whatever a lady asks of him, but also honour-bound to engage in fair play. She asks him to be deceitful, which is not fair play. He can’t possibly satisfy both goals at this point, so has been doomed to fail.]

[In the full story, she offers him her ring first but he refuses; rings were much more potent to medieval people than girdles. She offers the girdle as a substitute, its circular nature acting as a stand-in for the ring.]

He spent the rest of the day in the company of the old crone [Meeting with the Goddess, but because he’s failed the final trial she tells him nothing]. But he felt uneasy, it was as if her eyes could see right through him.

[The Meeting with the Goddess is not strong. There is no personification. In some summarisations of the story that are generally more detailed than this one, the crone isn’t even mentioned at this point.]

That evening the Lord brought home only a foul fox skin, which, he laughingly said, was a poor reward for the three kisses that Gawain give him.

Gawain’s heart was heavy, for the time was drawing near when he must leave the castle. He slept ill that night. As the cock’s crow heralded the new day, he dressed carefully, taking care to wrap around him the green girdle. He bade goodbye to his host and set out in into the dark stormy morning.

A bitter wind took his breath away. A servant had been provided to guide his way. Together they went by rugged cliffs and dark moor.

As the sun rose, the guide stopped short of a dale winding between two snow covered hills. The guide pointed to a road. “My Lord,” he said, “that is the road you seek but the one who dwells there lets no one pass alive. I beg you go another way, I will tell no-one, I promise [This is Woman as the Temptress, although in the story the guide is male]. I, for all the gold in the world, would not venture that way”.

With a heavy heart Sir Gawain refused the offer and set out down the road which soon became bordered with sharp banks.

Eventually he came to a crag and saw in front of him the overgrown mouth of a dark cave. He tethered his horse to a tree and went inside. Immediately, there was a fearful clattering of rock and standing in front of the young man was the huge figure of the Green Knight bearing an axe - his hairy head firmly back on his shoulders.

[Caves are normally found in the Belly of the Whale section, and you could regard this as the BotW for Gawain’s larger myth cycle. Medievalists have actually gone looking for this cave and have found some candidates to be it.]

“Welcome to my abode, you have timed your travels well,” said the Green Knight. “Now prepare to make good our bargain.”

Sir Gawain bravely removed his helmet and bent forward but, as the axe was raised, he could not help but flinch.

“Ha,” said the Green Knight, “he flinches before he is hurt.”

“When my head comes off I cannot put it back,” said Gawain. “But I gave my word and will not flinch again.”

Once more the giant brandished the axe.

“Strike and be done,” said Gawain. [Atonement with the Father]

“Have patience,” jeered the Giant and, for a third time, heaved the heavy axe up into the air. This time the knight did not flinch or cry out as the sharp axe whistled through the air and onto his neck splitting the skin.

It was a few moments before a stunned Gawain realised that, apart from a few drops [of] blood, he was unharmed. He turned to see, leaning on his axe, not the Green Knight but the Lord of the Castle.

[In medieval times, wounds were seen as outward signs of inner sin. He’s sinned a little, so he gets a nick.]

“My brave knight,” said the Lord, “I raised my axe three times for my wife’s three kisses. At my request, she came to see if you were a man of true honour. The cut on your neck is for the girdle that you took but did not exchange, as was our bargain. For that I let you feel how much sorer I could have struck.”

[The exchange of blows was for the exchange of winnings. There are many examples of medieval tales in which there’s a beheading game, and many in which there’s a seduction game. This is the only known example that draws parallels between the two.]

Sir Gawain stood confounded by his own weakness and the generosity of his host [Apotheosis]. Unfastening the girdle, he offered it to his host.

“Keep the girdle,” [The Ultimate Boon. This is not what Gawain went to collect — that was the axe. However, because he failed the Road of Trials, what he brings back to the mundane world is not what he needs, but what the mundane world needs of him: a reminder that even the best of men has faults.] said the Knight, “as a token of this adventure. The debt is cleared.”

The knight introduced himself as Sir Berblake. “Morgan le Fay, your own aunt, endowed me with the magic charms to challenge Arthur’s court,” he said. “She was disguised as the old crone you saw.” [Morgan le Fay is the sister of Gawain’s mother, along with Elaine; these three are Arthur’s half-sisters, his mother Igraine having been married to Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, before Uther Pendragon.] He bid Gawain return to the castle to get better acquainted with his aunt but Gawain politely refused [Refusal of the Return — except that because he feels he failed, he actually wants to get back! He won’t know he’s differently-succeeded until he’s at Camelot and the knights show their solidarity], he had experienced enough magic for the moment.

[There’s no magic flight because he actually wants to go back. This is how the failure that was forced on him is playing out]

He made his way home [Crossing of the Return Threshold] and was greeted with great joy. The scar on his neck remained as the only evidence of his adventure.

As for the lady's green girdle, he wore it as a reminder [Master of the Two Worlds], should he ever get too proud, of his faint heartedness. And all the knights agreed, for Gawain’s sake [Freedom to Live], to wear also a green belt as, even the bravest man alive, they felt, would have shrunk from such a fate.

[The girdle goes from being protection to shame to honour — the spoiling and regenerative signifiers of green combined. This kind of reference and metaphor for the colour green happens throughout the poem.]

[I described the bob and wheel format at the start of this in some detail, because the reason I gave you this to read is in two parts. The stanza equivalent, which was the read-through looking at it from a Hero’s Journey point of view, would have worked for any number of myths — that’s the whole point of the Hero’s Journey. Indeed, I used to give two stories from the Arabian Nights which worked just fine. However, as it’s often more instructive to learn from mistakes, I decided instead to switch to an example of a failed Hero’s Journey, so students could see how the consequences of a failed step play out in later steps. There are plenty of examples of this, too, for example Actaeon’s spectacular failure of the Meeting with the Goddess step in Actaeon and Artemis. However I eventually chose Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because it has a special importance for us as game designers. This is now like the bob and wheel of the overall class.]

[The story here is about a game — the “Beheading Game”. There are many examples of this in Medieval literature, including some in the Arthurian legends (Lancelot participates in one) and some even involving Gawain (Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle). Because it’s a game (every scholar in this field refers to it as a “beheading game”), that makes it all the more interesting from our point of view — especially as Gawain cheats in the exchange game in order to cheat in the beheading game and so feels doubly shamed as a result.