Written by: Noa Climor
“Therefore, within thy court I crave a Christmas jest,” the green knight says to the court, and with these words, he sparks chaos: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an unknown author named as the “Gawain Poet,” dates back to the late 14th century. The story begins “On a Christmas Tide” with a feast hosted by King Arthur. The Green Knight, spring personified, storms into Arthur’s court and presents a challenge: A person may receive the knight’s axe and deal him a deadly blow, only if he may do so in return in “a twelvemonth and a day.” King Arthur does not take the challenge, but his nephew, Gawain, does. The court understands the same thing Gawain does: He will not survive once the deal is met; however, to maintain the strength of the kingdom and belief of the people, Gawain takes the bait, and so, we begin with a jest.
While the story centers on Sir Gawain, it holds multiple lessons, one of which is a commentary on the perception of how allowing the Green Knight entry displays King Arthur’s lack of strength. The doubt in his rule, and therefore, Christianity, bleeds into the hearts of his people. While Arthur Pendragon, as we know him, is a mythological king, there are connections between religion and his tale, as biblical themes and ideals present themselves in The Green Knight. King Arthur is known for his reign as the paragon of Christian Virtue, embodying an honorable and truthful man who even returns from the dead at the end of his story in Historia Regum Britanniae. His court in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and in the broader umbrella of the Arthurian Canon, has been primarily influenced by Christian morals and values; the knights of his round table are honorable and fair, acting as heroes against the evil that seeps into his kingdom.
Even Gawain seeks comfort in piety. On his journey to the Green Chapel, he fears that he will be lost without staying faithful. He must overcome both supernatural forces and natural obstacles, and he worries that by not observing Christmas mass, he is losing sight of his faith and, therefore, failing as a knight. He prays for guidance and finds himself embraced with open arms at the castle. While traveling, his prayer goes like this:
“Lord Christ, I pray Thee now, and Mary Mother mild, for her Son’s sake so dear, A haven I may find, Thy mass may fitly hear, And matins at the morn– meekly I crave this boon, And Paternoster pray, and Ave too, right soon, with Creed–” Thus praying, did he ride, confessing his misdeed, crossing himself, he cried: “Christ’s Cross me better speed!” (Gawain and The Green Knight, pg 26)
The contrast of the spring, which brings forth fresh beginnings and the chance to start over with his prayers reveals how he seeks physical refuge and spiritual understanding. The poem directly links faith and Gawain’s survival, alluding to the fact that the knights themselves see faith as an answer to fall back on. There is irony in the prayer as well, as the haven he enters belongs to the Green Knight, which we find out later. The haven he has prayed for was the sanctuary he feared: one introducing him to paganism and threatening his connection to his faith.
The themes of temptation and testing directly relate to Gawain’s faith in his religion and his kingdom. Even though Gawain is unaware of how important passing the tests from his host at the castle truly is, he naturally contains doubt. In his agreement to exchange winnings with the lord of the castle, Gawain’s virtue and honor are being tested as well; for each night he reveals the truth, he gains his honor and the knight’s acceptance of his nobility, as he is being honest and resisting the temptations of the lady of the court. On the third day, the lady offers Gawain the green girdle with the promise of its magical ability to protect the one who wears it from death, which Gawain accepts. By choosing not only to take the girdle but not declaring it as one of his winnings, Gawain breaks his trust with the host, who turns out to be none other than the Green Knight. His resolve weakens once he starts to think about his safety as more important than his honesty, and by seeking a loophole to win against death, he invites doubt upon himself. The girdle is green and gold, which Gawain does not realize symbolizes the Green Knight’s uniform, but also represents magic, which goes against Gawain and Arthur’s faith.
At the poem’s end, Gawain expects to be laughed off and shamed; however, the court allows for his return. The court embracing Gawain can be seen as Arthur’s rule being weak, and him as a king lacking the moral strength to banish one who has betrayed the faith. The poem ends with the following words: “Christ, who a thorn-crown bore, Bring us unto his bliss! Amen” (Gawain and the Green Knight, pg 83). While the lack of faith throughout the poem brings doubt of any meaning, there is the understanding and acceptance of Christianity as the one true faith, and the understanding that accepting paganism weakens the court. The commentary on religion, paganism, and King Arthur’s rule weaves itself through the poem. It creates a deep and meaningful work that allows the readers to look through a critical and analytical lens of Christianity in connection to the Arthurian canon.
Featured Image Caption: Painting from the original manuscript of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
