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Gawain is a prominent knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, often associated with the Welsh tale of Gwalchmei. He is an important figure in early Arthurian legends and is cast as the hero of the physical quest. Gawain is featured in several English legends, including The Tale of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. He was unfortunately made fun of in French tales but restored to past glory in discovered works. Modern retellings, such as TH White’s, present Gawain as a passionate but respected figure deserving of respect for his heroic deeds.
Gawain is one of the most prominent knights of King Arthur’s Round Table, and in many tales he is the son of Morgause, grandson of Arthur and half-brother of Mordred, son of Arthur. Scholars suggest that the character comes from the Welsh tale, the Mabinogion, and his associated character, Gwalchmei.
Early Arthurian legends, as told by Wolfram von Eschenbach in Parzival, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, and Chrétien de Troyes’ unfinished Perceval, mark Gawain as an important figure. Especially in Parzival’s two tales, which are Grail legends, he is cast as the hero of the physical or profane quest, rather than the spiritual or sacred quest undertaken by Parzival.
Indeed, Wolfram’s version of Gawain’s quest is a remarkably heroic epic, in which he will win the honor of a knight and the love of a beautiful lady. The episode with the wonderful bed is a tale not to be missed.
Several English legends also surround the knight. Best known is The Tale of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, one of the earliest known works in Middle English, difficult to translate as it was written in the West-Midland dialect. Among the famous translators of the work is JRR Tolkien.
In the story, Gawain is invited to participate in a beheading game, where he must decapitate a knight and then show up at the knight’s castle a year later to suffer the same fate. The Green Knight is enchanted, however, and once beheaded, he merely lifts his head and reminds Gawain of his promise. Gawain keeps his promise, which includes a three-day fling with a married woman that is exceptionally comical. All ends well for the chastened man.
Another early English piece featuring him is The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. In the piece, the hero must come to understand the “filthy lady,” a woman who can be ugly or beautiful, depending on the day or night, much like the modern story of Shrek. This frequent figure of Arthurian myth demonstrates his importance to the Arthurian legends. Only the most important heroes are challenged by the repulsive woman and win the heart of the sometimes beautiful woman.
Gawain unfortunately became the butt of jokes in many French tales of Arthurian myth, perhaps due to his very English and Welsh ancestry. He was also cast as murderous and completely devoid of social niceties. Discovered works such as Green Knight restored him to the past glory of him.
By the English and Germans he is treated as sometimes impulsive, but kind. Gawain is particularly brave, and perhaps the ablest knight of the Round Table, save Lancelot. Some legends report his death at the hands of his half-brother Mordred, while others report that he opposed Arthur’s defense of Guinevere when his affair with Lancelot was discovered.
TH White must be considered in the modern view because it deals with the origins of the knight, his relationship with his brothers and his complex relationship with Arthur as his uncle. White casts him as a Scotsman, and the neglected son of Morgause. He deeply loves his brothers, Gaheris, Gareth and Agravaine. It is Lancelot’s accidental killing of Gareth that prompts Gawain to oppose Lancelot and join Mordred’s schemes. Mordred intends to kill the knight and uses him as a tool, and Gawain is smart enough to recognize this, but not prevent it.
White presents Gawain as too passionate for his own good and often sorry for his hasty actions. However he also displays it as an object of respect from the other Knights of the Round Table and from the King and Queen.
Other modern retellings include an opera based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. To the English and the Scots, and many others, he remains a beloved figure. Though some later French writers may have attempted to destroy his glory, Gawain emerges in the modern world as a character deserving respect for his heroic deeds and perhaps all the more lovable for his shortcomings.
