First Continuation

First Continuation Summary
 

Sarah Piercy: Pages 4-24

    A messenger arrives to Arthur and his Queen to tell them Gawain is alive, well, and has vanquished every enemy and trial that has stood in his way. Gawain is said to be the “model of all good qualities” (80), and has asked Arthur to accompany him to his battle with Guiromelant, who has demanded a duel and placed allegations on Gawain and his name for acting without the qualities of a good knight.

    Arthur and his men leave to find Gawain, and the Queen leaves a few days after, accompanied by all of her ladies. When the King of Cornwall hears of this, he throws a feast, and kings and queens from all over the realm, as well as the Knights of the Round Table, join.

    Meanwhile Gawain is still with his mother, sister, and grandmother in the castle depicted in Perceval. When Arthur and his men arrive at the castle, Arthur’s mother believes them to be under siege, and tells her family that they have lived so long, they cannot be surprised they are finally about to die. Gawain then tells them it is only Arthur and his men approaching, and their fear is turned into great joy.

    Gawain’s sister, Clarrisant, reveals to her family that she is in love with Guiromelant, the man who challenged Gawain, and then Gawain leaves to get Arthur and the Queen, so he can bring his family together. When Gawain finds Arthur, he explains that when Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon, died, Arthur’s mother, sister, and niece fled to the castle and crossed the borders of Galvoie, with a company of girls and knights. Gawain explains the safety of the castle Arthur’s family is residing in, and how anyone who tried to get there would fall into deadly traps--such as the wondrous bed.

    After Gawain fetches Arthur, the Queen, and three of the Queen’s fairest maidens, they ride to the castle. The entire town outside of the castle greets them with a great celebration and a church service, while everyone still left at the camp begins to panic because it has reached noon and Arthur is still missing--they don’t know he went to the castle.

    While in town, Gawain repents of his sins to a holy bishop, who tells him that because of his repentance, God will forgive him and serve his needs. When Gawain leaves the confession, every horse in the camp is offered to Gawain, as well as every sword, lance, and helm. Gawain takes two horses and gets armed finely to prepare himself for his battle with Guiromelant. Gawain sends messengers to Guiromelant to warn him of his coming, and his sister is so distraught that her brother and lover are fighting that she claws her own face (87). When the messengers arrive before Guiromelant, he is already armed and ready to battle. After the messengers warn Guiromelant of Gawain’s arrival, Guiromelant tells them that he thanks God he has met such worthy men, and that he’s looking forward to his battle with Gawain. He goes on to say that no matter how good Gawain is, no one could love him as much as he hates him.

    Arthur’s camp accompanies Gawain to his battle, and watch as they fight. Gawain and Guiromelant are, at first, perfectly even in strength and skill. Their battle wages until the next morning, with no apparent winner. As time goes on, Guiromelant gets tired and weak, while Gawain only grows stronger, and gains the upper-hand in battle. Clarrisant gets so distraught that she begs King Arthur to make the battle stop, to which the King claims it is not his place to interfere. He does, however, tell her she can ask her brother to make it stop, and that if Gawain ends the match with mercy, Clarrisant has permission to marry Guiromelant.  Gawain offers Guiroomelant a draw and the hand of his sister in marriage if Guiromelant is willing to drop the charges he placed against Gawain, and restores his good name. Guiromelant agrees, and a celebration is thrown to honor it.

    The next morning, Guiromelant and Clarrisant get married within Gawain’s attendance--and before Gawain’s good name and honor is officially restored. When Gawain goes to Arthur’s camp in search of his family, he finds out about Clarrisant’s marriage, and how Arthur is the one who allowed it to happen before Gawain’s charges were dropped. Gawain declares that he refuses to go to Arthur’s land and court, until he is found in a distant country with “three thousand knights of worth, properly clad and well equipped” (94).

    Gawain let his horse, Gringalet, guide him by riding freely (because he was too angry to direct Gringalet) and, after traveling through a storm and going days without eating, drinking, or sleeping, Gawain meets the most beautiful maiden in the realm. She rides a mule, and tells him the he is beside the Glade of Marvels, in the domain of the “hateful damsel” (95). The maiden tells Gawain that he will encounter many perilous adventures before he leaves, and she offers to feed him and give him lodging, and then blows into a horn that she is holding to summon people for dinner. Fortunately, Gawain insists on wearing his armor while eating, because a knight on the blackest horse emerges from the woods, and chokes the maiden, before taking the horn she used to call dinner, and then rides off. Gawain chases after him and asks him to return the horn to the lady, and the knight refuses. Gawain challenges him, and when the knight strikes Gawain, Gawain returns the blow with a steel lance-head underneath the knight’s left breast, killing the knight. Gawain then takes the horn from the vanquished knight, and returns it to the girl.

    The maiden asks Gawain to stay longer, which he denies, but inquires about her name instead. She tells him it is “the Maiden of the Ivory Horn” (98). After introducing himself, the maiden tells him the the knight he slew was evil, and went by the name Macarot of Pantelion. She tells Gawain that her horn was a love token from another knight, and that its power is such that “another possessing it will be free of cold and thirst and hunger, even in the wildest lands” (98). To thank Gawain, she gives him a ring that will grant him victory over the strongest, or most numerous enemies, on the condition that he will return it upon request.

    Gawain continues his travels and encounters a dwarf, who is described at length as being the “ugliest create Nature ever made” (99). Gawain chases the dwarf to see if he can tell him where some lodgings are, and the dwarf (whom Gawain has never met) tells Gawain that he is the worst knight there ever was, because of abandoning Arthur’s court, and that he used to be the “flower of chivalry” but his actions have changed him into “the worst of the lot.”

Kat Pressler: Pages 25-45

           As Gawain speaks to the dwarf, the dwarf questions if he remembers a promise that he made that year that “[he’s] made not attempt to keep]” (100). The promise was that Gawain would “go and rescue the damsel besieged on the peak of Montesclaire, and gain supreme praise by girding on the Sword of the Strange Belt” (100). Gawain acknowledges that he hasn’t followed through but promises that he will because of this reminder. We then find out from the dwarf that, if Gawain can rescue her, he will erase his bad record and she “rests her hopes on [Gawain] alone” (100). In the distance, Gawain sees a tent and decided to ride toward it but, as he got closer, he found a dead knight. He recognized the knight when he started bleeding. When Gawain tried to leave, he was chased by four knights who threatened him saying, “You slew Macarot, but he’s going to be avenged right now!” (100).

           Gawain decided to face the 4 knights and, after killing 3 of them, the fourth surrendered yelling, “I’ve no desire to fight on: I’d have done so gladly if I could see any point” (101). Gawain agreed to the surrender and explained that he killed Marcarot because he “rashly snatched the horn from [the Maiden of the Ivory Horn’s] neck before [his] very eyes” (102). He then gave the night an ultimatum stating that he could either be at the damsel’s mercy or he could be killed. The knight then refused the offer and said that he is “Clarinon of the high forest of Ateine” and he used to guard the Fountain of Love (102). Gawain showed mercy to the night and let him go.

           When they parted, Gawain went into the forest and found a house to stay at. There was no one and nothing living in the house but there was a beautiful table set for a meal so Gawain waited for a boy or a knight to show up. After waiting, no one shows up so he tries to find his horse and leave the room but, his horse has disappeared. As Gawain sits down to eat, a huge knight angrily storms into the room yelling at Gawain for eating his food when no one gave him permission. In order to right the wrong, Gawain must battle the knight. The fight lasted a long time but Gawain eventually defeated the knight and, just when Gawain was about to kill him, a girl appeared begging for mercy. Gawain said that, if the night was hospitable and merciful to future visitors, then he would release him and both the knight and the girl agreed.

           The girl began to explain her story. A knight, Greoreas was in love with her and when he captured her mule, he had her in his power. She tried to make a deal for him to wait a year and then she would be his but he refused and raped her. She reported it to the king but he didn’t help. She returned to him and said she’d be his on the condition that he do whatever she said and that’s why he attacks every knight that enters. After this, Gawain is told he is the lord of the house because he defeated the knight. The sweethearts of all the knights who had previously died in the house begged for freedom from Gawain and he agrees. After eating, they all slept and in the morning, Gawain and the girls prepared to return home. They left together for home.

           Gawain rode for 14 days without seeing anyone. When he began to give up, he saw a tower at the edge of the forest. When he entered, “more than a hundred boys came running to attend him” (107).  The boys escorted him into the hall where “he found a distinguished, somewhat grey-haired nobleman sitting on a bed” (108). The man was dressed in extravagant clothes. They washed up and prepared for a meal. Boys kept coming in with candles and other beautiful objects. At one point, a weeping woman walked in holding a grail. Boys brought in a “rich, regal cloth, and in the brier lay a body” and on top of the cloth “lay a sword which was broken across the middle (108). This procession happened three times and Gawain realized it was the grail and the lance that he was meant to be seeking. The lord told him “if he could join the sword and fuse one part of the blade to the other to make it whole again, then you can learn the truth and meaning of the bier and the grail and the lance, and why the maiden weeps” (109). Gawain took the pieces and joined them together. When the lord was talking to Gawain, Gawain fell asleep on the table. When he woke up, he found himself in a marsh with his horse tethered to a tree. He untied him and rode away upset.

           He rode into the great forest and, after a few days, met a vavasor who was delighted to meet Gawain and offered him his home for Gawain to stay at and Gawain accepted the offer. The man’s name was Galehes de Bonivant and he was ecstatic when he heard Gawain’s name. Just then, a lady entered the room with fur girls and they all washed up and sat down to eat. Gawain then explained the mission he was on. Galehes told him that he was on the right path and was very close to the castle and he could make it there by the next day.  He then began to tell Gawain what he should expect when he made it to the castle and Gawain decided it was up to him to defeat the guards and became more determined. Then, after promising Galehes a favor, they both went to sleep.

           Gawain left in the morning and Galehes explained the favor that he wanted. He said, “I dearly wish to go with you if you’ll let me. I want it more than anything” and Gawain didn’t refuse (112). They road toward the caste and as soon as the nights saw him, they blew a horn and charged at him. Their swords didn’t do anything to Gawain. He began to fight back and killed two of the knights. The last knight broke his sword and, begged for mercy, which Gawain agreed to if he did exactly what Gawain wanted.

           After they had been vanquished, the woman prepared to meet Gawain. The damsel left the castle with two thousand horses. Galehes then revealed that she is his niece. Gawain delivered the vanquished knight to the damsel and asked her to forgive him her wrath and spare his life to which she agreed. When Gawain asked for the sword he was promised, the lady revealed that they couldn’t give it to him but they could show him where it was. There was a grotto below a garden where the Sword of the Strange Belt was kept. The door swung open for Gawain and he went in to find the sword hanging on a golden pillar. When the people saw him come out with the sword, they were overjoyed. The lady then revealed the history of the sword to Gawain.

           Gawain stayed a week while they treated his wounds. He then thought of the bleeding lance and his promise to deliver it to Escavalon and left to complete his mission. He rode to a forest and eventually had to scale a mountain. On the other side, he saw a knight and a maiden. The knight let Gawain know he had been looking for him. They began to fight but soon decided to postpone it since there would be no witnesses. The man’s name was Dinadaret.

           Gawain set out across the plain until he reached Escavalon. He explained that he’s been searching for the grail and lance but has had no luck and therefore, he submits as his prisoner. Guigambresil got up and begged to do battle with Gawain. While the king was consulting his barons to see what was fair, a knight came into he court. The knight was Dinadaret who now wanted to do battle with Gawain since there would be witnesses. The barons became persuaded that Gawain should fight both knights together. A boy at the court was a kinsman of Gawain and raced to King Arthur to him the news. On the way, the boy met “Kay the seneschal” who hailed him (118). Kay agreed that the fight was unfair and unchivalrous. Kay made it to the king who agreed it was horribly unfair. The king sent word that everyone should follow him as he went to find Gawain. One of King Arthur’s men, Sir Yvain, made it to the castle and begged to postpone the battle and the battle was delayed. King Arthur finally arrived and met with the king of Escavalon. Arthur gave Guigambresil and Dinadaret the hands of his nieces in exchange for peace.

Natalie Cormier: Pages 46-66

On Pentecost, Arthur summoned his vassals in order to attack Brun de Branlant who refused to heed his orders.Arthur and his forces arrive at Branlant only to find it well fortified and ready for battle. Despite the power of Branlant, Arthur’s forces are equally impressive and ready for battle. Before Arthur can even command his forces, his new knights attack the castle and win the first battle against Brun de Branlant. Arthur is unable to make much progress after the initial attack and ask his generals for advice on how to handle the situation. They advise him to attack the port of the city and starve the castle out. In order to do this, Arthur builds three castles near Branlant for a prolonged siege. This last for seven years and strips the once bountiful land of all its fruit. Two girls, Lore de Branlant and Ysave de Carahes are instrumental in the survival of Branlant begging food from Arthurian soldiers. Brun de Branlant makes a last ditch effort attempting to steal horses and food from Arthur. When Gawain approaches Brun de Branlant in order to stop him, Gawain is severely injured. After three and a half months, Gawain rides his horse in full armor. Arthur is afraid that Gawain will further injure himself and makes Gawain promise to return to him and not seek out any adventures.

    Gawain wanders across a river into a beautiful area where he continues to ride until he decides that he will not return to Arthur until he undergoes some rare encounter. He finds a magnificent pavilion where there is a maiden in the bed. Gawain mistakenly calls her a lady but quickly fixes his mistake. She blesses him in the name of Sir Gawain and reveals her deep admiration of the knight from stories that she has heard. He then reveals that he is Sir Gawain, she verifies his identity by comparing his face to a detailed embroidery of him. They declare their love and sleep together. Gawain leaves her promising that he will return. Norroiz de Lis, the woman’s father, rides to the pavilion and find out about what happened when the woman declares that she can no longer be addressed as a maiden because she has been deflowered. He immediately takes off after Gawain, and upon catching up to him, Norroiz de Lis challenges him because of his brother’s death and his daughter’s maidenhood. Gawain wounds Norroiz de Lis and leaves him to die on the ground. Bran de Lis, the brother of the lady, learns of what has transpired between the lady and Gawain when he is also informed that he can no longer call his sister “maiden.” Bran be Lis also chases after Gawain and fights him in a fierce battle. Both knights fight well and are unable to injure each other, but Gawain’s old wounds reopened. Gawain ask for a delay on their fighting until they meet once again which Bran grants. Gawain leaves Bran de Lis with a pregnant sister and returns to Arthur where it takes six months for Gawain to fully heal. During that time, Brun de Branlant finally runs out of food and submits to Arthur.

Caradoc is a young knight who approaches Arthur asking him for a wife. Arthur bestows Ysave de Carhes on him giving great cause for celebration. At Caradoc’s and Ysave’s wedding, Eliavret, an enchanter, falls in love with Ysave. For the first three nights of Caradoc’s and Ysave’s marriage, Caradoc is made to sleep with common farming animals while enchanted while Eliavret enchants Ysave to sleep with him. Eliavret then leaves a pregnant Ysave.

Ysave gives birth to a child who is named Carados. Carados’ biological father is Eliavret, but this is unknown to all but Ysave. Carados leaves home early for great adventure and goes to King Arthur for guidance. He is held in high esteem by everyone at court. Arthur decides that he will hold court at Pentecost since he had been relaxing for the past years. At the feast of Pentecost, Arthur decides that he will knight Carados. At the banquet, all must wait for something amazing to happen before they can begin to eat.

A knight on a grey horse enters the hall and makes a proposition, that if he can be beheaded and recover, then he will get the opportunity to behead the man that beheaded him. Carados takes up the challenge beheading the knight, but the head is easily reattached meaning that Carados must be beheaded a year later. Everyone else at the castle is concerned but Carados is not concerned. When the knight on the grey horse reappears, Arthur and the queen try to bribe the knight of letting Carados live, but the knight wants Carados’ head. Carados bears his neck but the knight hits Carados with the flat of his blade leaving him uninjured revealing that he is Carados’ father. Carados doesn’t believe him though.

Carados returns to his home and meets his parents. He asks Ysave for an explanation about his birth and she reveals all that transpired to Carados and Caradoc. Carados is upset by the news but still loves his father and rejects his mother. As punishment, Carados helps Caradoc decide to put Ysave in a tower where none can reach her. Carados then returns to Arthur’s court.

Cador and his sister, Guinier, travel to Arthur’s court in order to pay homage to the king. As they travel, they are attacked by Alardin of the Lake who want to take Guinier for a wife. She has continuously rejected his advances and Cador does not want Alardin for a relative. Cador fights back but is defeated by a broken leg. Alardin then kidnaps Guinier who cries for help. Carados hears Guinier’s cry for help and aids her through the defeat of Alardin. They retrieve Cador and travel in order to find a place to rest. The group then finds a wondrous pavilion belonging to Alardin’s sister, the Maiden of the Pavilion.

Hannah Jarzombek: Pages 67-87

The Great Tournament

    King Arthur is holding court of a great many rules and a fight breaks out between

Cadoalan and Ris--who are known rivals to each other. Alardin and Carados arrive just in time to take part in the tournament. The first joust is given to Alardin. As Alardin is waiting for the tournament to begin, he stops under a maiden’s tower and they introduce each other then blush over the fact that they’re looking at each other with full attention and not mere glances. The maiden reveals herself to be the niece of Gawaine and great niece of Arthur--Guingenor. Cadoalan and Ris are fighting over Guingenor’s hand for marriage but she loves Alardin and he loves her.

    The first joust starts and it turns out that it is King Ris who is to joust Alardin. They both break their lance against each other and fall from their horses. However, both get back up and attempt to continue the joust. As King Ris is re-saddling, Aladrin rushes at him with a sword. Twenty knights attempt to stop him but cannot without even more reinforcements.

    These reinforcements are the other knights of the round table who have already chosen sides in the Ris/Cadolan rivalry. A great battle ensues as all the knights battle each other. Cador joins the fray and immediately begins fighting The Rich Soldier, unseats him, then takes on an unmanageable number of other knights. He leaves King Cadolan’s entrance to help Aladrin instead. Together they make the most fearsome force on the field.

    All the while, Guingenor is falling even more in love with Aladrin. Ydain--another girl who comes upon the chaos--is quickly falling in love with Cador and seeks Guingenor for information about him. As they compliment their knights, several more ride into battle, influding Perceval, King Cadoalan, and Sir Kay.

    As the fray seems to even out, Aladrin sends Cador to tell Guingenor that he does love her and she promises herself to him once the tournament is over. Ydain meets Cador and confirms that she loves him and asks him to capture Guigambrsil for her. Cador does immediately.

    Meanwhile, Aladrin begins fighting the king of Estregales on his own. He unmounts him and then continues to fight him and his men with a sword until the king is exhausted and his men attempt to save him, at which point Perceval steps in to help. Cut off from help, Aladrin offers the man his life if he would surrender to Guigenor. The king refuses, Aladrin knocks him out, then the King allows it once he comes to again.

    As King Ris surrenders to Guingenor, the Fair Good Knight and Rich Soldier battle Aladrin on their own. Aladrin cuts through the Rich Soldier’s helmet and chainmail to the head and almost brain. He battles the Fair Good Knight until he is victorious and makes them both surrender to Guingenor.

    At this point, King Ris is nearly obliterated until Carados comes riding in. He takes out Cadoalan, Sir Madoc, and Girflet immediately. Next, he forces Sir Kay to surrender after knocking him onto his back and ridiculing him. All of Cadoalan’s men flee under the reign of Carados with the exception of Aladrin, Cador, and Perceval, who stay and fight, taking many more prisoners.

    Perceval begins conversation with Guinier--Carados’ sweetheart--and the maiden of the pavilion,who have come to watch the tournament. Perceval leaves his prisoners with the maiden of the pavilion and rides back into battle.

    As more of Cadoalan’s men retreated, Sir Gawain, who’d been mostly useless up until now, decides that the other knights are being cowardly and charges into battle with Sir Yvain. Carados attacks them immediately and almost kills Sir Yvain, then turns his attention to Perceval. Perceval and Carados continually unseat each other and continually get up to joust again. They get separated and Carados and Bran de Lis attack all the bravest men in Cadoalan’s army. Bran goes after Cador and unmounts him but Perceval saves Cador from surrender. Enraged, Bran attacks Perceval and both fall from their horses, only to begin battling each other. Carados knocks Perceval from his horse again and saves Carados. Perceval attacks Carados. They attack until they are exhausted then Cador and Aladrin ride up and separate them, allowed Carados to escape to fight others.

    Carados bests the best men and King Cadoalan’s fighters are defeated. They mount a retribution and Yvain, Gwaian, and Perceval all attack Carados at once, felling him. He cannot remount and the knights urge him to surrender to avoid hurting such a wonderful knight. He does not. Cahadis, Idier,  the Bold Ugly Knight, the Fair Coward, and Bran de Lis all come to his aide. Carados attempts to escape but Cador and Aladrin come riding to the scene and attempt to stop him. Carados throws Cador from his horse and Aladrin attacks Carados violently to avenge his friend. They battle and Gawain comes to help. Carados almost falls under the two of them but Bran attacks Aladrin. The four battle until the tournament draws to a close with the fall of night. King Caloadan’s army is bested.

    Gawain, amazed by Carados, asks for his name. Once they are introduced, they compliment each other thoroughly and then find out they are Uncle and Nephew. The entire tournament celebrates having such amazing competitors in it. Aladrin marries Guigenor. Cador marries Yvain. Perceval marries the Maiden of the Pavilion. Carados marries Guinier.

    The narrator then introduces the plight of Carados’ mother--Ysave.

The Enchanted Serpent

    King Caradoc has Ysave locked away in a tower and doesn’t allow people in. However, the enchanter Eliavret sneaks in to see Ysave because he loves her. He makes a mistake in creating an atmosphere of minstrels and acrobats and entertainment. These festivities keep the people awake and they send word to Caradoc who orders more guards at the tower, however it continues happening. So Caradoc sends for Carados who leaves King Arthur’s court at once and goes home. Cador and Aladrin leave with him and Gawain and Ydain act as a guide for them. They part tearfully and continue on their ways. Ydain and Guinier go with Cador.

    Once the situation is explained to Carados, he keeps watch on the tower and catches Eliavret. As punishment and revenge, Caradoc forces Eliavret to couple with  a greyhound, a sow, and a mare. A hound, boar, and destrier are born--brothers of Carados. Carados almost has Eliavret hanged but fear of God’s wrath stops him. Instead Caradoc and Carados let Eliavret go.

    He finds another way to the tower and complains to Ysave about what has happened. She suggests killing Carados and then berates Eliavret when he declines. He offers a worse revenge--to have an enchanted snake coil around Carados when he next visits his mother and slowly squeeze him to death or poison him. Carados does go to his mother and does fall for the trick and does get bitten by the snake. He cannot remove it and struggles in agony. The king falls into a fit of rage and almost kills the queen as Carados is taken away to be cared for as much as he can. No doctor of any skill level from anywhere can get the snake off of Carados’ arm.

    When Arthur finds out, he falls into a misery and heads after Carados. The sea is stormy and they land in Normandy but he travels on land to Brittany anyway. Then news reaches Cador and therefore Guinier who faints and then loses her mind with grief when she awakens and demands to be taken to her love. When Carados hears the news, he very thoroughly pouts and vows to refuse to see any of them. He demands Caradoc leave a messenger with him and then leave them alone. Carados confides that he thinks he knows someone who can pray the snake off his arm. They sneak out of the castle and go to the hermit.

    Once at the chapel, Carados confesses everything that has led to this. The hermit gives him penance and absolution and Carados stays living with the hermit to act out his penance which involves the holy life and fasting for almost half the week.

    Arthur arrives  the morning after Carados escapes. No one notices until Cador and Guinier arrive later that day as well and demand to see him. When Carados doesn’t answer to Guinier’s call, the company opens the door to find Carados gone. This causes Guinier to lament and blame herself for his disappearance.

Tynan Holt: Pages 88-107

Gunier thinks that Carados is leaving her because he is afraid to hear her cry. She cannot live without him. The narrator then goes on to make a commentary on the vehemence of this love, and that it does not exist anymore in the world. He states that women do not love men; they love what they offer. There are three types of reason why women love:  they only are attracted to a what a man can give them, and give love as payment; they are solely attracted to looks and will faithlessly give him up when a more handsome prospect makes an appearance; or they only love when he can offer her service, and vanish as soon as the service can no longer be given. However, he does not paint women so heavy handedly without turning his scrutiny on men as well. The narrator further asserts that men are fickle and capricious, and their love is fleeting and has no base or bound. If they do not get their way quickly they will become enraged, and scorn what they had just loved, and if they do get their way they will tell any and all about it. Love is only worth anything if it is faithful and silent and quiet.

    The narrator commends Carados and Guinier to heaven for their faithful love. They have all the makings of great lovers, and suffered greatly for it. Their hearts were inseparable- each were in just as much pain at leaving as at being left.

    Meanwhile, King Arthur arrives at Nantes and hears that Carados has left through a messenger, leaving Arthur even more worried, and now doubts there being any purpose of going to Nantes in the absence of his nephew, but proceeds anyway, and finds Guinier in great distress, praying for death. Therefore, they wasted no time and immediately began to search high and low for Carados, and though they scoured the hermitage he was in, his disguise was so thorough that they did not recognize his, and to great dismay, found nothing. They searched the whole of their side of the channel and the whole of England as well, and still had no luck of finding him, distressing Arthur to the point of wishing for death, Gawain and the rest equally as grieved. They stayed in Cardigan at the end of their search for the next two years. Cador (Gunier’s brother) continued to search for Carados far and wide for two years, asking everywhere he went if the good people had seen a man with a serpent coiled around his arm, to which they would always answer that there was no one like that in those parts.

Meanwhile, Carados was doing penance for those two years with the serpent sapping him of blood, flesh, and spirit, and was nearly broken. He eventually comes to a hermitage in a wood where he had been waiting out without hope, expecting death, traveling each day to the chapel to pray, and the good men gave him food and clothing that they could spare. Cador was at a loss when he finally came across the hermitage, and when he asked the good men about a man with a serpent, they replied that he comes every day, so Cador vows to return the next day unbeknownst and see for himself.

The next day, he conceals himself until Carados produced himself from the wood and begins to pray, at which point Cador goes to interrupt his praying, crying all the while how long and far he has searched for him and what joy it brought him to see him now, though tarnished by the sorrow he felt at the state of him, unhealthy and thin. Carados was ashamed to see his friend, and refuses to speak to him, until Cador implores to why he left his land and his poor Gunier, to which he replied he was afraid her heart would harden when she saw what he had become, and that he wants to die for it. He could not be embraced or persuaded otherwise, and Cador has no choice but to leave him in the care of the good men of the chapel, and return to Nantes and Carados’ mother, Ysave, whom he accuses of the blame for Carados’ exodus. He rebukes her for not softening the blow of her punishment after it was dealt, instead leaving him to suffer the pain of it. She feigns ignorance at first, and then concedes that it was indeed her fault, and that, if this berating means he is alive, she will try to develop a plan to save him, which she succeeds with. It involved a girl who matches Carados’ status and loves him more that her own life at the time of the full moon, with two tubs of medium size should be set together three feet apart, one of vinegar, into which Carados should enter, and the other of milk, into which the girl shall enter with her right breast leaning on the rim of the tub, and she must call the serpent to leave her sweetheart and fasten to her. Carados’ mother got the idea from “the fiend Eliavret” (167) who she has been sleeping with, who is Carados’ father, when she told him that she fears her soul will be damned for the fate they have inflicted on their son, and asked him for a solution. He told her that their son had only had three months left to live, with no way to prevent it.

When he hears the plan Cador sails straight to Cornwall, where Gunier is, to tell her of the plan, to which she agrees by her love for him, and they set off to the hermitage. When Carados sees Gunier, he begins to cry of happiness, which gave way to shame and love and he quickly rose to greet her, despite his weakness. He looks in a sorry state, with overgrown and tangled hair, and shabby clothing, with paper thin skin and toothpick bones, but all were forgot when he spied Gunier, who loved him all the same as when he had Nature’s beauty. When he learns what she plans to do, he attempts to dissuade her, but to no avail. They argue, and eventually Carados concedes, with a vow to end his life is she dies saving him.

They consent to follow through with the plan, and when the Gunier convinces the snake to come bite her breast rather than further drain Carados, Cador is there to cut off it’s head with a sword, but in doing so also cuts off the tip of Gunier’s breast, which was already fastened in the serpent’s mouth. Carados leaps from the tub to take her and her brother in his embrace, and they are all dressed in handsome clothes, while the hermits apply a poultice to Gunier’s wound, and draw the poison from Carados’, and they were both healed within a week. Within a month, Carados was fully recovered apart from a shortened bone in the arm the serpent leached for so long, and became known as Carados Shortarm.

Word reaches King Caradoc, and he seeks them out at the hermitage, and is warmly received, and then they departed, leaving great riches to the hermitage for Carados’ sake as they did. When they get back to court, people flock to see Carados before they return to Nantes, where Carados frees his mother and begs her forgiveness, which she grants. He and King Caradoc travel to England to Arthur, who rides out ecstatically to receive them. They stayed long in England, and all the knights, including Carados, went on many quests; King Caradoc, when he died, bestowed his kingdom on Carados, who protested the acquisition of another man’s land, but eventually was persuaded to accept. Carados does not intend to be crowned without his love Gunier, and marries her in grand fashion in view of all the folk, and it was glorious and love-filled ceremony, and then King Arthur crowns man and wife at court at Nantes on Rogation Day. They were the most loved king and queen, with a glorious reign. The wedding lasted a week, and they were lavished with grand wedding gifts from all of King Arthur’s people. After an extended stay, King Arthur set off across the sea, taking Carados with him, and they rode throughout the land in search of renown and adventures, and competing in tournaments, all from which Carados won great reputation, and was held as one of the best in Arthur’s household.

The Healing of Gunier’s Breast

King Carados declares a magnificent hunt, and he and the men depart the next, morning, encountering a boar and tracking it until it is at their mercy, but the boar outwits them and they track it too far. On the way back to the city, they encounter a storm that terrifies them, and in all the commotion, Carados is split from them onto a different path, and catches sight of a lone knight, surrounded by singing birds and fair weather, dry and clean despite the storm, and sought to chase and catch him. They rode until they encountered a fine house with an open door and blazing fire, filled with people. The knight identifies himself to Carados as Alardin of the Lake, son of Guiniacalc, and upon hearing Carados introduce himself, embraces him as friend, and invites him to talk, relating all that had happened since they had last met. He stayed a week, worrying King Arthur greatly.

Alardin’s shield is made of “purest gold” that was malleable enough to have been made into a “replacement” for an “ear or a nose”  that would mold itself to whatever had been lost, and offers it to Carados as a replacement for Gunier’s breast (174). Straightaway, Carados rushes back to court to the relief of Arthur and all, and leads Gunier to a chamber. Sure enough, the gold takes the shape it had before as soon as it touches her flesh. He warns her not to tell anyone else of this, and would consider it against his command if she did, and gives her a wrap to conceal it that no one but he and she shall touch.

The Drinking Horn
 

     King Arthur summons his knights and barons to Pentecost, and lords to Carlion. After arrangements and mass, Kay comes to him in his chambers and offers to begin dinnern but Arthur prefers to see an adventure before he eats.

     A knight burst forth into the hall with a sword, and a horn, wrought in gold, around his neck, and dressed in scarlet. The horn’s name is Beneoiz, which turns pure water into wine, and presents it to King Arthur. Kay approves. The knight then stipulates that no knight may drink who has deceived his wife, or whose wife has deceived him. Arthur tries it first, Guinevere protests and prays aloud that God should make it spill, claiming it is a trick meant to poison him. He tries it, and it does spill over him. He is enraged, but hides it in front of all, and hands the horn to Kay, on which it spills as well. The same is true for Gawain, and Yvain, and soon every knight has tried and failed, with the exception of Carados, whose wife tells him to drink with confidence, and the wine spills not a drop. This made all the knights jealous of Carados, and all the ladies hate Gunier, resenting her more intensely than any other. The court lasted three more days and then King Arthur supplied them all with riches, and they returned to their lands in high spirits. He send Gunier away as well.

The Mission to Rescue Girflet
 

The king goes riding with his closest companions, always delighting in generosity and positivity. When they are heading home he is uncloaked at the butt of the pack, isolated, which Gawain notices and asks him what is on his mind. The king answers that he wants to repay his men who have done him so well, and decides to hold a feast at Pentecost. He summons all the lords that night to Carahes at Pentecost, and when they came (three missing), they were seated at the Round Table. When he sees the absence of a valiant knight, he plunges his knife through the table, and becomes perturbed and distracted, cutting his palm on the blade then wrapping it in the tablecloth and hiding it from the knights. Gawain sees him deep in thought, and consults him, saying it is shameful to behave this way. King Arthur says he is so because of all the treachery and envy of the knights, which causes an uproar. They all demand to know why, and Arthur insists that it was when they confronted men who waxed against them before he could confront them, and he mourns the lives lost, and those captured- one of which in particular being a friend of his held captive now three years, Girflet. He decides to go and seek him, no matter what befall him, and all the knights agree they have been treacherous and cowardly and Arthur decides who will go with him and find Girflet. Kings Urien and Yder advise him to take a small, chosen party of men on the long expedition. Silk “pennons” were given to all meant to accompany him (180).

Kay, the Dwarf and the Peacock
 

     Sir Gawain, King Yder, Gosoain, Kay, and Lucan the butler, Tors, Sagremor and King Urien’s nephew, Maboagran, King Urien’s son, Idier, The Bold Ugly Knight, Count Doon ;’Anglain, Galegentin the Welshman, Carados Shortarm, and Taules de Rougemont are chosen to come. As Arthur and his fifteen companions make their way to the Proud Castle, they encounter a desert wasteland, a big tree with a spring at its foot, a cottage of cob, inhabited by a woman with no food who directs him to a house in the forest, built by the count of Melioirant, and the tower where they were directed by the woman. Upon entering, there is no one to be found anywhere on the property, except a dwarf roasting a peacock on a spit. When Kay approaches him, he refuses to speak until Kay threatens to take the fowl for his own, which they then dispute about, which comes to blows, and Kay the victor. A fearsome and handsomely dressed knight with a dog emerges at the sound of the dwarf’s death, and demands to know why he’s been killed, to which Kay answers that he is a rogue. They enter into an argument, and Kay’s reputation precedes him. The knight offers him a piece of the peacock, instead grabbing it whole and nearly crushing and killing Kay with the sheer force and weight. It caught him in the neck and left him a wound which scarred him for the rest of his days. He is then thrown out.

When he returns to the king, he lies and says that he found nothing, and the knight so haughty he wouldn’t house or feed them. The king sends Gawain to see the selfsame knight spoken of, who welcomes him and sends him to fetch the king to bring. They are brought to the hall where the dogs eat the remaining peacock, and Sir Kay keeps very quiet upon remark from King Arthur that they are more well fed than he. They are bedded well and sleep until morning. When they awake, they are served a generous dinner and laugh about the mark to Kay’s neck, which is passed off as a skin disease. The next morning, the King hears the host knight’s name is Yders the Fair, who asks to accompany him. King Arthur refuses, only wanting knights from his home land, and takes his leave.

Valeria Garcia: Pages 108-128

Bran de Lis and Gawain’s child

Arthur and his Knights went on traveling and went another day without food or lodging. Instead they went to the Garden of Tombs, a beautiful cemetery with wonders indescribable, where they ate with hermits and the King spent the day exploring before eating as well. The next day, they rode on until they came upon the fairest of lands; by evening though they got to a place where the grass had been trampled down to make a path. They assumed that the track had been left by “a band of a hundred or more” (184) and upon Sir Gawain’s advice they followed the trail with him riding ahead to look for lodging.

Sir Gawain followed the trail and after a while spotted a hill in the distance where he spotted the riders they had assumed left the trail. “A good hundred of them were jousting on the hilltop” (184). He went to go meet them up the hill but when he arrived there was no one there. But, at the foot of the hill, beside the river, he saw the “most handsome city he’d ever seen” (184) and he spotted the band of knights heading towards it and follows them.

At the bridge Sir Gawain came upon two beautiful damsels, dressed in gowns of rich purple, who were collecting water. Sir Gawain approached them and asked them about their activities to which they responded that they were collecting water for “the finest and most handsome knight” (184). He then hurried onto the city, which was like no man had ever seen before. It was draped with beautiful tapestries; they had currencies of every land, the most beautiful goblets and cups. And every door was open, and it was then he noticed that there wasn’t a living soul around. He imagined that they all went to honor their lord and continued up to the castle where he came across a hall with tables spread with gorgeous linen. The tables were set and the food was ready but again there was no one.

He didn’t want to stay when there was no one there so he went back through the city. He had expected to pass the damsels again but when he came to the river they were gone. He decided to go back to his king and guide him as he feared that if he stayed away much longer the king would be lost. So on he went to meet them at the hilltop where he had previously seen the band of knights.

Gawain told them that he had found lodging and that it was wondrous and had plenty and he led them to the wonderful city. They went to the castle and straight to hall and again there was no living soul. Since they saw no one they dismounted and planned to feed their horses when they went to sleep on the meadow that was filled with beautiful grass for the horses.

They all sat down then and Kay served the first course, and as they were eating Sir Gawain peered through a half open door and saw a shield on a peg and the moment he leapt up from the table and armed himself. The King and his men were bemused and King Arthur kindly asked for an explanation from Gawain. Gawain wouldn’t give an explanation and just asked them to hurry and eat. Gawain stated that he was ever sorry he had set foot upon the castle, that he wouldn’t eat and that he hated it there. But King Arthur wouldn’t have that and he himself wouldn’t eat until Gawain explained.

And so Gawain began his story. Ten years ago an army was laying siege to Branlant, there was a surprise raid and Gawain didn’t have time to arm, he just got on a horse and jumped straight into battle with only a shield and a lance. He went after the men of the city that were already leaving and was wounded in the shoulder, he was thought dead. It took four months for him to recover. While he was frustrated of lying around one day, he ordered one of his pages to saddle his horse; he got dressed and slipped away from camp. King Arthur tried to convince him to stay but Gawain persuaded him to go back and he ended up wandering around for two days without lodging or food.

On the third morning Gawain went to mass and got fed by a holy man. And after eating he was in such high spirits that everything was beautiful. Around midday he came about a beautiful tent that was shut tight. He went for a closer look and ended up going into the tent where there were three wonderfully, beautifully made beds. On one was the most beautiful woman Gawain had ever seen, no beauty elsewhere could compare to hers. He was so stunned by her perfection that he ended up loving her with all his heart. He didn’t want to wake her so he kissed her as gently as he could whereupon she didn’t wake but said “dear sir, let me sleep” (187).

Here Gawain paused and begged the king to eat but the king once again refused and urged him to continue his story.

Gawain started embracing the maiden so much so that it woke her. When she asked who he was he responded that he was her lover. She responded that she had no lover and that he’d better leave or the two finest knights ever, her father and brother, would cut him in half. He then introduced himself to her, which showed how much he loved her, as Sir Gawain never introduces himself unless asked to. She had been excited to introduce him to her father and brother.

Sir Gawain then disarmed and started kissing her and then ended up going her too far and forcefully “deflowered” her. The maiden began to grieve piteously and her brother arrived who she cried to that she would from now on live in misery and shame because of this knight. The knight then faced Sir Gawain and was distraught because killing a disarmed man would be shameful. He inquired as to whom Sir Gawain, and Gawain responded accordingly but the knight did not believe him because it was not like Sir Gawain to be this dishonorable. The knight was about to strike but didn’t as Gawain was unarmed.

To make amends Gawain offered to marry the young maiden so that she would not e dishonored. The maiden saw sense in this and asked for her brother’s permission to marry but he refused. She tried to reason with him but this only brought the knight further disdain. And when he couldn’t stand it any longer he challenged Sir Gawain and they battled until Si Gawain ended his life. Upon this the maiden’s father arrived and sought vengeance for his son and began to battle Sir Gawain as well, where again they fought until Gawain had killed the father.

At this point another knight arrived, the brother and son to the previous two knights. Upon seeing his brother and father dead he was in anguish and looked for the perpetrator. Sir Gawain confessed to his sins and the young maiden helped explain what happened as well. He asked for the knight’s name and it was Bran de Lis .The knight was in sorrow because he said if he had been the first to arrive he would have granted Gawain the marriage and his brother and father would still be alive.

He then went into battle with Sir Gawain, but Sir Gawaine asked to have a battle in front of an audience because if he were beaten people wouldn’t believe the other knight had done it. The Bran de Lis agreed and made the condition that they’d do battle again in the first place the met, no matter what condition Gawain was in, armed or not.

And so Gawain explained that the shield he had seen belonged to the knight he had faced and that he feared that he was there at the castle. He knew this knight was a worthy opponent and was eager to leave the castle.

At that point a beautiful dog came in and Kay wanted to have it as a gift and so when after it when it ran. The dog led him to a garden that was filled with people who were celebrating a feast. A mighty knight at the center of the feast recognized Kay and asked about his king and about Sir Gawain and Kay confirmed that they were both seated at the table in the hall. The knight immediately went to greet King Arthur. The crowd of people that were in the garden had followed him and Gawain had hidden among them when the knight had showed up. When the knight finally found Sir Gawain, he reminded him of their agreement and asked him if he would do battle and Sir Gawain agreed.

King Arthur had gotten emotional at the thought of losing his nephew and perhaps a mighty noble knight. He offered the knight peace and a truce so that he wouldn’t have to lose either of them but the knight refused.

So Bran de Lis and Sir Gawain engaged in a mighty battle, which a maiden came to view upon a tower. At one point of the battle, Gawain lost his helmet, making the battle uneven. Gawain was getting beaten quite fiercely and was bleeding into his eyes, he wanted a rest so that he could clean his eyes but Bran de Lis was relentless. At this point the maiden in the tower went away and came back carrying a beautiful five year old child. She set the boy down and sent him to Bran de Lis as the maiden was his sister and Gawain was the father of the child. She sent him over to hopefully stop the fighting. Bran de Lis struck the child when he interrupted the battle begging them to stop.

At this point King Arthur spoke to Bran de Lis, who had paused in the battle to check on the child, reprimanding him for his actions. He kept Bran de Lis speaking long enough for Gawain to regain some strength.

They began fighting again but the child was in the middle of the fray this time and they were afraid to hurt him. The child had begun laughing as he could see his reflection in the shiny swords. The people were anguished and wished to see this battle over and begged the king to stop it. King Arthur once again told Bran de Lis to stop and consider his offer, which consisted of all that Gawain had offered him before to make amends, and not to refuse it as it was generous and finally the battle came to an end. Sir Bran de Lis then asked for the Knights of the Round Table to pledge loyalty to him and King Arthur agreed.

Sir Gawain and Sir Bran de Lis finally made amends. King Arthur informed Bran de Lis of their mission to find Girflet at Proud Castle and he agreed to join them once he and Gawain healed up from their wounds. Meanwhile Gawain enjoyed sometime with his, now, sweetheart before the set for their mission again.

The Jousts at Proud Castle

The King was ready to ride in a fortnight; they were ready to go by early Tuesday. They rode for seven days until they reached their destination: the great Proud Castle. They pitched the king’s pavilion and tents at a meadow beside a “thick grove of leafy olive trees,” (198) and moved no further. They didn’t attack the castle but their arrival was well known. Then the people in the castle started ringing a loud bell, it was their sign that the castle was being besieged. Knights and shields appeared all over the castle for protection. The king had his supper then and it was well known that anyone who crossed their paths was looking for a joust. While the king was eating, Lucan, the butler, asked if he could have the first joust and the king granted it.

    The next morning they attended mass and, after a meal, prepared Lucan for battle and he rode on towards the castle. Upon arriving to the castle he instantly got into battle with a knight who ended up breaking his lance but that he nevertheless defeated. Sir Bran de Lis told him he should have captured the knight though as they would have had a bargaining tool if he had done so. Lucan wasn’t pleased that he had missed such an opportunity and so he went back to the field and fought another knight where he was defeated and taken as prisoner.

    The king was distraught by this news but Gawain saw that at least the butler was alive and now Girflet would know there were people coming to the rescue. The king was also annoyed that Bran de Lis had basically goaded Lucan into fighting again thus making him a prisoner. Sir Bran de Lis then asked for the next joust, and the king refused because he didn’t want to lose another, but Sir Bran de Lis convinced him to let him have the joust anyway.

    Inside the castle Lucan met Girflet at the prison and explained how he got there and how things have changed. They had food provided by their captors and spent the rest of the night chatting.

    The next morning was beautiful and the men had a wonderful breakfast, and once they had their food Bran de Lis got ready for battle once more. He fought bravely with another knight and relentlessly and when he finally won, he took said knight as prisoner to King Arthur.  They celebrated and ate for the night and Sir Kay asked for the next joust in the morning. His battle with another knight though was very short as he was driven back to a certain line while they were jousting and the other knight just left. This was thought to be amusing to the other knights because, to the knights of the castle, the ones they were facing, if you pass the line, you are not a worthy opponent. And so they made fun at Kay for the rest of the day.

Joe Halow: Pages 128-160

Arthur and his retinue of knights go hunting on a Sunday, after a Saturday night of revelry. Gawain’s hounds successfully separate a large stag from the herd that the huntsmen are tracking and rides in pursuit, eventually trapping and killing it in a glade. After skinning and butchering the stag, Gawain is drawn by the call of a goshawk and follows curiously. He comes upon a tall fortress, “the finest he’d found on any of his travels.” (128) This fortress is characterized as tall, stark, and commanding with a drawbridge at the foot of which is a pine tree. Here Gawain finds a large and formidable looking knight, to whom he calls three times and receives no answer. After failing to generate a response from the knight, Gawain tries to pick him up at which point the previously silent knight threatens Gawain most brutally, before sitting back down and falling silent again.

           Leaving the night in his silence, Gawain sets off back to regroup with Arthur’s court when he meets a maiden that is riding a horse hurriedly passed him. He gathers from her that she believes she will kill the strange knight that he has just met, and he lets her on her way. When he brings the story back to Arthur and Bran de Lis, Bran suggests that the knight he encountered is the Proud Knight who is so infatuated with the aforementioned maiden that he will die if he doesn’t have her as his beloved.

           That night from their camp, the king’s men watch a great cloud of dust created by a vast host of people travelling to the Proud Castle that Gawain had seen earlier. Bran de Lis expertly puts in that this must be the townspeople who had never seen their lord’s lady in the castle and were flocking to celebrate her arrival.

           The next day, the joust goes to Yvain, who bearing Kay’s shield, rides valiantly and defeats his adversary quickly. He brings back the humbled knight, one newly dubbed in honor of the queen, who then reveals that the Proud Knight himself will joust the next day. After discussion with Arthur and Yvain, Gawain is able to earn his spot as the knight to joust the opposing lord.

           Their battle the following morning is long and well-fought on either side, though Gawain comes out the victor after knocking his opponent senseless. He tries to offer mercy, but the knight claims that he is already dead, for his beloved will die of shame. If this be the case, he could not live with himself and would die with her. Gawain does the honorable thing and pretends to have lost. He offers himself to the maid’s service, and once she has left, he returns to Arthur’s castle and brings with him the Proud Knight, the newest addition to Arthur’s court, along with Lucan and Girflet, previously captured knights.

           King Arthur and his men continue to ride to Lys to find that Gawain’s son has been kidnapped by an unknown band of men. After many knights express how beside themselves with grief they are, King Arthur commands that a group of knights will go in search of the boy, himself at the lead. Gawain, however, claims that he has no time to search for his son, and bringing Kay and Girflet, along with other knights, rides instead to relay to the queen that she will meet Arthur at the Glad of the Crossroads in no more than a month, after which time Arthur believes he will successfully have found Gawain’s son.

           The queen welcomes them warmly and after seeing that Girflet is safe, and hearing that she must meet Arthur at the Crossroads, decides to bring a large following to wait for him there at her leisure. One night when she is playing backgammon in the company of many fine knights, an unknown knight passes her pavilion without saying a word and continues hurriedly on his way. The queen, offended by the disrespect he has shown her orders Kay to follow him and bring him back. Kay instead tries to ride him down and is embarrassed. The knight takes his horse and continues on his way.

When Kay returns on foot, Gawain follows the knight and asks him courteously why he is in such a hurry. The knight replies that he cannot stop for anything, though hearing that the knight he is speaking to is Gawain, concedes that he can do such a fine and renowned knight the honor of meeting his queen. As he is returning with Gawain, Kay kills him with a javelin. Right before the unknown knight dies, he tells Gawain that he must take his horse and follow its path to reach the end of the quest. Gawain spontaneously decides that he will do this exactly and he leaves the carnage for the rest of the group to clean up.

Gawain continued riding until he came to a chapel at the crossroads. Within he sees a golden light to which he is drawn. He enters the castle and heads towards the altar where he finds a huge candle, the source of the bright glow. Then a giant hand entered through a window and snuffed the candle out. “No man on Earth ever set eyes on one so huge and strange and hideous.” (139) This along with the booming voice is enough to send Gawain fleeing headlong out of the chapel. He rides without stop all night witnessing all manner of horrors before the next day dawns. At this point he realizes that he has ridden across the whole country.

At this point Gawain lets the horse direct him, not knowing where to go or what to do. He sees a candle, resembling the previous one that he had seen, in the distance, but after a long time riding, is still unable to reach it.

    He finally reaches the great hall from which the light is produced and is “greeted with utmost honor” (140) by a huge crowd that in the midst of immense celebration. They adorn him with the finest clothes, and seat him by a roaring fire, but realize that “[he] isn’t the one!” (140)

Suddenly, Gawain finds himself in the hall by himself with only a splendid bier in the center of the room that draws his attention. Upon seeing this, he is drawn towards it and notes the broken sword, the hilt of which lies on the body on top of the bier, the other half of which lies on the golden thread that decorates the bier. He also notes the four candles burning brightly at the head and feet of the body, whose stands are wrought in the finest gold.

Just as Gawain begins to despair for his sudden loneliness, he hears the sounds of mourning. Suddenly a “magnificent silver cross, inlaid with jewels,” (141) carried by a priest into the room. A funeral procession follows him in, and witnesses the funeral ceremony for the unknown dead body, before vanishing again to the bewilderment of Gawain.

After putting his head in his hands, the crowd reappears spontaneously, which delights Gawain once again. He notices a noble figure that he takes to be a king who orders his servants that Gawain must be given drink. He has the grail brought in along with a great feast in Gawain’s honor and they eat. However, for a third time, Gawain finds himself alone in the hall after everyone had eaten their fill. This time, he sees the bleeding lance sitting in a silver vase and knows that this artifact is in someway important.

When he closes and opens his eyes this time, nobody reappears. Just as Gawain loses hope of ever seeing the group again, the king enters with two servants attending, carrying the sword that Gawain had seen earlier. This sword, the king bids Gawain, must be repaired by him. However, when Gawain attempts to put together the separate halves of the sword he is unsuccessful in joining them together. That being said, the king then tells Gawain that if he gains a deal of prowess and begins to accumulate divine favor, he may be allowed to return and complete the mission he has been assigned.

Unlike Percival, Gawain then asks questions about the lance and the grail. Although the king grants him these answers, Gawain foolishly falls asleep while being told the answers, but not before he learns that the grail was used by Joseph of Arimathaea to collect the blood that flowed from the body of Christ on the cross and that the bleeding lance began to bleed unceasingly after it was stuck through the side of Christ. He also learns that Joseph brought the grail to England after escaping the treacherous Jews and through its divine favor was able to defeat the original inhabitants of the British mainland. Now the grail may only pass to those of the direct line of Joseph including the Fisher King and Percival. The rest he keeps secret, though he does mention that the blow that struck down the knight, of whose quest Gawain is the successor, laid waste to the entire kingdom of Logres.

When Gawain wakes up, he is greatly shamed, for he fell asleep while listening intently to the stories that the king told him. He leaves the castle to find the country restored, and although he is responsible for this, is still haunted by his failure to listen to the king. He returns to Arthur, Bran de Lis, and the others to find that his son is still missing.

Meanwhile, Gawain’s son, accompanied by a damsel that took him under her wing, is leisurely riding his horse around when he spots a well-armed knight. Per his lady’s bidding, he rides ruthlessly at the knight and kills him, though at the expense of the beauty of his shield. Greatly distressed by this, the boy then charges another knight and kills him, but seeking to preserve the beauty of his shield fails to protect himself and is thrown in the charge.

Unscathed, though armed with the knowledge that a shield can be used to his benefit, he then continues on his journey to eventually be appointed as the defender of a ford at which he encounters many servants and pages. During this assignment Gawain attempted to cross the ford. His son engaged him not knowing that his adversary was in fact his father. During the battle, Gawain manages to identify his son as his opponent and immediately yields. After a brief period of confusion, father and son are happily reunited and make immediately for King Arthur’s court.

Upon Gawain’s return to court, he is met with joyous welcome, though an unknown man steals his horse, his last remaining belonging from the grail quest, during the revelry. Gawain recounts the fantastical and wondrous occurrences of his quest and puts his son in the service of Sir Yvain, a perfect embodiment of chivalrous knight. They all retire to bed at a late hour.

King Arthur cannot sleep, however, could not sleep as a tempest wracked the sea outside his window. After a period of observation of the writhing mass of water, Arthur notices a star shining on the horizon, but gradually moving closer to shore. Arthur and his attendants realize that the light that they see is, in fact, a boat pulled by a swan, that is carrying a fallen knight, unparalleled in his handsomeness. In the boat with his body, the deeply saddened Arthur finds a note that states that the unknown knight’s identity will be revealed if he is avenged within a year. Arthur has his attendants carry the body inside and has them swear to secrecy before he goes back to his bedroom.

Gawain is the first to rise the next morning. When he ventures into the hall he finds the knight from the night before lying on the table and at first mistakes him to be sleeping. When Gawain and his companions find out that he is actually dead, they inform King Arthur. King Arthur once again reads the note that bids the nights of the round table avenge the dead man. It also makes reference to the shame of Guerrehes, Gawain’s brother. None of them, however, know to what shame this note is referring.

Meanwhile Guerrehes had been searching for Gawain after he left on his quest. After three days, he happens upon the most beautiful meadow he has ever seen. It is surrounded by tall spires, though seeing no one, Guerrehes presses on to reach the beautiful land that he sees. He then begins to explore the deserted castle. When he finally finds a dwarf and signs of habitation, he hastily climbs through a window in order to meet the people. Although Guerrehes greets the dwarf amiably, the dwarf flies into an intense rage and proceeds to call the Little Knight.

The Little Knight, just as short as the dwarf but far less grotesque, challenges Guerrehes to a joust. Unable to refuse, Guerrehes is submitted to the most humbling and embarrassing defeat of his life. Guerrehes begs for mercy and is given three options. He may serve in the castle as a servant for the rest of his life and give up all thoughts of chivalry and knighthood, he may return in a year and battle the little knight to the death, or he may himself die for the shame he has suffered. Choosing the second option, Guerrehes swiftly leaves the strange castle, inhabited almost entirely by women and serving men, behind and makes for King Arthur’s court.

As Arthur and his knights are trying to make sense of the strange contents of the note, Guerrehes returns and is greeted warmly. He at first denies any embarrassment that he has been done at the garden specified in the note, but when he later observes the body closely, he accidentally pulls the stump of the lance that inflicted the mortal wound on the body. After this he is bound to revenge himself and the unidentified knight by returning to defeat the Small Knight.

Guerrehes returns and just as promised, the Small Knight came out to meet him. Wielding his lance, Guerrehes charges and sticks the knight through in the exact same place as the unknown knights had been pierced. The body was in the same position with the stump of the lance sticking out. A damsel arrives on the scene and seeing the dead knight warns Guerrehes not to take out the lance for he would be revenged upon in an instant. Instead Guerrehes leaves the body and takes the damsel, who he finds to be the lover of the unidentified knight, back to Carlion.

There she gives a name to the dead man’s face, stating that he is King Brangemeur, a good and just ruler, and a kind-hearted man. He is returned with his lover to the land over which he once reigned, and Guerrehes returns to court as order is restored.