The King Arthur And Green Knight
The story is set in the time of King Arthur, on Christmas Day. The Knights of the Round table and King Arthur are having a great meal, and King Arthur proclaims that he will not eat until he heard until he has heard a tale of a knightly deed.
The Green Knight enters the court, riding his green horse. He walks up to the king, and wants to know if he can prove that his men are as they say they are. He asks if anyone is willing to give him a blow with his axe, in return for a blow the next year. He questions the court, and there is complete silence. After several times of asking the court, King Arthur nominates himself as the person to do this. He is stopped by Sir Gawain, who wants to prove himself worthy as a knight. He slices the Green Knight’s head off, and it falls to the floor. To his and the court’s amazement, the green knight gets up and picks the head off the floor. He takes it with him, and rides away on his horse.
A year later, Sir Gawain sets off on his journey to the Green Chapel, where he has promised to meet the Green Knight. He becomes very cold, and seeks shelter in the woods, but finds none, until he comes across a castle. He asks one of the servants if it is alright to stay there, and is welcomed by the owner of the castle. Whilst at the midnight mass (it was Christmas Eve), the castle owner made a proposition to the knight, which meant that anything the castle owner found or was given, he would give the knight, and whatever Sir Gawain was given, he would give the castle owner.
The next day, the castle owner set out to go hunting, and Sir Gawain stayed in bed. The castle owner’s wife came into the room, and tried to entertain him. He does not know what to give her, so she offers him the green cloth around her waist, saying that it will protect him from any harm. He takes it, and at the end of the day only gives the castle owner a kiss, as the owner’s wife gave Sir Gawain a kiss.
He sets off the next morning, and is accompanied to the Green Chapel, but is warned that the Green Knight is a dangerous person. This doesn’t scare him, and he proceeds to the Green Chapel, where he finds the Green Knight sharpening his axe. The Green knight swings down with his axe, however Sir Gawain moves to the side and narrowly misses the blade. He then kneels down again, and the axe slices a small cut in the side of his neck. The Green Knight explains to Sir Gawain that he was the castle owner. He then explains that he is controlled by a magician, who allows him to change between the Green Knight and the castle owner. The Green knight wanted to know if King Arthur’s men were as good as the stories said, and they were, however not honest. Sir Gawain was sad, and apologised to the Green Knight, who allowed him to keep the cloth as a token of his achievement.
Sir Gawain headed back to the castle and told everyone the story, and King Arthur decreed that all of the knights should wear a green belt.
