Some_Significant_Symbols_in_SGGK

Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Lenka Adámková Some Significant Symbols in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight B.A Major Thesis Supervisor: PhDr Lidia Kyzlinková, CSc., M.Litt 2009 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography ……………………………………………… (Lenka Adámková) Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor PhDr Lidia Kyzlinková, CSc., M.Litt for her kind help and valuable advice I would also like to thank my mother, who is a librarian and brought me most of the sources TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Historical and Cultural Background The Green Knight 10 3.1 The Colour Symbolism 10 3.2 History and Folklore 14 3.2.1 The Green Man 14 3.2.2 The Surviving Head 15 3.2.3 Beheading Game 15 3.3 Who is the Green Knight? 16 The Pentangle 4.1 19 History 19 4.2 The Importance of the Pentangle Passage 20 4.3 The Knight and His Shield 21 4.4 Aspects of the Pentangle 22 4.5 25 Trawỵe 4.6 The Five Pentads 27 The Girdle 5.1 30 History and Function 30 5.2 The Symbolic Meanings 31 5.3 The Gravity of Sir Gawain’s Flaw 34 Conclusion 42 Works Used and Cited 45 Appendices 48 8.1 The Two Types of the Green Men 48 8.2 The Original Version of the Pentangle Passage 48 INTRODUCTION Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic piece of medieval literature; no other romance from that period is written with such finesse It is acclaimed for its sophisticated use of symbolism as well as faithful portrayal of various aspects of the medieval court life, such as feasts, love-talk, hunts, or clothing The poem richly draws on Celtic folklore and cultural traditions, but the combination of the events in the plot has no antecedent The translation of such a poem involves not only knowledge of Old French, Norse and English, and a wide variety of dialects, but also a correct interpretation of the text Therefore, from its first publication in 1839, Sir Gawain has attracted constant attention of scholars, who propose various theories and interpretations In my thesis, I focus on three major symbols – the Green Knight, the Pentangle and the Girdle It is aimed at students as a compact guide to the above symbols, as they might find it difficult to cope with criticism of Sir Gawain, where quotations frequently appear in the original versions without any translation into modern English The main purpose is thus to compare and contrast different interpretations of the selected symbols, and, at the same time, present my explanation, using the sources to support it For each sign, I provide historical background to demonstrate the possible sources on which the poet might have drawn In addition, I also attempt to show the complexity of the signs and their mutual interconnectedness The body of my work is divided into four chapters The first one briefly sets the poem into cultural and historical context The second chapter deals with the character of the Green Knight and his role in the poem I analyse his features and mainly the colour symbolism I also examine the three historical elements which are combined in the Green Knight The theme of the next chapter is the pentangle as a symbol of Sir Gawain The first part is devoted to the history of the symbol and its present usage Then, I analyse both its geometrical and arithmetical aspects as well as the poet’s own description of its symbolism and values which the pentangle represents The last chapter begins with the history of the girdle I then proceed with an analysis of the five symbolic senses of the green lace, and a substantial part is devoted to the gravity of Sir Gawain’s sin Before proceeding any further, I must stress the importance of two reading guides, A Reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by J A Burrow and The Gawain-Poet: A Critical Study by A C Spearing, as they significantly contributed to my understanding of the whole poem HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK) is a poem by an anonymous author The only copy is stored in the British Museum in a manuscript labelled as Cotton Nero A x., Art 3, which contains another three poems – Patience, Pearl, and Purity (or Cleanness) These titles have been in common use since they were first printed by Sir Frederick Madden and Richard Morris in the nineteenth century; all the four poems are originally without names It is believed that the poems are written by one author The manuscript is generally dated at about 1400, but the language of the poems is probably from the second half of the fourteenth century The particular dialect is said to belong to the area of North-West Midlands, Cheshire and South Lancashire in particular The poems are written in alliterative verse, but the particular form of each poem is different; SGGK is in long unrhymed lines divided into sections of irregular length, each concluding with the so-called “bob and wheel.” The whole poem consists of 2530 lines (Spearing 1-5) Although the poet came from an area far away from the influence of the court, he displays a sophisticated knowledge of the court life, from detailed descriptions of the fashion and armour to depictions of feasts and hunts His understanding of the complex system of values, especially the rules of cortaysye is also remarkable A careful analysis suggests that the poet was well-read in the French and Latin literature His famous contemporaries were Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, or John Gower (Spearing 613) The poem displays a combination of Celtic and pagan elements with Christian morality The poet shows a particular fondness for patterns, parallels and symmetry; one of the reasons why it is so appreciated Besides its complex plot and rich language, it is the extensive use of medieval symbolism that constantly draws attention of more and more scholars The plot consists of three major themes – the Beheading Game, the Temptation, and the Exchange of Winnings (Gifts) The Beheading Game appears to have originated in the eighth century Irish epic of Bricriu’s Feast, but the theme found its way into other medieval romances and folklore The Temptation theme is a common one: it follows the principal pattern of the wife of the host trying to seduce the guest so that her husband may gain power over him The last main theme, the Exchange of Winnings, was commonplace in Germanic cultures While each of the themes has its origin in the past, the combination of the three is unique and could not be found elsewhere in the medieval literature (Stone 10-13) Apart from being a part of the Arthurian cycle, it belongs to the genre of chivalric (courtly) romance, and the poet draws on the Northern French tradition to a great extent A courtly romance relates a story of a knight, who sets out on a quest – a long and dangerous journey with a task The hero is supposed to serve a lady, observe the rules of courtly love, and remain pure at the same time The ideals of chivalry appear as early as the beginning of the eleventh century and may be attributed to the social situation of that period The society was divided into halves according to the principles of the feudal system, the main one being the lord-vassal relationship Apart from several obligations to their lords, vassals were quite independent and free to pursue their own power ambitions, which means that they often fought among themselves In addition, these noblemen were trained warriors, therefore fighting was their main occupation; in time of peace, they were fighting at tournaments In order to humanize the noblemen, the Church as well as the lords begun to establish the code of chivalry The essential virtue became prowess (fighting skills), followed by loyalty and courtesy The former was understood in three ways – loyalty to the lord and other nobles, to the Church, and to the lady The latter basically meant politeness and respect Knights were also expected to fight for glory and worship (the only respectable reason for battles), to be generous, courageous and faithful, and they were forbidden to lie In connection with the Crusades, the Church introduced the ideal of the Christian knight: one who never hesitates to fight and die for his faith Another important part of chivalry was the concept of courtly love It included an absolute love and devotion to the lady, which might have suppressed all the other virtues to which the knight aspired The rules of courtly love were strict, but they allowed knights and ladies to show their admiration regardless of their marital state (Fízelová 2-8, 53-54) THE GREEN KNIGHT 3.1 The Colour Symbolism The Green Knight is a prominent figure in the poem, and his unusual colour attracts attention and astonish the readers Along with the dreadful game which he proposes, modern readers are likely to overlook the important features which lie behind this frightening knight He appears at Arthur’s court on the New Year to offer a Christmas game which Arthur wanted Yet, it is clear that the purpose of the game is to question the fame and pride of Arthur’s hall, for he says: “as your reputation, royal sir, is raised up so high, / And your castle and cavaliers are accounted the best, / … / At this time, I tell you, that has attracted me here” (258-59, 264)1 The poet first describes his appearance; the knight is very tall, “half a giant on earth” in fact, but at the same time he is very handsome and fulfils the court ideal of a man – broad chest but small hips (140) However, it is not the proportions of the knight that strikes the court as much as his colour, since he is “all a glittering green” (150) Green is also the prevailing colour of his apparel and his horse; all is matched with gold embroidery, gold bells and a gold harness Apart from that, the man is peculiar for his unusually long hair and a bushy beard From the first moment, the Green Knight is established as a supernatural creature of some sort, mainly because of his greenness Sadowski counted that the word green occurs 25 times in the passage with the Green Knight, so it is beyond doubt that the poet does not merely want to shock the readers (80) Indeed he might have chosen a different colour, such as blue, to create the desirable effect After all, knights in the Middle Ages were used to fighting dragons and other dangerous beasts What is it then, that makes the green colour so exceptional that even the bravest knights stared in amazement and horror? All quotations from SGGK are taken from Brian Stone’s translation 10 girdle was mentioned in the confession at all (77) Yet, he contradicts himself later on when he writes that “all sins, grave and petty, are subject to confession”, which evidently implies and supports the idea of a wrong conduct on Gawain’s side (Stevens 77) Unfortunately, the poet leaves the interpretation on his readers, because he provides only few hints and the insight into Gawain’s mind is missing this time This lack of insight, which suggests an equal lack of bad conscience, plays into the hands of Spearing, whose interpretation I find the most valid Spearing also concludes that the girdle is concealed during the confession, but then, unlike the previous critics who present their own view on what is right or wrong, Spearing discusses what Gawain himself is thinking and presents the Knight’s view on the situation He infers that if Sir Gawain concealed the lace deliberately, the poet would have provided some insight into his consciousness, so as not to leave room for misinterpretation; since it is missing, it is not the sin itself which should be considered his fault Spearing explains: A simpler and perhaps more plausible view is that it is precisely his consciousness, his self-awareness or concience, that is at fault He does not include his intended retention of the girdle among his sins because he wrongly fails to recognize that it is a sin The guilt he might have felt and ought to have felt is drowned in thankfulness at the chance of saving himself from what seemed certain death (225-6) Still, Gawain is aware of the dual commitment, and it may be the fear of being revealed which leads him to break the pattern of the gift-exchange; this time it is Sir Gawain who first approaches and offers Bertilak his winnings Besides, it is evident that he tries to bring the exchange to its end as quickly as possible In addition, he wears a tunic of a blue colour, which stands for faithfulness; it is the sole occurrence of this colour in the whole poem (Burrow 112) However, it is not until the climax, that Gawain brings 36 himself to admit any guilt Nevertheless, the reader might already be aware of the Knight’s true moral condition on his departure for the Green Chapel – Sir Gawain wears the green belt round his waist over18 the surcoat with the pentangle depicted on it It is a sign that the girdle has taken place of the pentangle, a sign of the untruth superseding the truth, or as Malarkey and Toelken put it: “Gawain has externalized his moral condition” (qtd in Friedman and Osberg 312) When Gawain, having received a small wound in his neck, is told what the true nature of the test was, he feels humiliated and reproaches himself for his cowardice and covetousness It is rather puzzling why these two particular qualities are highlighted, as they sometimes seem to be in direct contradiction with the text With respect to the cowardice, I believe that Gawain proved to be courageous when he accepted the Green Knight’s bargain back in Camelot, and furthermore when he insisted on meeting his adversary and declined the guide’s offer to flee It may be argued that Gawain declined to flee, because he had the girdle to protect him, but, as Friedman and Osberg assert, the medieval audience would find it no more cowardly than relying on his armour or the pentangle (312) Since Gawain is the most severe critic, I therefore interpret it as a fear to face the Green Knight’s axe without the offered magic lace As far as his alleged covetousness is concerned, it seems even more problematic, taking into consideration Gawain’s motive for accepting the girdle As stated above, it is not for the material value, but for its magical powers that Gawain keeps the girdle If the two statements exclude each other, then the explanation must lie in the meaning of the word covetous; as Hanna assumes, the meaning in the poem cannot be the same as in Middle English, although Spearing understands it in its original sense, which is attraction to material value (Hanna 294; Spearing 227) Stone provides the following 18 Friedman and Osberg stress this fact, as it is a common error among the readers to believe that the girdle is hidden under the Knight’s armour (312) 37 explanation: in his view, covetousness is not avarice but “desire to keep possession of life,” which is a plausible interpretation fitting well into the context and complementing the interpretation of cowardice (136) The extent of Gawain’s outburst and his subsequent attitude are also questionable, since it may appear rather exaggerated to modern readers Indeed, it seems as if those commentators who regard Gawain’s sin as a grave one also find his condemnation appropriate; similarly those who not approve of the Knight’s outburst think mildly of his flaw For example, Burrow warns that sinners should not be lenient with themselves19, and heroes in particular, who should, in fact, display a certain degree of exaggeration; Gawain therefore reacts just as he is expected (144) Spearing, on the other side, thinks that Gawain is overreacting due to his misunderstanding of the true nature of his test and, fearing to lose respect (227) As for the Green Knight, his judgment is much less severe than Sir Gawain’s; he tries to comfort him and diminish his lapse, because in his view, Gawain’s motive is “less blameworthy” (2368) The dialogue resembles a confession and Bertilak’s phrasing is indeed similar to the priest Gawain visited at Hautdesert: ‘In my view you have made amends for your misdemeanour; You have confessed your faults fully with fair acknowledgement, And plainly done penance at the point of my axe Your are absolved or your sin and as stainless now As if you had never fallen in fault since first you were born….’ (2390-95) Moreover, Bertilak mentions some of the necessary dispositions of the penitent, discussed above Both Burrow and Arthur20 support this interpretation, with Arthur adding that even if the absolution cannot be valid (Bertilak is not a real priest), it is 19 When he discusses this point, Burrow uses vague and unconvincing phrases such as “everyone agrees” or “most readers” (144) He does not support his claims with any sources, either 20 See Burrow 127-33, and Arthur 116-8 38 valid at least “poetically” (116) Despite Gawain’s adversary being satisfied with his performance, Gawain is not so easily soothed and rejects the suggested and rather flat meaning of the girdle Now, in a calmer manner, he gladly accepts the lace to remind him of his sin and relates the stories of several biblical figures who were deceived by women like him to show that he should be pardoned: “If I am snared, it seems / I ought to be excused” (2427-8) This attitude and this symbolic meaning of the girdle are, in my opinion, the most convincing – Gawain realizes his lapse but does not regard it as an irreversible state; he is still the knight who aspires to achieve the qualities of the pentangle and the green belt should remind him how simple it may be to be led astray By the time Gawain reaches Camelot, the wound on his neck is completely healed, which confirms that his sin is forgiven and the penance completed Arthur affirms that “the use of wounds as metaphors for sin and the idea that Christ is the healer are widespread in medieval religious writings” (118) Yet, on his arrival Gawain wears the baldric across his chest to display its ceremony; he employs it in a nonfunctional way to distinguish it from its original practical use (Friedman and Osberg 313) Spearing considers Gawain’s treatment of his misdemeanour ostentatious, as if he were the only person who sinned, as if he were “such a special person that in him human imperfection was especially remarkable” (230) Spearing believes that it is his pride and honour which Gawain has in mind in the first place The court, by deciding to adopt the girdle, prevent Gawain from being such an outstanding figure and remind him that his imperfection is nothing out of the ordinary (Spearing 230-1) Burrow, on the other hand, sees nothing unusual in the way Sir Gawain behaves He wears it, because the memory of his sin is still with him and will be until he dies The court’s task is to cheer up and comfort the Knight just as Bertilak did; they have no right to pass a judgment over Gawain and his conduct As a result, the court decides that each man 39 shall wear a green baldric as an honourable emblem Since the girdle, as a signum ad placitum, is always open to new meanings, the last one, according to Burrow, “is just as legitimate as the old one [and] does not in this case entirely supersede [it]” (158) What Burrow seems to miss, and Arthur points out, is the shift between the girdle as a sign of one particular mistake, and the girdle as a sign for permanent untruth, i.e the opposite of the pentangle (111) Arthur does not approve of this change, because the state of permanent untruth, he claims, belongs only to certain creatures, such as Satan (112) It is the reason why the court reject such symbolism in order to invent a new one, the very opposite – the badge of honour In Arthur’s view, Gawain’s belief that his sin will never be forgiven tends towards the sin of wanhope, which is “the refusal to believe in the possibility of repentance and forgiveness” (115) The girdle, if it is to be taken as a sign, thus signifies wanhope, while the proper sign for Gawain’s cowardice should be the wound (Arthur 127) Although Arthur, Burrow and Spearing offer three distinct interpretation of the last passage of SGGK, I cannot fully agree with any of them Like Spearing, I also find Gawain’s manners somewhat ostentatious; his pride is hurt and no wonder that the girdle comes last in the account of his adventure His attempt to make the girdle a sign for untruth must necessarily fail All the three writers propose various reasons why the court changed the symbolic meaning of the lace While I agree with Burrow that the knights and ladies should not judge Gawain’s performance, I believe that they were not right to change the meaning of the symbol either I find their lighthearted reaction striking; the court should at least learn a serious lesson from Gawain’s adventure After all, it was the girdle in the first place that brought Gawain into mortal danger Burrow thinks that Gawain does not tell about the girdle until the end to make it prominent (153) This, however, supports my claim, because it implies that Gawain did indeed want the court to learn a lesson from it 40 To sum up, the girdle was first introduced as a magic token, then represented a memory of Gawain’s adventure, next it stood as a sing for his sin, then changed its symbolic meaning again to signify permanent untruth, and ended as a symbol of honour On the one hand, if the Gawain-poet wanted to establish the girdle as a symbol, I must conclude that he failed in his effort, for the suggested meanings not have sufficient support in the text, they are raised hastily, and immediately superseded On the other hand, the poet may use the girdle as a means of passing a judgement on Gawain’s performance, which, in that case, may be as follows: “No human being is without flaws.” 41 CONCLUSION Among the many themes and symbols found in SGGK, The Green Knight, the Girdle and the Pentangle belong to the most prominent ones Their meanings are not apparent at first sight, but a detailed analysis shows how highly complex the signs are; they are skilfully integrated into the plot, interacting with other figures and among themselves Although the poet makes use of historical sources (mainly the Celtic folklore and Christian traditions), he employs them as it suits him and does not hesitate to put various elements together The explanations of these signs are thus very problematic and even scholars who deal with SGGK for a long time, such as Burrow or Spearing, arrive at different conclusions In the thesis, I provided the main existing interpretations presented by these critics and it is not my intention to repeat them again Instead, I summarize the most significant observations I arrived at The Green Knight is portrayed as an ambiguous character in every possible way He has two forms – the Green Knight and Lord Bertilak The former is, above all, peculiar because of the colour of his skin The green immediately classifies him as a supernatural creature, although his appearance suggests that he is human as well The green, as the predominant colour of Nature, and the human features form a perfect union which is found in the archetype of the Green Man The green itself presents an equivocal element, since it may stand for both life and death Another contrast is embodied in the juxtaposition of the green and the gold, where the latter stands for the artificially created life of the mankind, taking place inside, with feasts and joy At the same time, the symbolic meaning of gold is identical to that of Bertilak The character encompasses both the coalescence of human and natural worlds, and the struggle of humans with Nature, the contrast between life and death and their union in the life cycle 42 SGGK is a poem about testing and the understanding of the Pentangle section is the key to Sir Gawain’s conduct and consequently essential for the understanding of the whole poem The Pentangle appears in gold on Sir Gawain’s shield and coat, and it represents a unique device of identifying its bearer and the values to which he aspires Thus the readers know that Gawain is always in accordance with trawỵe and that he is a good Christian He also appears to be faultless like the Pentangle, which is a perfect symbol from both the geometrical and arithmetical points of view The symbol also stands for divinity, unity and endlessness One of the main qualities, however, is the interdependence, which the poet highlights in relation with the five virtues It means that if one side of the Pentangle, one virtue, is broken, the sign is no longer endless or united, and that the hero failed to observe the four remaining virtues as well As I demonstrated above, the possibility of such a failure is integrated into the symbol itself The failure of Sir Gawain proved that it is not in man’s power to observe the strict rules at all times, and that the code of chivalry cannot prevail forever The Girdle as a symbol is a confusing one if the readers are to understand it as a conventional symbol at all As I attempted to show, the meanings which are raised by the poet openly in the plot can hardly convince the readers to accept them at face value Rather, the girdle serves as a hint for the audience to help them pass a correct judgment on Sir Gawain’s flaw Apart from that, the green and the gold of the girdle remind one of the Green Knight and the conflict between Nature and civilization Since the green is prevailing, it stands for Nature; just like Lady Bertilak, it tempts Sir Gawain to reject the values of the Pentangle It is now apparent that the three symbols are interconnected; each of them depends on the other two, and complements them The green and the gold as the two predominant colours struggle against each other; the Green Knight, in whom both 43 colours are equally depicted, is the one who sets things in motion It is upon Sir Gawain to choose between the gold Pentangle and the green girdle Sir Gawain may appear to be faultless, but the balance of the Pentangle is fragile and the girdle is to test it 44 WORKES USED AND CITED Anderson, William Green Man: The Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth London: Harper Collins, 1990 Arthur, Ross G Medieval Sign Theory and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987 18 Jan 2009 Bloomfield, Morton W “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: An Appraisal.” PMLA 76 (1961): 7-19 Burrow, J A A Reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1977 The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary: Vol II, P-Z: Supplement and Bibliography New York: Oxford UP, 1971 Easton’s Bible Dictionary Ed John Bruno Hare 2008 12 April 2009 Evans, W O “Gawain’s New Pentangle.” Trivium (1968): 92-4 Fízelová, Gabriela “The Concept of Chivalry and Chivalric Ideals in the Arthurian Legends.” MA Thesis Masaryk U, 2001 Friedman, Albert B “Morgan le Fay in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Speculum 35 (1960): 260-74 JSTOR 19 Dec 2008 Friedman, Albert B., and Richard H Osberg “Gawain’s Girdle as Traditional Symbol.” The Journal of American Folklore 90 (1977): 301-15 JSTOR 15 Jan 2009 Goldhurst, William The Green and the Gold: The Major Theme of Gawain and the Green Knigth.College English 20 (1958): 61-65 45 Green, Richard Hamilton “Gawain’s Shield and the Quest for Perfection.” ELH 29 (1962): 121-39 JSTOR 19 Dec 2008 Hanna, Ralph “Unlocking What’s Locked: Gawain’s Green Girdle.” Viator 14 (1983): 289-302 Brepols Publishers Hutchings, John “Folklore and Symbolism of Green.” Folklore 1997 BNET Today Dec 2008 “King Solomon’s Seal.” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs 16 Feb 1999 13 April 2009 Kittredge, Lyman A study of Gawain and the Green Knight Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1916 Questia 20 April 2009 Loomis, Roger Sherman, ed Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History Oxford: Clarendon P, 1959 Middle English Dictionary “Girdel.” Ed Frances McSparran 22 Feb 2006 13 April 2009 Middle English Dictionary “Grene.” Ed Frances McSparran 22 Feb 2006 13 April 2009 O’Connor, J J., E F Robertson “Perfect Numbers.” U of St Andrews Dec 2001 24 April 2009 “The Pentagram.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon 2007 13 April 2009 The New Oxford Dictionary of English Ed Judy Pearsall Oxford: Clarendon P, 1998 46 Robertson, D W., Jr “Why the Devil Wears Green.” Modern Language Notes 69 (1954): 470-72 JSTOR 19 Dec 2008 Sadowski, Piotr The Knight on his Quest: Symbolic Patterns of Transitions in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Newark: U of Delaware P, 1996 Sophistes, Apollonios “The Pythagorean Pentacle.” The U of Tennessee.1999 13 April 2009 Spearing, A C The Gawain-Poet: A Critical Study London: Cambridge UP, 1970 Stevens, Martin “Laughter and Game in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Speculum 47 (1972): 65-78 JSTOR 19 Dec 2008 Stone, Brian, trans Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2nd ed Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974 Sumner, William Graham Folkways New York: Mentor Book, 1960 “Symbol 27:21.” Symbols.com Online Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms 13 April 2009 Syr Gawayn & ỵe Grene Kny3t Everything2 Jan 2009 Tuttleton, James W “The Manuscript Divisions of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Speculum 41 (1966): 304-310 JSTOR 19 Dec 2008 47 APPENDICES 8.1 Appendix 1: The Two Types of the Green Men Fig The Green Man made of foliage Fig The Green Man disgorging vegetation 8.2 Appendix 2: The Original Version of the Pentangle Passage Then ỵay schewed hym ỵe schelde, ỵat was of schyr goulez Wyth ỵe pentangel depaynt of pure golde hwez He braydez hit by ỵe bauderyk, aboute ỵe hals kestes, ỵat bisemed ỵe segge semlyly fayre And quy ỵe pentangel apendez to ỵat prynce noble I am in tent yow to telle, ỵof tary hyt me schulde: Hit is a syngne ỵat salamon set sumquyle In bytoknyng of trawỵe, bi tytle ỵat hit habbez, 48 For hit is a figure ỵat haldez fyue poyntez, And vche lyne vmbelappez and loukez in oỵer, And ayquere hit is emdelez; and Englych hit callen Oueral, as I here, ỵe endeles knot Forỵy hit acordez to ỵis kny3t and to his cler armez, For ay faythful in fyue and sere fyue syỵez Gawan watz for gode knawen, and as golde pured, Voyded of vche vylany, wyth verertuez ennourned in mote; Forỵy ỵe pentangel nwe He ber in schelde and cote, As tulk of tale most trwe And gentylest kny3t of lote Fyrst he watz funden fautlez in his fyue wyttez, And efte fayled neuer ỵe freke in his fyue fyngres, And alle his afyaunce vpon folde watz in ỵe fyue woundez ỵat cryst ka3t on ỵe croys, as ỵe crede tellez; And quere-soeuer ỵys mon in melly watz stad, His þro þo3t watz in þat, þur3 alle oþer þyngez, þat alle his forsnes he fong at ỵe fyue joyez ỵat þe hende heuen-quene had of hir chylde; At þis cause þe kny3t comlyche hade In þe inore half of his schelde hir ymage depaynted, ỵat quen he blusched ỵerto his belde neuer payred 49 ỵe fyft fyue ỵat I finde þat þe frek vsed Watz fraunchyse and fela3schyp forbe al þyng, His clannes and his cortaysye croked were neuer, And pitộ, ỵat passez alle poyntez, ỵyse pure fyue Were harder happed on ỵat haỵel ỵen on any oỵer Now alle þese fyue syþez, for soþe, were fetled on þis kny3t, And vchone halched in oỵer, ỵat non ende hade, And fyched vpon fyue poyntez, ỵat fayld neuer, Ne samned neuer in no syde, ne sundred nouỵer, Withouten ende at any noke I quere fynde, Whereeuer ỵe gomen bygan, or glod to an ende ỵerfore on his schene schelde schapen watz þe knot Ryally wyth red golde vpon rede gowlez, þat is ỵe pure pentaungel wyth ỵe peple called with lore Now grayỵed is gawan gay, And la3t his launce ry3t þore, And gef hem alle goud day, He wende for euermore (Syr Gawayn & ỵe Grene Kny3t 619-669) 50