CHAPTER VIII SIR GAWAINE AND THE GREEN KNIGHT.
IT befell that once when King Arthur held his Christmas feast at Camelot, some of the best of his knights, as Sir Lancelot and his kin, Sir Marhaus, Sir Pelles, and the sons of King Pellinore, were absent, wandering in search of adventures. Still there were many good Knights of the Round Table in their places, and no lack of barons and ladies to uphold the high revels. The king kept New-Year’s Day with great splendour, bestowing rich gifts on all his knights and ladies. But when the banquet was spread at noontide, Arthur, as his custom was, would not sit at the table until some wondrous adventure should have happened.
He was not long kept waiting, for suddenly there rode into the great hall the tallest knight that had ever been seen by any of the court. His stature was that of a giant, and he had the bulk of four ordinary men. He was clad entirely in green, save that he wore spurs of bright gold. His long hair was green, and a bushy beard of the same colour flowed over his breast. The mighty steed on which he sat was also green, but its mane was decked with gold threads. This strange-looking knight carried neither spear nor shield, but in one hand he bore a holly bough, and in the other a great axe with an edge like a razor and a massive handle of solid iron. He entered without making any salutation; and the marvellous apparition of so huge a man and horse, all as green as grass, awed for the moment the boldest knight there, so that no one spoke to him. At last, in a rough voice, he asked, “Where is the governor of this company?”
At that King Arthur roused himself, saluted the Green Knight courteously, and invited him to sit down at the banquet.
“That will I not do,” answered the other. “I come not here to feast, but to seek the most valiant man of thy court, that I may prove him; but methinks here are only beardless children, for I see no man who is worthy to match me. If any one of you be bold enough to strike one stroke for another, this axe shall be his, and I will abide his blow, but he shall receive a stroke in return from me within twelve months and a day.”
To this strange challenge none of the knights present was eager to make reply, for all of them felt that after a single blow from so strong an arm and so formidable a weapon as those of the Green Knight, no man would be in condition either to receive or give another. When all were thus silent, the Green Knight rolled about his red eyes, and tauntingly exclaimed that the famous Knights of the Round Table were no better than a pack of cowards. Then was King Arthur wrathful, and he sprang to his feet and said that he at least feared neither the Green Knight nor his axe, and that he would himself undertake the adventure. So he seized the axe, and the knight, placidly stroking his beard, drew down his garments, bared his neck, and awaited the blow.
When Sir Gawaine saw that, he came from his seat and entreated King Arthur not to hazard his own sacred person in that adventure, but to let him undertake it instead. To this the king was loath to assent, but all the court so entreated him that at last he resigned the axe to Gawaine.
“Who, then, art thou?” said the Green Knight, eying scornfully his new opponent.
“Wit thou well,” answered Gawaine, “that I am Gawaine, son of King Lot of Orkney, Knight of the Round Table, and nephew unto our gracious lord King Arthur.”
The Green Knight smiled grimly. “It pleases me well,” said he, “to receive a blow from thee; but thou must swear that within a year and a day thou wilt seek me to receive a blow in return.”