Sir Gawain and the Lady of Lys

by Unknown

II

Page [63].—Castle Orguellous. This adventure, under the title of ‘Gawain and Golagros,’ will be found in Madden’s ‘Syr Gawayne,’ but the version is much condensed. In the English poem Espinogres plays the rôle here assigned to Bran de Lis, and explains the customs of the castle.

Page [70].—’Tis ill done to summon evil. The original gives ‘On ne doit pas mal senechier.’ This latter word appears to be unknown. I submitted the passage to M. Paul Meyer, who thinks it may be a fault of the copyist; at the same time, Godefroi gives the noun senechiance as equivalent to segnefiance, and a verb may have been constructed from this. The corresponding passage in B.N. 12577 runs ‘Nul ne doit le mal prononcier.’ In an article in Folk-Lore for March 1907, Miss Goodrich Freer quotes a Gaelic proverb, ‘Ill will come if mentioned.’ This seems to be the equivalent of our text.

Page [87].—A horn was sounded. In the English version a small bell is rung. Much less stress is laid upon the arming of the knight, which here is a most picturesque and effective passage.

Page [93].—When that gentle knight Sir Gawain. Gawain’s extreme courtesy, and the consequent dismay of the king, are related in much the same terms, but more condensed, in the English poem. It seems possible that it was this adventure of the Rich Soudoier which suggested the figure of Galehault, ‘le haut prince’ in the prose Lancelot. Both are distinguished for their height, their beauty, and their opposition to Arthur. Both, alike, became the King’s friends through the courtesy and feigned submission of the knights Gawain and Lancelot. The parallel is worth working out.

Page [98].—As Bleheris doth witness to us. Other forms of the name are Bleobleheris (B.N. 1453) and Bliobliheri (B.N. Add. 36614). This latter MS. at a later stage of the same collection again cites Bleheris as authority for the story of Gawain and the magic shield; he is there said to have been born and brought up in Wales. He is probably identical with the Bledhericus mentioned by Giraldus Cambrensis as a famous story teller, ‘famosus ille fabulator.’ For a full discussion of the whole question see my Legend of Sir Perceval.

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Transcriber’s Note

Archaic spelling is preserved as printed.