-Gawain
Ach! What great shame I have brought upon myself. Neither brawn, nor wit can quell the fear of death in a man. But what does that make a knight then? What knight am I to fear this such triviality that is death itself? For what purpose is my sword and shield when I tremble at the mere anticipation of a swinging blade. I may as well discard them for my cowardice has wrenched their worth from them. But alas, as I have sworn an oath to my liege to defend his throne and all his subjects, I must keep my station. Though the shame I have suffered will forever haunt this fickle knight, nothing will keep me from fulfilling my oath. To bear the mark of cowardice and to remind myself of my failing, I shall keep this girdle and forever display the besmirched honor of Gawain. The knights of the round may laugh, and they may say such a thing is folly, but as a knight I must not forget the honor that was stained. I can never forget. Not merely for the cringing of a blade, but for my own failings in falling to such a trap. A curse upon myself for falling for the deception of the Lady Bertilak and the crone beside her. Such lies and fierce kisses were enough to unsettle this foolhardy knight. No sword can ever compete with the wiles of women. Aye, a lady must not be underestimated, for the sweet sight of a fair beauty can waylay the hardiest of men. Yet still I cannot curse them. Perhaps this is another weakness of mine, but I cannot place the blame upon those of the gentle sex. It is the man whose weakness leads to such folly. And as a knight, even greater still must I shoulder this fault. By my honor, I shall continue on the knightly code, while carrying this trinket of ridicule and shame around my waist. For every bit of corruption that has poured out of this flesh of mine, I shall do more than is enough to compensate for every lack of virtue. This is but little. But for my king and my fellow knights, I must avoid greater disgrace and renew the faith of the knighthood.
-Gawain
11 Comments
Lanval
10/31/2013 03:43:53 am
Gawain, do not have such pity on yourself. As far as your lady comes, do not worry. Every man is a fool for love. Love conquers the heart and the actions, even of the noblest man. It must be something with their beauty that acts like poison to us knights. Take it from me, for I lost my honor for my woman. Love is not something you can be pitied for. Although you wear the trinket around your waist, you must not think of it as act of shame. Flaunt your love and flaunt it proudly, kind knight. As many other knights can tell, love defeats any act of shame and disgrace. You are a great and powerful knight, Sir Gawain, one who must not feel such pain and shame on himself. Do not hide your love, for that might cause more problems than if you let your love be flaunted. Do not be shamed by your temptation, you were honorable by making it so long without giving in. All women make fools out of us knights. -Lanval
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Tristan
10/31/2013 05:18:08 am
Sir Gawain,
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King Arthur
10/31/2013 12:36:56 pm
“My dear nephew, Gawain…those saccharine words you held into my ears the night of your destined doom cut through my chest; halting the fatigued wings of my light footed heart. How could I comfort you away from shame? The murmurs of the gale that comes gentle as the sound of stillness, the night you were wrapped with wintry chills. O’ how I wish those gales were I encouraging you through your journey. Your worth is much greater than I. The knights have come to see you as an immortal spirit. Your story will be the voices that allure the ear with elusive resonance within the soul of all knights. Do not kick yourself down in vast sweeps my dear blood. Even though Morgan tries to sway the vicissitudes of the storm within our courtly tables, we shall over conquer her hideous cynicism with gallantry and imprisoned passions. We wear these vibrant green hues in your honor. All men shall wear these with vigor and richness of chivalry. Let all of England know that we, Court of Arthur shall overcome all evil that display before us. Even if I shall fall into the mellow distances, by the vivifying touch of virtuosity, my knights with you as their tree shall uproot above all in an unearthly glee and will not sleep until death overtakes us at stride. Gawain… you’re are worth more than any unfathomed depths of knighthood and holy impossibilities. Tonight…we dine in your honor. Dismiss your shame and continue to live on for another day in the house of Arthur. In the house of your…blood and kin.”
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Merlin
10/31/2013 11:45:38 pm
Gawain, the mere fact the Green Knight spared you is testament to your honor. He knew you had been chivalrous in every way, commending your honesty and truth. Please understand that the bravest of men have fear, and by standing up to that fear is what makes them brave. You may have flinched, but you displayed your neck to the ax. You may have been wearing a magic girdle, but how could you be so sure that it would save you? Be proud of the chivalry and honor you displayed for your host and his wife, there is true value there. The green girdle shouldn’t shame you. You should know by now that this green man must’ve been wearing it when you removed his head. Is it not fair and equal for you to be adorned in the same trappings, so as to ensure fairness in the bet? There there Gawain, you are too hard on yourself sometimes.
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Uther
10/31/2013 11:59:43 pm
Gawain, you never fail as a chivalric knight! You are known throughout the lands as the bravest and most generous of heart. Mary is not necessary within your shield, for your vigor never wavered without her aid. Only a heroic and faithful knight would sacrifice himself for his king. You were the only warrior of Arthur’s brave court to remove the battle axe from the king’s hand to place it in your own, and for that I am forever thankful! I can’t promise that my own son would have passed this test as well as you have dear knight. You shall forever wear the green girdle as a sign of pride, not as a sign of weakness. You speak of your excess, when every court knows the name Gawain for your endless generosity and virtue. A man guilty of excess would have taken Lady Bertilak within his sheets, but my dear Gawain resisted the temptation brought on by this cunning woman. Today is a day to celebrate the most noble of knights. Today is for you Gawain!
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Ygrene
11/1/2013 12:44:15 am
Sir Gawain, you speak of yourself as folly and an accidental winner of life, but you have earned every inch of the life the girdle has offered you. You speak of the gentle sex as if we are soft, able to mold others with the sweet, quiet voices given to us from God. I say this with secret confidence that you must not repeat, not to a soul; we are not all soft, just as not all men are fearless. Your honor to volunteer for a game that my estranged son attempted to play out of default is extraordinary. By breaking the hard, stony mold of the knight's manhood, admitting to fear of one's own life, you have showed great courage. Do not underestimate the power of restraint and honor God and hard work has willed. A lustful woman, after all, should not be your hardest battle. There are much worse enemies for you to overcome than the other sex. The house of Arthur is rampant with knights willing to unscrew their moral reign for a chance with an able-bodied lady. You chose the value of life and honor over lust, and for that I say you laugh back in the faces of the Round Table beasts that mock you so.
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Sir Kay
11/1/2013 01:05:46 am
Fellow Knights,
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Guinevere
11/1/2013 01:45:22 am
You should have no shame sir Gawain. The blood of Arthur is within you. Gawain you have no worries. I'm glad you have returned to Camelot, gridle or not or however you earned is nothing more than lesson learned. Bertilak de Hautdesert, servant of the foolish Morgan le Faye is the ones I have pity she should be a shamed she is my Arthur's sister and she shares such jealous. My beauty is would never compare to Le Faye, for she is weak and lack compassion.
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Gawain
11/1/2013 08:41:42 am
My lords and ladies, I thank you all for your kind words. Your thoughts and encouragement have roused this proud knight. I shall do my best to live up to the name of the valiant Gawain. My queen, worry not about Morgan le Faye. Though her actions had disagreeable intentions, I have learned much about my own weaknesses. And with that, I shall put even greater effort in defending the kingdom. My king, I thank you for your praise. I shall strive to protect the knightly code and will do so in your name!
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Sir Bedivere
11/1/2013 02:20:56 pm
Gawain, Your reputation precedes you. Noble, respectful and willing to defend our king (Arthur) by stepping up to the Green Knight's challenge. Worry not of your flaw or fear, decapitation is no laughing matter. As a fellow knight at the round table, the idea of decapitation would scare me as well. Thou honor you claim stained by weakness is completely false. Knights are driven by honor and pride , but we are people as well. Allow yourself this flaw, Hey. It only happen once.
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Sir Robin
11/7/2013 11:57:33 am
Gawain , I Sir Robin, the bravest of the brave, encourage you to off yourself for your cowardly behavior. The Gurtel shall be upon you forever, in order to resemble your dishonesty and cowardliness. You were not able to keep your word, that you made to your kind host, and you should have paid your dishonesty with your life. Your no brave men, and although you might love thy life. You were fearful and that is not acceptable. You wearing that Gurtel as a token of untruth, is merely a punishment in comparison to what you have done. I am glad you can realize how much of a coward you were Gawain!! Your neck will heal, and you shall get used to being shamed everywhere you go with your Gurtel, but your actions will never be forgotten.
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