Sir Gawain

The Perfect Knight. Gawain was the knight who appeared in works from Geoffrey of Monmouth (1137) to Sir Thomas Malory (1485). Of all the knights, Gawain appeared the most frequently in the Arthurian tales.

In early Welsh tales (before Geoffrey of Monmouth), Gawain appeared as Gwalchmei or Gwalchmai, and his name means "Hawk of May". Gwalchmei was the son of Gwyar and brother of Gwalhaved ("Hawk of Summer") in Culhwch and Olwen, one of the independent tales of the Mabinogion, as well as the brother of Medraut (Mordred). Gawain or Gwalchmei was sometimes identified as the Irish sun god Lugh (Lug), because Gwalchmei appeared to be a solar god as well.

Gawain was known as Gualguanus by Geoffrey and Walwein by Wace. His name was Gauvain in most of the French medieval romances.

• Family of Gawain

• Gawain, the Solar God

• Fallen Perfect Knight

Family of Gawain

Gawain said to have several different mothers, brothers and sisters, depending on who the authors were. We are absolutely certain that Gawain was the son of Lot, king of Lothian or Orkney (if we ignored the Welsh legends). According to Geoffrey of Monmouth and his redactors (Wace and Layamon), Gawain's mother was Anna, who was Arthur's full sister. These three authors mentioned Gawain having only one brother, Mordred. Gawain and Mordred were the nephews of King Arthur.

Other authors said that Lot was married to Arthur's half-sister named Morgawse or Norcadet. Morgawse was the mother of Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris and Gareth, but there was no Mordred (particularly in Chretien's tale about the Grail ("Le Conte du Graal"). See page 480 of the Arthurian Romances, published in Penguin Classics). Chretien did not mention the name of Gawain's mother, but in the First Continuation, Igraine called her daughter Norcadet not Morgawse.

In L'Âtre périlleux or "The Perilous Cemetary", the woman of the cemetery said that Gawain's mother was a fairy, which implied that the fairy was none other than Morgan le Fay.

Some said that Gawain's last two brothers Gaheris and Gareth were named Gaheriet (Keheriet) and Guerrehet, particularly in many of the French works (eg. Vulgate Cycle). The French and English names of the last two brothers present other problems. There was some confusion if Gaheriet was Gaheris or Gareth. Normally, most medieval and modern scholars would say that Gaheriet and Gaheris were the same person, while Guerrehet was Gareth.

Yet in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Gareth played the same role of Gaheriet in the Vulgate Mort Artu.

In the Vulgate Cycle, Post-Vulgate Cycle and Morte d'Arthur, the authors wrote that Mordred was Morgawse's son by her own half-brother Arthur. So Mordred was only Gawain's half-brother.

There are the same problems with Gawain's sisters. Two sisters appeared in Chretien's two works. In Cliges, Soredamors married the Greek prince, Alexander, and became mother of the hero Cliges. In Le Conte du Graal, his sister was named Clarissant. In the story, Gawain found himself in Castle of Marvels that belonged to the hero's mother and grandmother.

In another Grail story, Didot Perceval, his sister Elaine fell in love with the hero Perceval. In Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival (c. 1210), Gawain had a brother named Beacurs and three sisters: Surdamur, Curdrie and Itonje. They were the children of King Lot and Sangive (Anna or Morgawse).

Several sons have been attributed to him, though he seemed to have never married except in Parzival, where his wife was Orgeluse. In Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, Gawain was the father of Florence and Lovel.

The most famous of Gawain's sons was named Guinglain (called Giglain or Gingalin by Malory). Guinglain was better known as the "Fair Unknown", because he did not know his own name. Guinglain was the hero of an Arthurian romance called Le Bel Inconnu (c. 1185-1190). Gawain had made love to a fay named Floree. In Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, Guinglain's mother was named Blancemal, while other romances said that it was Ragnell. The Second Grail Continuation mentioned Gawain meeting his son for the first time.

In the Knight of the Sword, Gawain won the love of a lady, but abandoned her when she betrayed him. Gawain appeared to marry several times and had love affairs in various tales, so he could not settle down with any of them. For this reason, Gawain appeared to most authors as a womaniser or the "ladies' man".

There are many ladies and damsels who loved Gawain, only because of his reputation as a great knight, even though they had never met him.

See genealogy of King Arthur.

Though many legends said that Arthur had one or more illegitimate sons (except in the Perlesvaus, where Loholt was son of Arthur and Guinevere), it was Gawain who was heir to the king. However, when Gawain died, it was a different nephew of Arthur who succeeded him as the king – Constantine.

Sources	Name	Father	Mother	Brothers	Sisters
Culhwch and Olwen & other Welsh sources	Gwalchmei	Lleu	Gwyar	Gwalhaved, Medrawd	–
Historia regum Britanniae Geoffrey of Monmouth	Gualguanus	Loth	Anna	Mordred	–
Roman de Brut Wace	Walwein	Lot	Anna	Modret	–
Brut Layamon	Gawain	Lot	Anna	Modred	–
Chretien de Troyes' romances	Gauvain	Lot	Morcades or Norcadet	Agravain, Gaheris, Gareth	Soredamors, Clarissant
Parzival Wolfram von Eschenbach	Gawan	Lot	Sangive	Beacurs	Kundrie, Surdamur, Itonje
Diu Krône	Gawein	unnamed	Orcades or Jascaphin of Orcanie	–	Klarisanz
Didot Perceval	Gavain	Lot	unnamed	Guirres, Garries, Mordret	Elaine
Perlesvaus	Gauvain	Lot	unnamed	–	–
Vulgate Cycle romances	Gauvain	Lot	Morgawse	Agravain, Gurrehet, Gaheriet; Mordred (half-brothers)	–
Suite du Merlin (Post-Vulgate)	Gauvain	Lot	Morgawse	Agravain, Gurrehet, Gaheriet; Mordred (half-brothers)	–
De ortu Waluuanii	Waluuanius	Loth	Anna	–	–
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	Gawayne	Lot	unnamed	Agravain	–
Le Morte d'Arthur Sir Thomas Malory	Gawain	Lot	Morgause	Agravain, Gaheris, Gareth; Mordred (half-brother)	–
Perilous Cemetery	Gavain	–	Morgan le Fay?	–	–

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Gawain, the Solar God

Earlier legends made him the perfect or ideal knight. Gawain was the first knight to symbolise the paragon of courage and chivalry. Chretien said that Gawain's valour matched his courtesy. In Erec and Enide, he was the first good knight, Erec and Lancelot being second and third in prowess, when they were seated around the table. Gawain was the yardstick by which all knights measured their valour.

In the Welsh legend, Gawain was known as Gwalchmei, or Gwalchmai, which means the "Hawk of May"; in the Celtic calendar, the first of May was the start of summer. His brother Gwalhaved's name means "Hawk of Summer". In every legend and myth of other cultures, the hawk symbolised the sun, which is appropriate, since the hawk is a bird of prey that only hunts during the day. So Gwalchmei also appeared to be a solar god, like that of the Irish god Lugh. Gwalchmei appeared not only as a hero and a nephew of Arthur, he was also son of the goddess Gwyar. According to Culhwch and Olwen, Gwalchmei was both nephew and first cousin of Arthur.

Gwalchmei was also compared with the greatest Irish hero, Cu Chulainn, who was the son of the solar god Lugh. In the tale of Culhwch and Olwen, Gwalchmei was the hero who "never returned without fulfilling his quest". Gwalchmei was also the best walker and rider. This Gwalchmei was the precursor of the hero Gawain.

In several scenes, Gawain seemed to know how to care for wounds and knew herbs. Such skills suggested that Gawain may have been a god of healing.

In the German Grail romance Diu Krône (mid-13th century), Gawain was the Grail hero. He won the Grail, from which he was joyfully welcomed by the goddess of the Grail Castle.

Some authors always mentioned how in a duel, Gawain's strength would always be revitalised at noon; he always fought refreshed when the sun reached its peak, but his strength gradually diminished each hour past noon. Gawain's strength originated in Nordelone, a city of Orkney, where Gawain was born at noon. The seers foretold that he would be at his most dangerous when he was fighting at noon, when his opponent would begin to feel weary. However, if his opponent managed to last until sunset, Gawain's level of strength would be dramatically reduced and he would begin to tire.

In one story, he was seen wielding Excalibur, though this sword was normally associated with his uncle, King Arthur. I am uncertain whether this was the same fabled sword that belonged to King Arthur or not. His horse was named Gringalet (Gringolet), and his squire was named Yvonet. In the Welsh tradition, Gwalchmei rode a horse called Ceingalad.

Gawain wielding Excalibur indicated that he was Arthur's heir to the throne. In most tales, Gawain was always seen as loyal to Arthur, and was originally the champion of Queen Guinevere. According to the Rise of Gawain, one of his foster-fathers was the Roman Emperor. Had Gawain stayed in Rome, the story implied that Gawain would have succeeded his foster father, and become emperor.

Only in a very few French Arthurian romances did he appear as the main hero.

In the Vulgate Merlin (c. 1240), Gawain was not yet a member of the Round Table, having only recently become a new knight at the wedding of Arthur and Guinevere. Gawain and other young knights, including his cousin Yvain, decided to serve Guinevere, and they become known as the Queen's Knights. Guinevere accepted this honour. In the Vulgate Merlin, his character was allowed to shine brightly. Gawain and his companions soon distinguished themselves in tournaments and battles, outperforming the established knights of the Round Table. Yet his heroism was to be eclipsed by Lancelot in the next three Vulgate romances, Lancelot Proper, Queste del Saint Graal and Mort Artu (c. 1227-1235).

Gawain was the hero of in L'Atre Péilleux (The Perilous Cemetery, c. 1250) and the Latin work De Ortu Walwanii (The Rise of Gawain, c. 1270).

His greatest adventure was undoubtedly Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an unknown English author in the mid-14th century. Here, he was involved in a beheading game with the Green Knight. The Green Knight had challenged Arthur's knights to behead him, but the knight had to offer his own head in one year's time. Only Gawain dared to accept the challenge. Gawain escaped with his head because the Green Knight had spared him, where the axe had only nicked him.

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Fallen Perfect Knight

But when the Grail legend became part of the Arthurian legends, Lancelot and Galahad or Perceval later supplanted him as the ideal knight. Sir Thomas Malory mentioned six knights who were better than Gawain: Lancelot, Tristram (Tristan), Bors, Perceval, Pelleas and Marhaus (Morholt).

Gawain seemed to play an important role in Chretien's unfinished story of the Grail (Conte du Graal), but the author never finished his poem. However, in the First Continuation and the German romance called Diu Krône, Gawain was made the hero of the Grail quest.

In Conte du Graal, Gawain met the Haughty Maiden of Logres named Orgueilleuse, who treated Gawain with contempt and scorn. Despite her attempts to humiliate Gawain or to trap the hero so he would be killed, Gawain was nevertheless captivated by her beauty and scornful manner. Gawain was unfailingly courteous to Orgueilleuse, treating her with respect and accepting her insults with grace.

Of the heroes in the Arthurian legends, Gawain appeared most frequently in the Arthurian romances, particularly in the French literature, but his role was often secondary. Gawain was only the main hero in a very few French works. However, some of these tales showed him in poor light. He seemed to play a few comical parts in satires.

Also, Gawain wasn't a French knight like Lancelot, Galahad and Tristan. Since his first appearance as a Welsh Gwalchmei, and his linkage with Orkney and Norway on his father's side, the French authors tended to see Gawain as a knight with a past that went back to the barbarous Vikings.

By the time of the Vulgate Cycle (Prose Lancelot and the Quest of the Holy Grail and the Death of King Arthur), he was no longer seen as an ideal knight. Gawain was supplanted by Lancelot and Galahad. Gawain failed to find the Grail because of his superficial and womanising ways. For this sin, Gawain, like most of the other knights of the Round Table, didn't realise that the Quest was a spiritual undertaking, not an adventure of prowess and chivalry. Of the thirty-two knights killed during the Grail quest, Gawain had unwittingly killed eighteen knights of the Round Table, including King Baudemagus and Yvain the Bastard. However, that was because he didn't recognise the other questers; and his judgement was clouded by his sins.

In the Post-Vulgate version of the Merlin Continuation and the Quest, Gawain's reputation was even worse. Gawain killed many other well-known knights such as Erec and Palemedes. Here, Gawain was shown as a treacherous murderer, slaughtering these knights, who he knew belonged to the Round Table. Gawain was also a coward too, because Erec and Palemedes were both wounded in previous combats with other knights before he fought and killed them.

In the La Suite du Merlin and the Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Gawain and his brothers had a blood feud with Pellinor (Pellehen) and his son Lamorak (Lamorat or Lamerocke), the father and brother of Perceval. His enmity towards Pellinor stemmed from Pellinor having killed Gawain's father (Lot) in battle. At eleven, Gawain swore vengeance against Pellinor. Ten years later, Gawain and Gaheris murdered Pellinor. Later, Gawain and his brothers set a trap for Lamorak. Outnumbered, Lamorak was killed when Mordred stabbed him in the back.

For the death of his brother Gaheriet in Mort Artu (Vulgate Cycle) (or Gareth in Malory's Le Mort d'Arthur), whom Lancelot had accidentally killed when the hero rescued Guinevere, Lancelot earned Gawain's enmity. Gawain persuaded Arthur to fight two unsuccessful wars against Lancelot: one at Joyeuse Guard, in Britain, the other at Gaunes, in Brittany.

When they realised that could not win the second war, Gawain challenged Lancelot to single combat, which would decide the guilt or innocence of Lancelot. Lancelot barely survived the duel when the sun had reached its peak. However, Gawain's strength ebbed as the sun gradually dropped to the horizon. Lancelot defeated Gawain in a duel, with Gawain receiving a serious head wound. Despite Gawain's enmity towards him, Lancelot still loved Gawain, so that he could not bring himself to kill his former companion. Gawain refused to yield to Lancelot, so Lancelot just walked away from the fighting.

In the war against the Romans, he fought against Lucius and would have killed the emperor, had the Lucius' bodyguards not beat him off. Gawain's head wound reopened, which left him debilitated.

Gawain was dying when he heard news of Mordred's treason. Gawain realised his folly too late, for stubbornly pushing his uncle into a pointless and wasteful war against Lancelot. Gawain sent a letter to Lancelot asking for his forgiveness and hoped that Lancelot would visit his tomb at Dover Castle. Gawain unsuccessfully tried to persuade Arthur to call for Lancelot to aid him in the war against Mordred. Not long after returning to Britain, Gawain died from the wound he received from Lancelot. He was buried in Dover Castle.

Gawain reappeared as a ghost, trying to warn Arthur again not to face Mordred in battle without Lancelot to help him.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth's tradition, his brother Mordred killed Gawain in the battle of Richborough.