The Green Knight

by Anonymous, David Lowery (Foreword), Bernard O'Donoghue (Introduction)

The inspiration for the major motion picture The Green Knight starring Dev Patel, an early English poem of magic, chivalry and seduction.

Composed during the fourteenth century in the English Midlands, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight describes the events that follow when a mysterious green-coloured knight rides into King Arthur's Camelot in deep mid-winter. The mighty knight presents a challenge to the he will allow himself to be struck by one blow, on the condition that he will be allowed to return the strike on the following New Year's Eve. Sir Gawain takes up the challenge, decapitating the stranger - only to see the Green Knight seize up his own severed head and ride away, leaving Gawain to seek him out and honour their pact. Blending Celtic myth and Christian faith, Gawain is among the greatest Middle English a tale of magic, chivalry and seduction.

Genres: Mythology, Poetry

94 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2021

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this one before but didn't think much of it. I'm glad I gave it a second go. It's actually quite entertaining. Perhaps it was a different translation?

It's a shame I can't read this in the original language. It uses a really interested rhythmic alliteration pattern that sounds quite nice but the translation here drops the alliteration instead going for a nice rhythm and focusing on the meaning of the original.

Here's a quick sampling of the Middle English language
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRov2...

[Each line follow has a pair of stressed syllables, a break, then another pair of stressed syllables. With an AAAB alliteration scheme]
Siþen þe sege & þe assaut watz sesed at Troye,
Soon as the siege and assault had ceased at Troy,

Þe bor3 brittened & brent to bronde3 & askez,
the burg broken and burnt to brands and ashes,

Þe tulk þat þe trammes of tresoun þer wro3t,
the traitor who trammels of treason there wrought

Watz tried for his tricherie, þe trewest on erthe;
was tried for his treachery, the foulest on earth.

Hit watz Ennias þe athel, & his highe kynde,
It was Aeneas the noble and his high kin

Þat siþen depreced prouinces, & patrounes bicome
who then subdued provinces, lords they became,

Welne3e of al þe wele in þe west iles,
well-nigh of all the wealth in the Western Isles:

Fro riche Romulus to Rome ricchis hym swyþe,
forth rich Romulus to Rome rapidly came,

With gret bobbaunce þat bur3e he biges vpon fyrst,
with great business that burg he builds up first,

& neuenes hit his aune nome, as hit now hat;
and names it with his name, as now it has;

Ticius to Tuskan [turnes,] & teldes bigynnes;
Ticius to Tuscany, and townships begins;

Langaberde in Lumbardie lyftes vp homes;
Langobard in Lombardy lifts up homes;

& fer ouer þe French flod Felix Brutus
and fared over the French flood Felix Brutus

On mony bonkkes ful brode Bretayn he settez,
on many banks all broad Britain he settles

[at the end of each stanza is a segment called the Bob and Wheel which is a very short line followed by longer lines with an internal rhyme]
wyth wynne;
then,

Where werre, & wrake, & wonder,
where war and wreck and wonder

Bi syþez hatz wont þer-inne,
betimes have worked within,

& oft boþe blysse & blunder
and oft both bliss and blunder

Ful skete hatz skyfted synne.
have held sway swiftly since.

There are three stories kind of blended together here. The obvious one being the beheading game. The second is when Gawain promises to share his winnings at the end of each day with lord of the castle. The third is one of chastity as the lord's wife tries to sleep with Gawain.

I really liked the descriptive language used for the passing of seasons.

[Emi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ouroboros (n.): David Lowery making a college student hyperfixate on his college hyperfixation.

[pendragon reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

yes yes this is a story of upholding chivalry and virtue yadi yada but also, everyone is in love with gawain and i’m convinced our beloved anon author inserted gay subtext on purpose thank you for coming to my ted talk

[will probably make a review based on the comparison of the movie and the book at a later date!]

[Brett Bertok · Rating 5 out of 5]

I randomly spotted this on the shelf at the public library and boy am I glad that I checked it out. I found the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight fascinating. I have no prior experience with old medieval English poetry so the foreword and the introduction were very insightful. I would highly recommend this book and I'm very excited to watch the recent film adaptation :)

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having listened to a talk about this work in advance, this translation is missing at least one very key line. So 5* for the poem, but I'm planning on finding another translation so fewer for this version.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading medieval poetry for fun! I really enjoyed it. There was some fascinating imagery. And despite the fantastical elements, the story felt grounded in reality. Now i want to watch the movie so i can compare the two.

[Jake Sudol · Rating 4 out of 5]

they were glazing him soooo hard like damn zip the pants up when you’re done

need a kiss “so delicious”

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't remember this much hotwifing when I read this for college.

[Michael Zhou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a repackaging of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, with an extra foreword by David Lowery. Planning on watching the movie after reading this.

O'Donoghue's translation was way more approachable then I would've expected for this text (I expected something Shakespearean, this was not nearly as hard to read). The original alliteration and lyrical devices may be obscured, but the content of the story is well preserved and translated in a very easy to read modern English.*

I'm a sucker for medieval settings and the narrative still holds up today with its vivid seasonal imagery and knightly glory. It's definitely some good chivalric romance.

The introduction was very informative about the context of the story, and the footnotes were also helpful about things that you might miss on your own.

Definitely recommend a read if you're ever interested in the Arthurian mythos and want to get a taste.

*There's a taste of the original text at the end, and I will say that the lyrical flow is cool and all, but god it really drags the experience when you have to decipher the obsolete words through footnotes and puzzle your way through the weirdly spelled words. Translation is definitely needed.

[Hailey Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just a test of faith and sins. Like with a knight and a hero who was a little flawed despite his nobility. It was really cool to read a book about medieval style characters that transcends generations and was passed on like folklore. That was cool in those regards. It made more sense why it stood the test of time when you think it was used as biblical allusion to resisting the temptation of sin and being reminded of the temptations. In those regards, it makes sense because in the context of the time, the Bible was everything. But yeah. Interesting little story.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, this is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in a different packaging. This edition also includes a foreword by David Lowery that's interesting but not indispensible--he humbly claims that even having adapted the story to film, he has barely scratched the surface of this story.

The story itself is bizarre and captivating,

[Tom Newsome · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first translation of The Green Knight I've read and I really enjoyed it! It's interesting to read some older works with an author that has such a fascination in describing in hyper-detail some aspects while completely brushing past entire adventures Sir Gawain went on in the in-betweens of this quest. Will definitely be revisiting later on.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

My read for a local library book club.
January: A book set in a far away place.

Finally gave this a read all in one sitting so it feels like my first proper read. Its even more interesting to read it now having seen the movie (since this is the movie release version). There are so many differences yet I still enjoy both. I love this story and I love Gawain.

[Daniel Molina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recounting the game between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and their subsequent agreement, the epic poem is a tale of upholding honor and the standard of a knight in light of obstacles that could convince one to do otherwise.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5!

Ok that ending though lol

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a simple translation with so much helpful information. I truly understand now.

[Celine Ko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean, it was okay. Not an incredibly moving epic poem or anything but a decent read.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

So boring, but read for movie

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

dev patel supremacy

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

“All ripens, then rots, that sprang in such hope. So the year passes on through a series of yesterdays, and winter comes round again, as nature demands, ever the same.”

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️