#the prose lancelot
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queer-ragnelle · 1 year ago
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i’m new to arthuriana but love your posts nonetheless
i am just curious about the many references to gawain sleeping with so many people when, to my understanding, in sir gawain and the green knight he specifically breaks this promiscuous behaviour and makes sure he doesn’t sleep with the wife of the duke
(i apologize if this is a stupid question!)
hello anon!
welcome to arthuriana and thank you so much for the kind words. this is not a stupid question at all! the truth is gawain is nothing if not inconsistent between texts haha. he's different from other knights such as lancelot who pines solely for guinevere across text after text, in that it seems every author wanted to create their own special gal for gawain. he therefore has numerous women attached to him, and when readers try to reconcile those many texts into a single story thread, it gives the impression our mans gawain gets around! (and he does!) i have several examples here to illustrate this so i'll put it below a cut.
for all the textual variance, sir gawain and the green knight is the exception that proves the rule—meaning that it's perhaps the only text in which gawain is abstinent. we know this because one of the five virtues attributed to the five points of his pentacle crest on his shield is chastity.
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furthermore, on the wife's second seduction attempt, gawain pleas his own inexperience with "love" (ie: women).
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whether or not that's true is up for debate, but it's worth mentioning, as it's a departure from other texts where his virile prowess is well-known, and in the knight of the two swords, he openly boasts about his own attractiveness and popularity. (humble guy, that gawain!)
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there are several examples of gawain's reputation with the ladies preceding him and actually benefitting his odds of getting laid. one of my favorites is from lancelot part II in the vulgate. gawain had just cured his brother agravaine of an illness and agravaine's amie basically wingwoman's her sister.
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goated of her. so gawain pencils it in on his calendar. later, he locates the castle, sneaks in, and succeeds in bedding the maiden. she's not named here, although malory later refers to her as "the lady of lys," and accredits her as the mother of gawain's three sons, (although the couple never formally wed).
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among the strangest of examples is the middle english text the carle of carlisle, in which the carle brings gawain to the bedchamber and orders him to make out with his wife. but things quickly heat up...
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so the carle stops gawain from outright cuckholding him, then leads gawain to his daughter's chambers, gives them his blessing, and locks them inside. at the end of the text, gawain marries her.
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now i would be remiss not to mention my beloved the wedding of sir gawain and dame ragnelle. i think it's notable that ragnelle specifically asks for gawain by name, much like the lady of lys did (according to her sister and her warm reception of him).
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now the conclusion of this poem brings us to another theme of gawain's which ties into his many partners, and that is his consistent subservience to ladies. he breaks the curse on ragnelle by granting her "sovereignty" in the relationship. this seems to be another aspect of character which sets gawain apart from other knights, as this is not a chaste expression of courtly love, but a precursor to fornication, and draws the attention of strong-willed ladies, such as ragnelle, with whom he is "a coward," or according to the translation notes, "submissive."
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then again in roman van walewein, he's already famous by the time he meets his ladylove, ysabele, and whilst tied up in her father's prison, he leaves the decision of his own life in her hands.
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which then results in their coming together because this is a gawain story and he always gets the girl.
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even in the post vulgate, which we can all agree portrays every single character at their absolute worst (and is therefore invalid<3), gawain's choice of words consistently upholds the lady's desires above his own. at first, gawain intended wingman for pelleas by pretending he, pelleas, was dead to begrieve arcade. he discovers instead that she's elated by pelleas's supposed passing, so she and gawain fall in love. but even after admitting his feelings, he still takes great pains to frame the final crossing of that line as her choice, and only relents when she makes her intentions plain.
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he might also just like it when women boss him around if his treatment from orgeluse in parzival by wolfram von eschenbach is any indication.
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similarly to the knight of two swords, in parzival, gawain is aware of his fame, fosters it, and then employs his orgeluse brain worms as a motivation for sparing lives instead of like...morality.
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i think what's particularly interesting about gawain's relationship history is that many of his partners are named, whereas it's pretty common for damsels and maidens in medieval texts to exist without identities of their own. there are so, so many named, interesting, fully developed women linked to gawain, it's actually pretty awesome! here are a few more:
lunette in yvain: knight of the lion by chrétien de troyes...
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amurfina in the crown by heinrich von dem türlin...
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bloiesine in the 4th perceval continuation by gerbert de montreuil...
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marjorie in gawain and marjorie by oscar fay adams (if we extend our search through the 20th century!)...
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and on and on forever! so in conclusion, gawain has been pulling bitches for many hundreds of slutty, slutty years, and from what modern retellings i've read, authors have no intention of interrupting this trend. i hope that helps clear things up somewhat. thanks for the ask!
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arthurian-texts · 6 months ago
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When the youth [Mordred] saw [Gawain's] wounds, he turned away, grieving as bitterly as any man could ever grieve [...] He went to another chamber and fell down upon a bed and wept and cried and wrung his hands and tore all his clothes. [...] [Agravain] found the youth tearing his hair and his clothing. And when the youth saw his lord [Agravain] before him, he neither moved nor left off his grieving. "What is this, you bastard," said the lord, "what are you grieving about? Don't you see that I have been healed?" "Indeed," he replied, "I don't care, because for that good I see a greater ill." "And what is that?" asked the knight. "Ah, noble man," he replied, "in there they have mortally wounded Sir Gawain, your brother and mine." "Gawain?" he exclaimed. And thereupon his grief was so great that he fainted.
-Vulgate Lancelot, c. 1220, trans. Samuel N. Rosenberg and Carleton W. Carroll
They pushed and shoved at one another and Mordred fell backwards from the force of Gawain’s spear and landed on his shoulders, badly wounded. Sir Gawain leapt onto the man and seized him by the head. His grief was ready for this moment but so, unfortunately, was destiny. He pulled out a short knife from a silver sheath intending to stab Mordred in the throat with it; but the cut never occurred. His hand slipped and slid on the shiny chainmail as Mordred slyly shot a hand under the man on top and heaved him off, then drew a knife of his own and stabbed Gawain through a gap in his helmet, through his head and up into his brain. Sir Gawain was gone, that good man of arms. [...] "He was a giant amongst men, that’s for sure," Sir Mordred [said]. "This was the good Sir Gawain, the most considerate, the most gracious man ever to live under God’s Earth, the strongest with weapons, the happiest in battle and the noblest and most courteous in the king’s hall. He was openly praised as having the bravery of a lion and if you had known him, sir king, in the land where he lived, his wisdom, his knighthood, his accomplishments, his leadership, his courtesy, his courage, his fighting skills, then you would lament his death for the rest of your life." This traitor allowed a tear to trickle down his cheeks. Then he turned around and said no more but went away weeping, cursing the day that destiny had dealt him such a blow.
-Alliterative Morte Arthure, c. 1400, trans. Richard Scott-Robinson
I love weaving together strands from different Arthurian versions, because you can find incredible parallels like this. In the Vulgate Cycle Lancelot, we see young Mordred (in his pre-villain days) breaking down in terror at the thought of losing his older brother, so grief-stricken that he "fell down upon a bed and wept and cried and wrung his hands and tore all his clothes."
And yet in an ironic twist, in the Alliterative Morte Arthure it's Mordred himself who ends up killing Gawain at the end of their story. Yet we still see the same love and hero-worship for his brother that the younger Vulgate Mordred had, and like his younger self, Morte Arthure Mordred breaks down in tears at Gawain's death (no longer a prospect but now a reality), despite having been its cause. He "went away weeping, cursing the day that destiny had dealt him such a blow" - filled with grief and remorse at what he's done, but too late to undo it.
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austin-friars · 1 month ago
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'Ophelia' Wip
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thefollow-spot · 2 months ago
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From sparks: full-tilt
Lancelot/Merlin ● General Audiences ● WC: 500 ● No Warnings // Written for @merlinmicrofic 2024, for the prompt 'Harvest'. A mix of poetry & prose.
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really really really not over Gawain being called "Gawainet" in the Prose Merlin. Just a lil Gawain. Gawainlet. Gawainling. Pocket-sized Gawain. A tiny ball of oldest brother syndrome and parent issues.
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gawrkin · 7 months ago
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Arthurian Trope Spotlight: Love will make you stronger
(and Queen Guinevere and the other ladies function like support buffs
Historia Regum Britanniae - A description of Arthur's Court
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Knight of the Cart - Lancelot's Strength and Courage
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[...]
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Vulgate Cycle - Lady of the Lake's advice to young Lancelot
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La Tavola Ritonda - Sir Viano's advice
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****(Ouch. Tristan's father is a huge asshole here...)
Le Morte D'Arthur - Arthur commands Guenever to accompany him to war
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This should put a perspective on a lot of things about Arthurian Literature, Chivalric Romance and Courtly Love: Love is objectively a force/element present in the World of Romance.
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dullyn · 2 months ago
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Thinking about Sir Elyan and how when it is all said and done, and when the dust has settled and Camlann has finished, he galivants off to the east and becomes the Emperor of Constantinople.
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kashilascorner · 5 months ago
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What were the prose Tristan authors eating for lunch when they wrote Mark and Tristan's dynamics seriously it's so toxic but also like they keep hanging around each other? Toxic exes except family instead of lovers
#has my head spinning#mark hates tristan since he was a child but has a very weird prophecy about him and considers having him killed but decides against it#because he could use tristan when he's older i guess. and then he welcomws tristan with open arms and then they are besties but then he is#envious of him and then he hates his guts because tristan got a girl he liked (not iseult) and then he sends tristan to get iseult#for him as a bride specifically because he thinks tristan will die in ireland but oops he doesn't#he brings iseult mark falls in love but t/i are obviously already getting it going#then mark finds out chases after tristan but tristan is stronger#BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS JUST AFTER TRYING TO GET HIM KILLED HE CROWNS TRISTAN THE PRINCE HEIR OF THE KINGDOM??#also tristan starts like loving or being loyal to his uncle until the hot lady incident and then they reconcile and#tristan keeps there and he doesn't protest his uncle's requests including the one rhat could potentially kill him (getting iseult)#because of honor or whatever. and then he could have ran away with iseult but he still choses (and her lol) to go to mark and hand her over#and yet he keeps going with the affair and it is said that Tristan FEARS mark and this is the part that#drives me crazy because... fear what??? he's stronger#the better knight has better friends better luck with the ladies wouldn't be the first time he has to run off to another#country. so rhe question is: is tristan afraid OF MARK or is Tristan afraid of losing the good fame he's been building up#like he's singlehandedly THE cornish knight because they are all useless now if he was in say camelot or ireland would he be so famous#and appreciated? no! he wouldn't stand out as much!! like lancelot is right there!!!!!#so is it that? it suits the character. however there is something extremely intriguing if he is in fact afraid /of mark/#because then the story is more that one of family abuse where the uncle clings onto the nephew because the nephew can't refuse helping#but if you remove that aspect the entire relationship on both sides is absolutely parasytic.#idk what is going on here#prose tristan#arthuriana#laura reads
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iyliss · 4 months ago
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I hope everyone knows I still haven't done a single proper source gathering on possible chilvaric romance similarities with specific ffiv characters, but I did spend way too much time today reading papers by medievalist on the meaning and symbols and context of courtly love and projecting baron trio on it.
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andalon-historian · 4 months ago
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Finished Lancelot Part 4 today!
(Vulgate Cycle edited by Norris J Lacy)
It ends so suddenly! Part three ended with The Knight of the Cart, the most famous Lancelot story and the deaths of one of the few actually important villains.
Part four ended with four or five fully isolated miniquests that didn't even star the same characters. Absolutely no climax. If they had started part 5 right after Gawain's vision in Corbenic that would've seemed much more appropriate. I assume that would've made part 5 weird though lol.
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tiodolma · 8 months ago
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I LOVE THIS BIT AS ALWAYS. Lamorak, Lancelot and Maleagant are arguing who's the hottest lady between Morgause and Guinevere again lmaooo
The Amoral and Tristan parted company, and the former met with the brave Meleagant. The Amoral, who was in love with the Queen of Orcania, began to extol her beauty, proclaiming her the fairest of her sex, without exception. Meleagant, the ill-favoured lover of Queen Genievre, but no less jealous of her honour, offered to dispute for her the palm of beauty. The two Knights were engaged in a bloody combat, when Lancelot of the Lake, the favourite of Queen Genievre, claimed from Meleagant the honour of fighting for her. He instantly attacked the Amoral, who kept retreating, and at last made himself known as a Knight companion of the Round-table. We have before observed, that these worthies were not permitted to assail each other, but upon some personal quarrel. The two companions embraced and complimented each other on this happy meeting. The Amoral informed Lancelot, that Tristan, was in the forest, a piece of intelligence which was the more welcome to Lancelot, that he had particular orders from his royal mistress to seek out for that brave Knight.
hahahahahhaha
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mashmouths · 2 months ago
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would a audiobook of tennyson's idylls help you? i manage to read the whole thing using an audiobook. also, pausing and reflecting on each poem helped me understand more. the thing about idylls, and this is me talking about my experience, is that he's heavy on the prose and lot of things will go over your head if one does not pause to reflect on what's going on because there's a LOT going on. for me, managing to read idylls was an accomplishment for me.
of course, if you're not feeling reading tennyson, then that's okay too.
here's the audiobook i used -> https://www. youtube. com/playlist?list=PLnlWthlB1Pf4pNUQO5Q-oEMaV25L_I0ye
i hope this helps you!
anon you're my hero, a thousand blessings and smooches be upon thee <3
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rialtoir · 3 months ago
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@swanfloatieknight
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queer-ragnelle · 5 months ago
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Beginner’s Guide to Medieval Arthuriana
Just starting out at a loss for where to begin?
Here’s a guide for introductory Medieval texts and informational resources ordered from most newbie friendly to complex. Guidebooks and encyclopedias are listed last.
All PDFs link to my Google drive and can be found on my blog. This post will be updated as needed.
Pre-Existing Resources
Hi-Lo Arthuriana
♡ Loathly Lady Master Post ♡
Medieval Literature by Language
Retellings by Date
Films by Date
TV Shows by Date
Documentaries by Date
Arthurian Preservation Project
The Camelot Project
If this guide was helpful for you, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi!
Medieval Literature
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Page (No Knowledge Required)
The Vulgate Cycle | Navigation Guide | Vulgate Reader
The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle
The Marriage of Sir Gawain
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
The Welsh Triads
Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
Squire (Base Knowledge Recommended)
The Mabinogion
Four Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troyes
Owain (Welsh) | Yvain (French) | Iwein (German)
Geraint (Welsh) | Erec (French)| Erec (German)
King Artus
Morien
Knight (Extensive Knowledge Recommended)
The History of The King's of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Alliterative Morte Arthure
Here Be Dragons (Weird or Arthurian Adjacent)
The Crop-Eared Dog
Perceforest | A Perceforest Reader | PDF courtesy of @sickfreaksirkay
The Fair Unknown (French) | Wigalois (German) | Vidvilt (Yiddish)
Guingamor, Lanval, Tyolet, & Bisclarevet by Marie of France
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Grail Quest
Peredur (Welsh) | Perceval + Continuations (French) | Parzival (German)
The Crown by Heinrich von dem Türlin (Diu Crône)
The High Book of The Grail (Perlesvaus)
The History of The Holy Grail (Vulgate)
The Quest for The Holy Grail Part I (Post-Vulgate)
The Quest for The Holy Grail Part II (Post-Vulgate)
Merlin and The Grail by Robert de Boron
The Legend of The Grail | PDF courtesy of @sickfreaksirkay
Lancelot Texts
Knight of The Cart by Chretien de Troyes
Lanzelet by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven
Spanish Lancelot Ballads
Gawain Texts
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle
The Marriage of Sir Gawain
Sir Gawain and The Lady of Lys
The Knight of The Two Swords
The Turk and Sir Gawain
Perilous Graveyard | scan by @jewishlancelot
Tristan/Isolde Texts
Béroul & Les Folies
Prose Tristan (The Camelot Project)
Tristan and The Round Table (La Tavola Ritonda) | Italian Name Guide
The Romance of Tristan
Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg
Byelorussian Tristan
Educational/Informational Resources
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Encyclopedias & Handbooks
Warriors of Arthur by John Matthews, Bob Stewart, & Richard Hook
The Arthurian Companion by Phyllis Ann Karr
The New Arthurian Encyclopedia by Norris J. Lacy
The Arthurian Handbook by Norris J. Lacy & Geoffrey Ashe
The Arthurian Name Dictionary by Christopher W. Bruce
Essays & Guides
A Companion to Chrétien de Troyes edited by Joan Tasker & Norris J. Lacy
A Companion to Malory edited by Elizabeth Archibald
A Companion to The Lancelot-Grail Cycle edited by Carol Dover
Arthur in Welsh Medieval Literature by O. J. Padel
Diu Crône and The Medieval Arthurian Cycle by Neil Thomas
Wirnt von Gravenberg's Wigalois: Intertextuality & Interpretation by Neil Thomas
The Legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac by Jessie Weston
The Legend of Sir Gawain by Jessie Weston
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lionofchaeronea · 1 month ago
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Mordred lays siege to the Tower of London, where Queen Guinevere, defended by two hundred knights, is concealed. Miniature from folio 81 verso of La Mort le Roi Artus (The Death of King Arthur), an Old French prose romance belonging to the Lancelot-Grail cycle. This manuscript, produced by an unknown hand ca. 1316, is now in the British Library.
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apopcornkernel · 28 days ago
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prose lancelot is honestly so funny what if the most aggressively monogamous man in the world was catcalled by every single woman he passes ever
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