St Govan's Chapel ~ the final resting place of Sir Gawain? #Wales

Let me tell you a story...

There was once an Irish monk named Govan, who was travelling to Wales to visit family. The journey was uneventful until he reached Pembrokeshire. Here he was set upon by pirates. All hope was lost, until the cliff opened up and left a fissure just big enough for him to crawl into. Legend states that the cliff then folded itself around him, keeping Govan hidden from his pursuers. How fabulous is that?

But hold your horses, there is more...

So grateful was Govan for such divine intervention, that he decided that this was the perfect place for a hermitage.

Now, Govan built his little chapel and he had a beautiful little bell.  All was right with the world. Alas, those pirates came one night and stole the bell. Disaster.

But fear not, for the divine would intervene again. Some Angel's came down from Heaven and stole the bell back…

I don't know why that bit of the legend appeals to me so much, but it does.

Turn in next week for another exciting episode of,

Angels v. Pirates.

Who will win?!...

Obviously, the Angels won and they gave the bell back to Govan.

But what was to the stop the pirates coming back and stealing the bell again?

The Angels came up with a cunning plan. If they were to encase the bell into a huge stone, then no one, not even those pirates, would be able to steal it again. Clever!

Now, I know what you are thinking. How can you peal a bell when it is encased in stone? For Govan, this was surprisingly easy, and boy did he make that bell ring. I don't know how just take my word for it.

But that is not all. There is more. The legend states that you can still see Govan's handprints on the floor of the cave, and it is reputed that he is buried under the chapels alter. And for many years if you wanted your wishes to come true then this is where you should go to ask them.

But...we aren't interested in that version of history. Hell, no. We want to hear the Arthurian one.

Okey-dokey. Right. Now stretch your imagination a little. Govan ~ sounds a bit like Gawain, or vice-versa. Is Govan actually a corruption of Gawain? Who knows!

Gawain will fit. He will be associated with this chapel. One way or the other. So here goes...

We all know the story of how Lancelot killed Gawain's brothers in his bid to rescue Guinevere from the pyre and how Gawain travelled to Brittany to seek his revenge. Lancelot didn't want to fight him, but Gawain wouldn't back down. Lancelot accidently kills him in a duel etc…etc...

Ah, but wait. In this story, Gawain doesn't die by Lancelot's hands. Oh no. When Arthur dies, Gawain, like many other knights, decides to live a life of simplicity and peace. He travels all the way to Pembrokeshire in Wales and he becomes a hermit. He builds a chapel, and this is where he spends the rest of his days. Gawain is even buried under the chapel's alter.

See, we can make him fit.

I have to be honest; I love both versions of the legend. It is just perfect. Much like that little chapel.

Friday Knights - Sir Agravain

 "Finally, you will get all that you deserve, old friend."

 Merlin

There is always one bad apple in every family - unfortunate for Arthur, the rot seems to run rather deep in his.

Sir Agravain, is yet another son of King Lot of Orkeny and Morgause (Arthur's sister), which makes him the brother of Sir Gawain, Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth as well as being a half-brother to Mordred. He is, therefore, Arthur's nephew.

Sir Agravain is a complicated character, in the early works he is described as a handsome, tall man, who was a reasonable fighter and sometimes, when the mood took him, partook in heroic deeds. He is generally considered a respectable knight from a noble family.

However...

His portrayal isn't always very flattering. In the Vulgate Cycle he is portrayed in a darker light. He has a "somewhat misshapen" body - which always reminds me of the portrayal of Ricahrd III in Shakespeare's play of the same name.  Sir Agaravin may be "...a fine knight..." but he is "...arrogant and full of evil words..." It is not surprising then, that he and Mordred get on so well.

Despite his brother, Sir Gawain's, warning - Agravain, along with Mordred, is responsible for exposing Guinevere's affair with Lancelot. Which kind of implies that Gawain probably had a good idea about what was going on, but he chose to turn a blind eye to what was, High Treason. Why? Maybe it was because he and Lancelot were such good friends.

In some versions of the story, Lancelot kills Agravain when he rescues Guinevere from the pyre at her execution. Strangely, Gawain does not seem to be to aggrieved by Agravain's death - it is only because Lancelot kills Gaheris and Gareth that Gawain seeks revenge.

In T.H.White's The once and Future King (1938), as well as the Pre-Raphaelite poem, The Defence of Guinevere, Agravain is portrayed as a murderer - he killed his own mother.

In the BBC drama, Merlin (2008 -2012) , Agravaine (a variant spelling of Agravain) is portrayed as Arthur's uncle who is secretly working with Morgana to overthrow the Pendragon's. He is manipulative, sly and cruel.

Merlin - Final confrontation with Agravaine

What hope did Arthur have, when those to closest to him were determined to see him and his kingdom...fall?

A Red knight, A Green Knight, A Black Knight and Sir Gareth!

  "the goodlyest yonge man and the fayreste" Malory

Sir Gareth was the youngest brother of Sir Gawain and the son of King Lot of Orkeny, and Morgause - which makes him King Arthur's nephew. 

To understand where Sir Gareth fits into the legend we will need to take a look at  Malory's Le Morte d' Arthur.

 In particular we need to study...

  Book IV: “The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney"

Let me set the scene....

It is The Feast of Pentecost.

A handsome man, although very poorly dressed, enters Camelot, along with two other men and a dwarf. Sir Gawain announces them and the handsome man asks Arthur for three boons. Firstly, he would like, food and drink for a year.

Sir Kay - a knight renowned for his honour...or not - as the case may be - scorns this handsome young man and states "as he is, so he hath asked."  Being the polite and noble knight Sir Kay is, it is no surprise he makes up a nickname for Gareth. He calls him "Beaumains" - pretty hands. Kay states that the boy may work in the kitchens.

Gawain and Lancelot try to defend the boy, but Kay is having none of that and the boy seems more than happy to work in the kitchens.

1 year later - The Feast of Pentecost

Lynet is in a desperate situation, her sisters' castle is under siege by the cruel Red Knight of the Red Lands. She comes to Arthur for help, but because she refuses to give him her sisters name, Arthur refuses her his knights.

Beaumains decides now would be the time to tell Arthur of his other two boons. He asks that he be allowed to assist Lynet and he asks to be knighted by Lancelot. Arthur agrees.

Lynet is not best pleased when she is presented with this kitchen boy. But if that is all Arthur is willing to give her, then she will take him. The dwarf that travelled with Beaumain, produces - to the courts astonishment - beautiful armour and an equally beautiful horse. Beaumain gallantly rides away without a shield or a spear.

Kay, not one to miss an opportunity, rides after him. Gawain and Lancelot follow. But Beaumain is a knight himself now - he and Kay joust. Beaumain is the better warrior, he beats Kay and wins his shield and spear! Lancelot watches the event unfold and is impressed. Beaumain then admits to Lancelot that he is really Gawain's youngest brother. I can imagine Lancelot raising his eyebrows and giving Gawain a quizzical look!

So the adventure begins...

Gareth bests...
Six thieves,

Two knights,

The Black Knight,

The Green Knight,

Sir Persaunt of Inde,

and of course, not forgetting, The Red Knight of the Red Lands.

At the same time he wins Lynet's approval! (It takes a great deal of effort to impress these Dark Age women.)

Gareth falls in love with Lyonesse, the lady of the castle, and she with him - so she send him away for another year?? (Like you do when you love someone?) Meanwhile Lyonesse sends her brother, Sir Gryngamour, to capture the dwarf - the dwarf reveals Gareth's true identity!

Meanwhile, Gareth is searching for the lost dwarf. He arrives at Grungamour's castle. Here, Lyonesse seduces him, although she is in disguise. She then tells him who she is and they almost make love, but they are interrupted. Gareth is not in a forgiving mood and cuts off the intruders head!

Back at Camelot, Lady Morgause turns up looking for her son. Arthur learns the true identity of the boy and to cut a long story short, there is a joust, a magic ring, 30 weeping widows, enough colourful knights that you can lay them along side each other and create a rainbow - and lets not forget, a wedding!

Unfortunately Gareth and his brother, Gaheris, perish by Lancelot's hands, when he fights desperately to save his love, Guinevere, from the burning pyre. Lancelot is deeply grieved by the deaths of Gawain's brothers, but Gawain will not accept his apology. The grievance demands blood.

You can also read about Gareth in Tennyson's  Idylls of the King.

I think Sir Gareth was pretty cool - what do you think?

Sir Gaheris - Knight of the Round Table

I have always been rather intrigued by Sir Gaheris. He was the brother of Sir Gawain and was one of the unfortunate souls who lost his life when Lancelot saved Guinevere from the burning pyre.

Apart from his unfortunate end, what do we know about him?

Firstly, he is the nephew of King Arthur. His mother was Arthur's half-sister, Morgause, and his father was King Lot. Lot was the king of Orkney and Lothian. The family boasted of five boys altogether -- Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, Gareth and there was a half-brother called Mordred...you may have heard of him??!

In Prose Lancelot he is described as;
Handsome,
Agile,
Valiant,
Shy - not one for making speeches,
Had a temper (although not as bad as Gawain's),
His right arm was longer than the left.
 
He isn't portrayed in the best of lights in the work of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur -- there is that terrible incident where he was involved in the revenge killing of King Pellinore (Pellinore murdered Gaheris's father).  He beheads his own mother when he discovers her in a very comprimising postion with Pellinore's son, Sir Lamorak. To make matters worse, Gaheris blames his mother murder on Lamorak who is then hunted down and killed, by Gaheris's brothers.
 
This 'act of revenge' goes against the knightly code and when it is discovered that Gaheris murdered his mother, he is banished from court.


For some reason he reappears later on in Malory's story. Guinevere is to be executed for her affair with Lancelot. Arthur expects that Lancelot will try and rescue her. He asks Gaheris, Garath and Gawain to protect the pyre. Guinevere must died. Gaheris and Garath reluctantly agree to, but Gawain refuses.

As expected Lancelot attempts a rescue and is sucessful, but because Gaheris and Garath are not wearing their armour, Lancelot does not recognise them and cuts them down.

When Gawain learns of his brothers death, his grief and rage are great.

The death of Gaheris and his brother marks the begging of the end of Cameot and her knights and the rest, as they say, is history or legend, or whatever else you want to call it...!

 

Guinevere - The Legend

The last time I talked of Guinevere, I spoke of her Welsh connections. If you missed it, you can read the post here. Today, I am going to look at the rest of her story. If you are a regular reader of my blog then some of what I am going to say may be familiar - Guinevere does tend to pop up when one talks about Arthur...or Lancelot, for that matter.

Guinevere was the daughter of King Leodegrance. Leodegrance was a loyal knight when Uther Pendragon sat on the throne and he was entrusted with the precious Round Table after Uther's death. He is sometimes referred to as The Keeper of the Table.

When Arthur took the throne, he did not have the support of all the kingdoms and he spent the early part of his reign fighting to prove his worth. Leodegrance was an ally and Arthur came to his aid when Rience attacked -- Rience wanted to control all 12 kingdoms of Britain, Arthur's Kingdom was the 12th. Once Arthur and his men had driven Rience from Leodegrance's kingdom, Leodegrance introduced Arthur to his daughter, Guinevere.

Arthur and Guinevere fall instantly in love and they married. Arthur couldn't be happier - all he needed now was for the rest of the kingdoms to recognise him, as High King and life would be perfect.

Guinevere is abducted by the evil Meleagant. Sir Gawain volunteers to rescue her. But he isn’t the only man intent on rescuing her.

It is Lancelot that finds her. It is Lancelot that saves her. How can she not love this brave and noble knight.  If you want to read the rest of this story, you can check it out here.

  

Lancelot and Guinevere by Herbert James Draper (c.1890)

 

Guinevere and Lancelot cannot help themselves. They find themselves playing a very dangerous game in the name of love.

When Arthur finds out of his wife's unfaithfulness and Lancelot’s disloyalty he accuses both his wife and his knight of High Treason. Guinevere begs Lancelot to leave before he is arrested. On her persistent urging he does. Arthur, in his rage and grief, sentences Guinevere to be burned at the stake as a traitor - what else can he do?

But let us not forget that Arthur is incredibly clever. I like to think that his sentence of Guinevere to death was merely a ploy to trap Lancelot. Arthur knew that Lancelot would find out. He knew that Lancelot would come for her. Arthur sends his most loyal knights to intercept the traitor. Lancelot must die. This treachery cannot be forgiven.

As angry as he is with Lancelot, Sir Gawain cannot bring himself to watch his Queen die, nor can he kill one of his bestfriends. He refuses to attend the execution.

Lancelot does rescue the Queen, but in doing so he kills Gawain's two brothers. Gawain will never forgive Lancelot for this - he wants revenge.

 

The Rescue of Guinevere by William Hatherell

Meanwhile Lancelot takes his lover to safety, but Guinevere is overcome with guilt and, despite everything that has happened, she loves her husband. She returns to Arthur. Lancelot reluctantly lets her go. There is nothing left for him here now, she has made her choice. He goes home to Brittany.

However, Lancelot has to pay for what he had done. Arthur will not let the insult go unpunished. Arthur takes his knights and his army across the water. He leaves Britain and Guinevere in, what he thinks, are the safe hands of Mordred. 

But while the cats away the mice will play….Mordred has an evil scheme to take over Arthur’s kingdom and marry his Queen. Guinevere finds out about Mordred's plot and flees, seeking sanctuary first at The Tower of London (because that was built then??? Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that was built after the Norman occupation) and then at a convent.  

Meanwhile, back in Brittany, Gawain, in a fit of rage, kills Lancelot's brothers in battle. He has had his revenge. But it didn’t taste as sweet as he had hoped it would. 

 News travels from Britain and Arthur learns of Mordred disloyalty. A truce is called. Lancelot tells Arthur that he will travel with him back to Britain and despite what Arthur thinks of him, his loyalty to Camelot has never wavered. Arthur refuses Lancelot’s request. But the battle between the two men is over. Arthur has to return to Camelot.

  

Arthur's army and Mordred's, meet at Camlann. Arthur kills Mordred, but he himself is gravely wounded. He is taken to the Isle of Avalon and no one knows what happened after that.

Guinevere meets Lancelot one more time. They say their farewells and she joins a convent while he joins a monastery.

That is one version of events anyway!

  
Guinevere by Henry Justice Ford (c.1910)

Camelot at Christmas

Tis the season…

For those living in the Dark Ages, winter was a long drawn out affair. It was cold, food was scarce and the threat of death was ever present, like a knife dangling over ones head, waiting to claim its next victim. It really was a fight for survival. Nothing was guaranteed - at least of all your life.

From the very beginning, the darkest days of winter was a cause to celebrate. The people needed something to look forward to and spring seemed so very far away.

Arthur and his knights celebrated Christmas - if the stories are to be believed. In fact, Christmas at Camelot was usually very memorable and you wouldn't want to miss it, because Arthur’s Christmas feast were renowned.

There was music so exquisite that it lifted your eyes towards the Heavens. Singing raised the spirit. Dancing made your heart beat in time with the drums and served as a reminded to the guests that they were alive, and they were part of something special.

The Great Hall was lit with expensive candlelight, probably made of beeswax, and a fire burned brightly in the hearth, so no one felt the cold. This was a safe place, and the worries of the world could be left outside the castle gates. Nothing bad could happen to you when you were enfolded in the warm embrace of Camelot’s strong and mightily walls.

 

Feasting at King Arthur’s Court

 

 And the food…every type of delicacy was served - no expense spared. The first course arrived to a fanfare of music, as if the meal itself was royal. Soups, bread, fish, spice cakes, the list was endless - no one went hungry here. There was so much food that the tables bowed with the weight of it.

For every two knights there were twelve separate dishes. Beer overflowed and the wine kept on coming. It was a good time to be alive.

Let us not forget the entertainment. Bards traveled from afar to tell their magnificent tales of knights and dragons, villain's and heroes. Jesters and magicians made sure everyone was having a good time. Maybe they would even have had a snowball fight - can you imagine that? The knights of Camelot battling it out in the snow, slipping over on the ice as they threw a wet ball of snow at their next victim! Gifts were exchanged and Arthur looked on and thought this is the life; this is how it should be.

How do I know all of this? You ask…

The Arthurian Christmas feast is described in the tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Can you remember that story? I have blogged about it before, but if you have missed it you can read about here.

Truthfully, I have no idea how Arthur celebrated Christmas. Nothing of social etiquette was written down in the Dark Ages - in fact hardly anything on any subject was written down - which is why it is called the Dark Ages. All we can do is have an educated guess, but the problem with guesses, even educated ones, is that they can be wrong. The medieval text, that I am using as reference, was written in the late 14^th Century. The author, of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, who goes by that famous name, anonymous, was probably writing about medieval feasting in the 14^th Century, it was what he knew after all. Although, I do not think a beheading game was a particularly popular party game in the 14^th Century - anonymous must have made that bit up. 

But let us imagine, for one moment, that the text of the Green Knight is accurate. What would theses 12 dishes look like?

I am going to take an educated guess…and I have already told you what that means.

Pottage, a kind of soup, but I am thinking of a rich one made with the finest cuts of beef, no dollops of fat and gristle in this soup - unless you asked for it.

Roasted Goose perhaps, or maybe roasted Partridge – how about both?

Salmon

Dry cured hams

A boars head? That always looks good on a table.

Venison

Cheese

Eggs - maybe preserved ones, because chickens generally stop laying during the winter months.

Pastries

The only fresh vegetables would have been seasonal, but back in the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages for that matter, it was not recommend to eat raw fruit and veg, for fear of dysentery – one of the biggest killers of the time.

But hey, they had ale and mead and wine and beer, to wash it all down with. I should imagine there was many a rosy face at these feasts. And these feast went on for days. It would have cost a fortune to host, so Arthur would have certainly had to have been very wealthy.

I often imagine what it would have been like at one of these feasts - noisy, I should think and busy. Eating until you felt like you have been stuffed. Surrounded by your friends and foes alike - for I doubt very much all the knights liked each other - can you imagine the egos and the competition between the knights to be the best and the favorite of the King?!

Still, I think everyone would have had a good time...

Although maybe not Gawain, he had next Christmas to look forwards to, when it would be his turn to bare his neck and face the Green Knight's axe.