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Gawain
Gawain, Gawayne, Gawen, Gavin, Gauvain (Fr.) [cf. W gwalchmai, hawk / falcon of May; gwalch(g)wyn, white hawk / falcon; Bret. Walchmoe; L Gualganus]. The principal hero of Arthurian romances, nephew of Arthur, son of Lot and Morgawse of Orkney whose links to the Celtic world have been extensively commented upon. His name in Welsh is Gwalchmai fab Gwyar [son of Gwyar, the Welsh name for Lot in Culhwch ac Olwen]. The anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (written c.1370), the masterpiece of Middle English Arthuriana, contains unmistakable parallels with the beheading contest in the latter half of Fled Bricrenn [Briccriu's Feast]. A character very much like Gawain appears in the early Modern Irish romance Eachtra an Mhadra Mhaoil [The Adventure of the Crop-Eared Dog] under the name Sir Bhalbhauidh. Additionally, the temptress wife in Sir Gawain shows parallels with Pwyll and the wife of Arawn.
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "Gawain." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "Gawain." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Gawain.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "Gawain." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Gawain.html |
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Gawain, Sir
Gawain, Sir (Walwain, Sir) the eldest of the four sons of King Lot of Orkney and Arthur's sister Morgawse. In the Arthurian legends he is prominent from the first 12th-cent. stories in which he is the leading knight, courageous, pure, and courteous. In later versions his excellence was surpassed by that of Launcelot. In Geoffrey of Monmouth he is Arthur's ambassador to Rome; in Malory he becomes at the end the bitter enemy of Launcelot who has accidentally killed Gawain's beloved youngest brother Gaheris and who also killed Gareth. Gawain is killed when Arthur lands at Dover before the final battle with Mordred. The most celebrated single adventure of Gawain is the one described in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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Cite this article
MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Gawain, Sir." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Gawain, Sir." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-GawainSir.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Gawain, Sir." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-GawainSir.html |
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Sir Gawain
Sir Gawain , one of the most popular heroes of Arthurian legend ; nephew of King Arthur. He was regarded, particularly in the early romances, as the model of chivalry—pure, brave, and courteous. In later romances, when spiritual purity was valued more than chivalrous deeds, his character deteriorated, becoming treacherous and brutal. Gawain is most famous as the hero of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (see Pearl, The ). |
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"Sir Gawain." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sir Gawain." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Gawain-S.html "Sir Gawain." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Gawain-S.html |
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Gawain
Gawain in Arthurian legend, one of the knights of the Round Table who sought for the Holy Grail. He is Arthur's nephew, and is the hero of the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Gawain." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Gawain." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Gawain.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Gawain." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Gawain.html |
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Gawain
Gawain
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•weathervane • vervain • Gawain
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Cite this article
"Gawain." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Gawain." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Gawain.html "Gawain." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Gawain.html |
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