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12 Gawain, Uwain, and Marhalt

When Sir Gawain learned that Sir Uwain had been sent from court, he prepared to go with him, “for whosoever banishes my close cousin also banishes me!” So they departed together and rode into a great forest, where they came to an abbey of monks where they were well lodged.

When the king learned that Gawain had left court, great sorrow was made by all the people. “Now,” said Gaheris, Gawain’s brother, “we have lost two knights for the love of one.”

So in the morning they heard mass at the abbey and rode forth until they came to the great forest. Then Sir Gawain saw in a valley near a turret twelve fair damsels and two armed knights on horseback, moving to and fro near a tree. Then Gawain noticed that a white shield was hanging from that tree, and as the damsels went by it they spit on it, and some threw mud upon the shield. Then Gawain and Uwain went and greeted them, and asked why they did that to the shield.

C IV.17

“Sir,” said the damsels, “we shall tell you. There is a knight in this country who owns this white shield, and he is a well-accomplished man in terms of knightly skill, but he hates all ladies and gentlewomen, and therefore that is why we do this dishonor to that shield.”

“I shall tell you,” said Sir Gawain, “that it seems an evil thing for a good knight to despise all ladies and gentlewomen. Perhaps he has some cause to hate you, and perhaps in some other place he loves ladies and gentlewomen and they love him in return, if he is such a knight of prowess as you say. Now, what is his name?

“Sir,” they said, “his name is Marhalt, the son of the king of Ireland.”

“I know him well,” said Sir Uwain. “He is as good a knight as any alive today, for I saw him once prove himself at a joust where many knights had gathered, and at that time no man could withstand him.”

“Ah,” said Sir Gawain, “damsels, methinks that you are to blame; and it seems likely that he hung that shield here and will be back to get it before long, and then your knights may challenge him on horseback. It would be more to your worship to do thus, for I will stay here no longer to see a knight’s shield so dishonored.” At that, Sir Gawain and Sir Uwain went some distance away from them. And then they noticed Sir Marhalt was coming on a horse, riding straight at them.

When the twelve damsels saw Sir Marhalt, they fled to the turret in a panic, and some of them fell as they ran. Then one of the knights of the tower flourished his shield and called out, “Sir Marhalt, defend yourself!”

So they ran together, and the knight broke his spear on Sir Marhalt, but Sir Marhalt smote him so hard that he broke his neck and his horse’s back. The other knight of the turret saw that, and dressed himself toward Marhalt, and they met so violently that this knight of the turret and his horse were both struck down, dead. Then Sir Marhalt rode up to his shield and saw that it was stained, and said, “Of this dishonor I am avenged. Yet still, for the love of her who gave me this white shield I shall wear it and hang mine where that one was.”

C IV.18, 19

So he hung that shield around his neck, and rode straight over to Sir Gawain and Sir Uwain and asked them what they were doing there. They answered him and said they had come from King Arthur’s court to seek adventures.

“Well,” said Sir Marhalt, “here I am ready, an adventurous knight that will fulfill any adventure you desire.” And then he departed from them to line up for battle.

“Let him go,” said Sir Uwain to Sir Gawain, “for he is as good a knight as any alive. I do not wish that either of us should challenge him.”

“Nay,” said Sir Gawain, “not so! It would be shame to us if we did not challenge him, no matter how good a knight he is.”

“Well,” said Sir Uwain, “I will challenge him before you, for I am weaker than you, and if he strikes me down, then you shall avenge me.”

So these two knights came together with great ferocity; Sir Uwain smote Sir Marhalt so that his spear broke into pieces on the other’s shield, and Sir Marhalt smote him so severely that both horse and man fell to the earth, and Sir Uwain injured his left side.

Then Sir Marhalt turned his horse and rode back to his position, and made himself ready with his spear. When Sir Gawain saw that, he positioned his shield, they couched their spears, and came together with all the might of their horses, each smiting the other hard in the middle of the shield. Sir Gawain’s spear broke, but Sir Marhalt’s held, and Sir Gawain and his horse fell to the earth.

Quickly Sir Gawain leapt to his feet and pulled out his sword, and positioned himself facing Sir Marhalt on foot. When Sir Marhalt saw that, he pulled out his sword, and began to come at Sir Gawain on horseback.

“Sir knight,” said Sir Gawain, “dismount and come on foot, or I will kill your horse.”

“Thank you,” said sir Marhalt, “for your knightliness! You teach me courtesy, for it is not proper for one knight to be on horseback and the other on foot.” Then Sir Marhalt set his spear against a tree, dismounted, and tied his horse to a tree; he took up his shield, and each came at the other eagerly, striking together with their swords so that their shields flew into pieces, and they bruised their helmets and hauberks and wounded each other.

Because it was nine o’clock, Sir Gawain grew ever stronger and stronger; by the time it was noon, he had increased in strength three-fold. Sir Marhalt saw this, and had great wonder at how he continually increased in might. They wounded each other severely. When it was past noon and heading toward evening, Sir Gawain’s strength declined and he grew faint, so that he could not endure much longer, and Sir Marhalt then grew stronger and stronger.

“Sir knight,” said Sir Marhalt, “I can tell that you are a passing good knight and a marvelous man of might as any with whom I have ever encountered; our quarrel is not great, and therefore it would be a pity to seriously wound you, for I feel that you are growing weaker.”

“Ah,” said Sir Gawain, “gentle knight, you speak the words that I should say.”

Then they removed their helmets and each kissed the other and then they swore that they would love each other as brothers ever after. Sir Marhalt asked Sir Gawain to stay with him that night.

So they took their horses and rode toward Sir Marhalt’s manor. And as they rode, Gawain said, “Sir knight, I have marvel at you, so valiant a man of prowess, that you do not love ladies and damsels.”

“Sir,” said Sir Marhalt, “they lie about me, and it is only the damsels of the turret and others like them whom I hate. Now I shall tell you why I hate them: they are sorceresses and enchantresses, and if a knight is strong of body and as full of prowess as a man may be, they will turn him into a coward to have the better of him. This is the main reason why I hate them. But as for all good ladies and gentlewomen, I serve them as a knight ought to do.”

As the French book tells, only six knights ever bested Sir Gawain, and these were Sir Lancelot du Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Perceval, Sir Pelleas, and Sir Marhalt.

Within a short time, they came to Sir Marhalt’s place, which was in a small priory, and there they alit; ladies and damsels unarmed them and attended to their wounds, for all three of them were hurt. They had comfortable lodging with Sir Marhalt and good hospitality, for when he learned that they were King Arthur’s sisters’ sons, he showed them all the hospitality he could. So they stayed there a week and had their wounds well treated, and finally they departed.

“Nay,” said Sir Marhalt, “we will not depart so easily, for I will lead you through the forest.” So all three of them rode forth and Sir Marhalt took with him his greatest spear. They rode through the forest, and it was seven days before they found any adventure.

Finally they came into a great forest that was called the forest of Arroy in the country of the same name, and it is a country of strange adventures. “In this country,” said Marhalt, “a knight has never come, since this place was named, but that he found strange adventures.”

So they rode on and came to a deep valley full of stones, with a stream of water running through it. At the head of the stream was a fair fountain, with three damsels sitting nearby. They rode up to them and each greeted the other.

The eldest damsel had a garland of gold about her head, and she was sixty years of age or more, and her hair was white beneath the garland. The second damsel was thirty years old, and she had a circlet of gold about her head. The third damsel was fifteen years of age, and she had a garland of flowers about her head.

When the knights saw them, they asked why they sat at the fountain. “We are here,” said the damsels, “for this reason: if we see any knights-errant, we will lead them to strange adventures. You are three adventurous knights and we are three damsels; therefore, each of you must choose one of us. When you have done so, we will lead you to a place where three different highways diverge; each of you shall choose a way and a damsel to go with you. In a year you must meet here again, if, by God’s grace, you are still alive. You must swear to follow these conditions.”

“That is well said,” said Sir Marhalt. “Now, each of us shall choose a damsel.”

CIV.20

“I shall tell you,” said Sir Uwain, “that as I am the youngest and weakest of all of us, let me have the eldest damsel, for she has seen much and will best be able to help me when I have need, for I have more need of help than either of you.”

“Now,” said Sir Marhalt, “I will take the damsel of thirty year of age, for she seems best suited to me.”

“Well,” said Sir Gawain, “I thank you, for you have left me the youngest and the fairest, and she is the one I would prefer.”

Then each damsel took her knight by the reins of his bridle and brought him to the three ways; there they made a promise to meet again at the fountain in a year if they were all still alive. So they kissed and departed, and each knight set his lady behind him. Sir Uwain took the way that went west, Sir Marhalt the way that went south, and Sir Gawain took the way that went north.