Patrick Stuart's Blog, page 73

Gawain 1978 - 2024, Gawain exits like a boss for the second time.

With care and with kissing he speaks a little still,
And full-felt thanks he finely bestows,
And they said to him samely of that kind;
That commended him to Christ with full cold sighs.
Then from that many he meetly departs;
To each man from that meeting, made specific thanks
For his service and his solace and his personal role
That they with busyness had been about him to serve;
Was each sire as sore to sever with him there
As if he had lived honourably in that house for ever.
Then by lads with lights he was led to his chamber
And blithely brought to his bed to be at his rest.
If he slept soundly say not dare I
For he had much on the morrow to mind, if he would,
          in thought.
Let him lie there still,
He was near what he sought;
If you will a while be still,
I shall tell you how that worked.


Now nears the New Year and the night passes,
The day drives to the dark, as the Deity bids.
But wild weathers of the world wakened there-out,
Clouds casting keenly the cold to the earth,
With noise enough from the north, the naked to scour;
The snow sintered in sky, snapped at the ground;
The wrathful wind whisked down from the heights,
And drove each dale full of drifts full great.
The lad listened full well, that lies in his bed,
Though he lowers his lids, full little he sleeps;
By each cock that crowed he knew well the time.
Directly he dressed up 'ere the day sprung,
For there was light of a lamp that gleamed in his chamber.
He called to his chamberlain, that called back fast,
And bade him bring him his hauberk and saddle his horse;
That other fellow gets up and fetches his gear,
And arraigned Sir Gawain in splendid guise.
First he clad him in his clothes, the cold for to ware,
And then his other harness, that close by was kept,
Both his plackart and breastplate, polished full clean,
The rings ridded of the rust of his rich mail;
And all was fresh as upon first, as he was fain then
          to thank.
He put on each fine piece,
Wrapped neatly as a tank;
The gayest into Greece,
The man bade bring his shank.

Gawain 1922 - 1978, Gawain confirms he is Kinsey One max.

And then they hied away home, for it was near night,
Sounding full stoutly on their strong horns.
The lord alights at the last at his beloved home,
Fire flickers on flag-stones, the knight there-beside,
Sir Gawain the good, that glad was with all,
Among the ladies for love he laid much joy.
he wore a tunic of teal that just touched the earth;
His surcoat seemed him well that soft was furred,
And his hood of that ilk on his shoulder hung,
Each all of ermine were edged all around.
He meets with this good man in midst of the floor,
And all in gaming he greets, and gaily said,
"I shall first fulfill our final deal,
That we speedily spoke of when spared was no drink."
Then clasps he the knight and kisses him thrice,
As sweetly and strongly as he could them set.
"By Christ," said the other knight, "you caught a good sale
In choosing this commodity, if you cheaply it got."
"Think not of the cheapness or charge," said chiefly that other,
"As I have parceled and presented the purchase I made."
"Mary," said that other man, "mine is much less,
For I have hunted all this day, and naught have I got
But this foul fox fur - the fiend have such goods! -
And that is full poor to pay for such prized things
As you have carefully caressed me with, these kisses
          so good.
"Enough," said Gawin
I thank you, by the rood,"
And how the fox was slain
He told him as they stood.


With mirth and minstrally, with meat of their will,
They made as merry as any man might -
With laughing of ladies, with joking of bawds,
Gawain and the good man so glad were they both -
Unless both demented, or drunk were they all.
Both the men and their many made many japes,
Till the season was certain that they sever must;
Bros to their beds be-heaved them at last.
Then loyally his leave of the lord first
Files this free man for, and for his fayre thanks:
"Of such a sweet sojourn as I have had here,
Your honour at this high feast, the high king you reward!
I'll swap you me for one of yours, if yourself likes,
For I must needs, as you know, make off in the morn,
So lend me some servant to teach, as you said,
The gate to the green chapel, as God will me suffer
To deal on New Years day the doom of my wyrd."
"In good faith," said the good man, "with a good will
All that ever I promised you I shall fulfill."
There assigns he a servant to set him on the way
And conduct him by the downs that he no delay had,
For to drive through the dales and so the green chapel,
          achieve.
The lord Gawain then implored
That in leaving he would grieve;
Then of the ladies pure
The knight then took his leave.

Gawain 1871 - 1921, Planned sex game or just weird situation, we will never know*.

Then she takes her leave and leaves him there,
For more mirth of the man might she not get.
When she was gone, Sir Gawain gears him soon,
Rises and dresses in noble array,
Lays away the love-lace the lady him gave,
Hid it full stealthily where he might later find.
Then quickly to the chapel chooses the way,
Privately approached a priest, and prayed him there
That he would listen to his life and learn him better
How his soul should be saved when he should see heaven.
There he shrove him sincerely and showed his misdeeds,
Of the min to the maximum, and mercy beseeches,
And for absolution he on the priest calls;
And he absolved him surely and set him so clean
As doomsday should have been due on the morn.
And then he made him as merry among the free ladies,
With comely carols and all kinds of joy,
As never he did but on that day, till the dark night,
          with bliss.
Each man had delight becasue
Of him and said, "What is
The cause, merrier he never was
Since he came here, 'ere this."


Now lets leave him lounging there, may love him betide!
Set is the lord on the land, leading his men.
He has boxed in the fox that he long followed;
As he sprinted over a span to spy the schemer,
There as he heard the hounds that hasted towards,
Reynard came writhing through a rough bush,
And all the rabble in a rush right at his heels.
The watcher, aware of the wild one, warily waits,
And brings out the bright brand and at the beast cuts.
And he shifted from the sharp and should have escaped;
But a dog rushed upon him before he might rise,
And right before the horses feet they fell on him all,
And worried they the wily one with a wrathful noise.
The lord alights quickly and grabs him all up,
Brought him full boldly from the biting mouths,
Holds him over his head, halooing loud,
And there bayed with him many brutal hounds.
Hunters hied them thither with horns full many,
All blowing loudly till they their lord saw.
By that was come his company noble,
All that ever bore bugles blew them at once,
And all these other, that had no horns, hallooed;
It was the merriest mass that ever men heard
The rich roar that was raised there for Reynards soul
          with gloat.
Their hounds they then reward,
They stroked their heads and throat.
And then they took Reynard
And stripped him of his coat.



*We do know at the end. Planned sex game.

Gawain 1817 - 1869, Wait, what if I was creepily non-consensual, with MAGIC.

She offered him a rich ring of red gold worked,
With a star-like stone standing aloft,
That held blazing beams as of the bright sun;
Be aware reader, it was worth a well full horde.
But the rider refused it, and readily he said,
"I wish no gifts, for God, my gay, at this time;
I have none to offer, nor none will I take."
She bade it him full busily, and he her boldly warns,
And swears swiftly his certainty that he would refuse;
And she saw he forsook her, and said thereafter,
"If you renaig on my ring, for seems it too rich,
You would not so highly beholden be to me,
I shall give you my girdle, that gains you less."
She unlached a lace lightly that lead under her sides,
Cast upon her kirtle under the clear mantle,
Geared it was with green silk and with gold shaped,
Its borders embroidered, beaded with pendants;
And that she gave to Gawain, and glibly claimed,
That it unworthy was, that take it he would.
And he said that he would not in no way take,
Either gold or gift, before God his grace sent
To achieve to the chance that he had chosen there.
"And therefore, I pray you, displease you not,
And let be your busyness, for believe I will never
          so grant.
I am dearly to you beheld
Because of your sweet semblance
And ever in hot or cold
Will be your true servant."


"Now forsake you this silk," said the sweet girl,
"For it is simple in itself? And so it well seems:
Lo! so it is little, and less it is worthy.
But who-so knew the cost that knit was therein,
He would it praise at more prize, peradventure;
For what guy is so good with this green lace,
While he had it well wrapped about,
There is no human under heaven to hew him that might,
For he might not be slain by any strike on this earth."
Then the knight considered, and it came to his heart
It was a grant from the jeopardy he would soon be judged by:
When he achieved to the chapel his check for to fetch,
Might he slip to be un-slain. A noble slight.
And he thawed his resistance and thought she should speak
And she bore on him the belt and bade it he wear -
And he granted, and gave in with a good will -
She besought him, for her sake, discover it never,
But to loyally elude her lord; the lad he accords
That no one in the world would ever learn, or but those two
          know the whole.
He thanked her oft,  full kind,
Full true with heart and soul.
At that, for the third time
She kissed the knight so bold.




What am I and what am I not?


1. Additive rather than subordinative.2. Aggrigative rather than analytic.3. Redundant or 'copious'.4. Conservative or traditionalist.5. Close to the human lifeworld.6. Agonistically toned.7. Empathic and participatory rather than objectively toned.8. Homeostatic.9. Situational rather than abstract.
This list is from a book by Walter J Ong called "Orality and Literacy", its from chapter two; "Some Psychodynamics of Orality" and its a series of sub-headings about the qualities that the culture primarily oral society has in contrast with a literate society.
Part of the reason I found it so fascinating is becasue of the similarities I saw between the dominant modes of oral cultures and the modes of some subcultures, or interests, that I'm involved with. Probably the most obvious are OSR D&D and Superhero stuff, though serial genre fictions and stuff like 40k would fit there well also.
I'll go through them one by one.
1. Additive rather than subordonative.2. Aggrigative rather than analytic.3. Redundant or 'copious'.
D&D, Superheroes and serial genre fiction all love adding and adding and adding things on. They grow in heaps and piles rather than in neatly rearranged closed systems like literary fiction and story games.
  4. Conservative or traditionalist. 
Kind-of. Maybe. This is an argument for the internet I think.
5. Close to the human lifeworld.
Again debatable but DIY D&D's interest in modelling rules through particular physical actions in the imagined world rather than through abstract conflicts does remind me of this.
6. Agonistically toned.7. Empathic and participatory rather than objectively toned.
Agonistically toned, Agon for conflict and I would say yes, absolutely in D&D. Empathic and participatory, I would say yes again.
8 Homeostatic.
That is, made to stay the same or to feel the same. Again, debatable, but I would say there is an element or at least a strand of this in D&D that explicitly isn't there in storygames.
9. Situational rather than abstract.
Well, yeah.

A Riddle and Gawain 1769 - 1816, Look, no means no.

Here's a riddle for you.
I am;
1. Additive rather than subordinative.2. Aggrigative rather than analytic.3. Redundant or 'copious'.4. Conservative or traditionalist.5. Close to the human lifeworld.6. Agonistically toned.7. Empathic and participatory rather than objectively toned.8. Homeostatic.9. Situational rather than abstract.
What am I, and what am I not?
(Below is your daily Gawain.)
.............................................................................................................................................




For that princess of prize pressed on him so thick,
Spurred him so near the thread, that needs he must choose
Either let through her love, or loathly refuse.
He cared for his courtesy, lest churl he should be,
And more for his mischief if he should make sin,
And be traitor to the knight that that tower had.
"God shield," said the chevalier, "that shall not befall!"
With love-laughing and lightness he laid him beside
All the speeches of solicitude that sprang from her mouth.
Said that girl to the guy, "Blame you deserve,
If you love not that life that you lie next,
Before all the women in the world wounded in heart,
But if you have another, a lover, that you like better,
And hold faith to that lady, fastened so hard
That you not loose it lightly - that's likely the case.
And that you tell me that now truly I pray you;
For all the love of him on high, hide not the truth
          for guile.
The knight said, "By Saint John,"
And gently then he smiled,
"In faith I wield so none,
Nor none will wield this while."


"That is a word," said that woman, "that worst is of all:
But I am answered, certainly, and sore it me thinks.
Kiss me now comely and I shall cast myself away;
I may but mourn in this material world, as may those who much love."
Sighing she stooped down and seemly him kissed,
And certain she severs from him, and says as she stands.
"Now, dear, at this departing, do me this ease,
Give me something as thy gift, thy golve if it were,
That I may mindfully think of thee, man, my mourning to lessen."
"Now really," said the wanderer, "I would I had here
The loveliest thing for thy life that I in land wield,
For you have deserved, for certain, several times over
More reward by reason that I reach might.
But to to give you for gift some cheap geegaw! -
It is not for your honour to have at this time
A glove as a pargon of Gawains gifts,
And I am here on an errand in areas uncouth,
And have no bros with no baggage with beautiful things;
That mislikes me, lady, for love at this time,
Each man must do as fortune make, take you not ill
          or pine."
"Nay, knight of high honours,"
Said that lady so fine,
"Though I have nothing of yours,
Yet you shall have something of mine."

Gawain 1719 - 1768, Sexy and increasingly creepy.

Then was it lovely upon life to listen to the hounds,
When all the mutts had met him, the pack merged.
Such slurs at that sight they set on his head
As if the clustering crags had clattered in heaps.
Here he was hallooed at when hunters he met,
Loud was he saluted with snarling speech;
There was persecuted and often thief called,
Always the terminating chasers at his tail, that tarry he not;
Often he ran out, was attacked, ran back,
And turned on his own trail, intelligent Reynard.
And so by a hairs length lead them, the lord and his many,
In this manner, by the mountains through mid afternoon,
While the healthy knight at home handsomely sleeps
Within the comely curtains, on the cold morn.
But the lady, for love, let not to sleep.
Nor the purpose to pale that pierced in her heart,
But rose up readily, rushed her hither
In a merry mantle whose hems met the earth,
that was furred full fine with fleeces well pared,
No coif on her head but care-hewn stones
Traced about her features by twenty in clusters;
Her tempting face and her teasing throat were naked both,
Her breast bare before, and behind as well.
She comes within the chamber door, and closes it her after,
Raises up a window, and on Gawain calls,
And rapidly thus rallied him with her rich words,
          with cheer.
"A! man, how may you sleep?
This morning is so clear."
He was in drowsing deep,
But then he could her hear.


In deep torpor of dream drawled that noble,
As man that was in mourning, of many stark thoughts,
How that destiny should that day deal him his wyrd
At the green chapel, where he the game ends,
And must his blow abide without debate more.
But when that comely came, he clasped his wits,
Starts out of the swoon and swears with haste.
The lovely lady leaned, laughing sweetly,
Folds over his fair face and finely him kissed;
He welcomes her worthily and with winning cheer.
He sees her so glorious and gayly attired,
So faultless of her features and of so fine hues,
Quick welling joy warmed his heart.
With smooth smiling and silliness they sank into mirth
Then all was bliss and bounty that broke them between,
          and Wynne.
They lanced words right good,
Much joy there was therein;
Great peril between them stood,
If Mary her knight would not win.

Gawain 1668 - 1718, Poor fox.

And there they drank and dallied, and deemed it keen
To keep the same compact on New Years eve;
But the knight craved leave to escape on the morn,
For crept closer the calendar with its cold end,
And near was the meeting that miss he could not.
The lord tried to relieve him and ask that he stay,
And said, "As I am a true chevalier, I swear by my Truth
You shall make the green chapel, your meeting to match,
Directly, on New Years dawn, before day fully breaks.
So you lie in your loft and laze at your ease,
And I shall hunt in my holdings and hold to the terms,
And exchange my achievment when I choose to return;
For I have tested you twice and faithful have found.
Now 'third time, all testifies' think on the morn;
Make we merry while we may and our minds upon joy,
For a man may catch sadness when-ever he likes."
This was gravely granted and Gawain agreed to stay,
Blithely brought were their drinks, and then to bed went
          with light.
Sir Gawain lies and sleeps
Full still and soft all night;
The lord that his craft keeps,
Full early he alights.


After Mass, a morsel he and his men took;
Merry was the morning, his mount for he asks.
All the hall-men that on horse should hold him after
Climbed boldly aboard their broncos before the hall gates.
Full fair was the field, for the frost clinged;
In red ribbons of cirrus rose the sun,
And full clear coasts through the clouds of the sky.
Hunters un-hounded by a holt side,
Rock-sides resounded with the ring of their horns.
Some hounds fell in the furrow where the fox bade,
Scanning for scents, a dogs expert science.
A whippet whined warning, the whole group pricked up;
His fellows fell to him, a flurry of dogs,
Rushing forth in a rabble on the rightly found trail.
And the fox whisks between them, they found him soon,
And when they set their sights on him they speeded up,
Denouncing him diligently with a dreadful noise;
And he twists and tourneys through many tight gaps,
Stops hard and hearkens by hedges full oft.
At the last by a little ditch he leaps over a span,
Steals out full stilly by a swampy marsh,
Thinks with his wit of the wood he had won from the hounds.
Then as he crawled, before he knew, he came upon a pack,
There three threw themselves at him at once,
          all gray.
He blanched again backwards
And stiffly sprang away,
With all the woe in his heart
To the wood he went away.

Gawain, 1623 - 1689, Everyone's feelings are complex and weird.

The lord full loud with life and merry laughter
When he sees Sir Gawain, with solace he speaks.
The good ladies were got out, and gathered the many;
He shows them the slabs and shapes them the tale
Of the largeness and length, the litheness also
And the will of the wild swine in wood where he fled.
That other knight full comely commended his deeds,
And praised it as great prize that he proved had,
For such a brawny beast, the bold brother said,
Nor a swine of such size he had never seen.
Then handled they that huge head, the knight horror claimed,
And let loudly thereat the lord for to hear.
"Now Gawain," said the good man, "this game is your own
By sincere stipulation you certainly know."
"It is so," said the chevalier, "and as is stil true
All my gain I shall give you again, by my Truth."
He took the knight round the neck and tenderly kissed,
And another of the same he served him again.
"Now we are even," said the horseman, "in this eventide,
Of all the covenants we kept since I came here,
          as law laid.
The lord said, "By saint Giles,
A bold deal I've made!
You'll be rich in a while,
If you keep on such trade."


Then they set up the tables on trestles aloft,
Cast cloths upon; clear light then
Wakened on the walls, waxen torches;
Servants set and served up supper for all.
Much glamour and glee growed in the hall
About the fire upon feasters, and in fair ways
At the supper and after, many sweet songs,
As conducts of Christmas and carols new,
With all the mannerly mirth that man may of tell,
And ever our lovely knight the lady beside.
Such semblance to that chevalier seemly she made,
With still stolen glimpses, that stalwart to please,
That all for-wondered was the wanderer, and wroth with himself,
But he could not for his nature turn from her face,
But dealt with her all dainty, how-so-ever the deed would
          be seen.
When they had played in hall
As long as the lord would deem
To chamber he did call
And to the chimney's gleam.

Gawain 1581 - 1647, You were the real hero, Boar.

Til the knight came himself, kicking his mount,
Sees him biding at bay, his hunters beside.
He leaps lightly down, leaves his courser,
Brings out a bright brand and strides bigly forth,
Forcing through the ford-waters towards the fell beast.
The wild one was aware of the weapon in his hands,
His bristles bunched, out burst such a snort
Those lads feared for their lord, lest befell him the worst.
The swine surged him out at the stalking man so,
The boar and Lord Bertilak fell both in a heap,
In the swift part of the water; the worst had the former,
For the man marks him well, as they meet first,
Set strongly the sharp in the swines throat,
Hit him up to the hilt, that the heart sundered,
And snarling he fell, was swept under the stream,
          into its core.
A hundred hounds surged as he sank,
That bit on him full sore,
Servants dragged him to the bank
And dogs to death him tore.


There was blowing of prize in many brave horns,
Hunters hallooing on high with heaving lungs;
Brachets bayed over the beast, as their master bid,
Of that cheerless chase they had the chiefs been.
Then one that was wise in woodcrafts
To loose and unlace this boar he begins.
First he hews off his head and on high sets,
And then rends him all roughly down the spinal line,
brings out the bowels, burns them on embers,
With bread blended with them his brachets rewards.
Then he brings out the boar-meat in bright broad slabs,
And rips out the remnants, as is right to do;
And set those halves all whole so they hung together,
And certain on the strong shaft stoutly them hangs.
Now with this trophy they set course for home;
The boars head was borne before the bold lord
That had felled him by the ford by the force of his hand
          so strong.
Till he could see Sir Gawain
In hall seemed him full long;
He called, and Gawain came
To get what to him belongs.




I recently bought this print:


From the 'Kill Six Billion Demons' webcomic and they accidentally sent me two instead of one. Its a 16x24 art print. If anyone is a fan and wants it, and doesn't mind paying shipping from the UK then leave a comment down below or on G+ and I will send it to you.
If multiple requests then I will pose some kind of context or tie-breaker.

Gawain 1535 - 1580, I am kinda on the Boars side, even though he's probably a metaphor.

1535 - 1580


"In good faith," said Gawain, "God you reward!
Great is the good glee, and game to me huge,
That one so worthy as you should wander here,
And pine you with so poor a man, and play with your knight
With such cheerful countenance, it eases my cares.
But to take the trouble to myself to true love expound,
And teach the terms and text of tales of arms
To you that, I know well, wields more skill
In that art, by the half, that an hundred of such
As I am, or shall be, on earth long as I live,
It were a folly manifold, my fair one, by my Truth.
I would your will work as I might,
As I am truly beholden, and ever-more will
Be servant to yourself, so save me Our Lord!"
Thus him tested that tempter, and tried him full oft,
For to have won him to woe, what-so she thought else;
But he defended him so fair that no fault seemed,
Nor no evil on either half, nought were they aware of
          but bliss.
They lazed and laughed long;
At the last she him kissed,
Took her leave at the gong
And went her way, thank Christ.



Then rolls he right over and rises for mass,
And then their dinner was done and dearly served.
Our lad with the ladies larked all day,
But the lord over the lands lanced full oft,
Seeking his super-swine, that swept by the banks
And bit the best of his brachets their backs in sunder
Then he bode in a burrow, till bowmen found him,
And made him move his head into more open ground,
Such fell flights there flew where the folk gathered.
But he set the staunchest to start by the stands that he made,
Till at last was so whacked-out he might no more run,
But with the haste he had left he to a hollow wins
In a ravine by a rock there reigns the boar.
He got the bank at his back and began to scrape,
The froth foams at his fearsome mouth all while he,
Whets his white tusks. Willing they were not,
All the brothers so bold that by him stood
To near him (they feared him) go, of these men none dared
          by oath.
He had hurt so many by then
That all there were full loath
To be more with his tusks torn,
that were brave and brutal both.