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Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady
Sir Gawain is one of the legendary knights of King Arthur's Round Table. In this absorbing story his courage and chivalry are tested to the full when he swears to save the honour of his King by marrying the Loathly Lady.
Winner of the 1985 Kate Greenaway Medal.
Winner of the 1985 Kate Greenaway Medal.
28 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1985
About the author
Selina Shirley Hastings
36 books33 followersLady Selina Shirley Hastings is a British journalist, author and biographer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
November 13, 2022
"What is it that women most desire?" The question that has plagued all men (and women, too, for that matter) since time immemorial must get an answer within three days in this tale. Or Arthur loses both his life and his kingdom to the Black Knight.
The king sets out to find the answer to the riddle immediately, asking every single woman he sees on his way back to the castle, but he gets as many answers as women he asks, and none of them say the same. In the castle itself, Arthur thinks he'll fare better with the noblewomen.
But...
Resigned to losing the wager, Arthur thinks it's all lost. But then he meets a woman whose appearance is of "a freak, a monster, a truly loathly lady," who claims to have the answer to the riddle and will reveal it to Arthur in exchange for one of his knights in marriage. Arthur is horrified at first, but has to agree to it as he's already given his word of honour. He keeps his crown, and Sir Gawain offers himself as husband to the Loathly Lady.
So far, so Beauty and the Beast. And it stays Beauty and the Beast to the end, when Gawain unwittingly gives the answer to the riddle to his new wife on their wedding night, when she challenges him to choose between having her pretty by day and ugly by night or ugly by day and pretty by night. Initially, Gawain thinks with the wrong brain but quickly rectifies after proper chastising and gives his final answer, that breaks the curse the Loathly Lady is under and allows her to regain her true form.
Beautiful story, isn't it? This is the tale that made Gawain my favourite knight not just from the Round Table and adjacent Arthurian legends but overall. He is what Sansa Stark from ASOIAF calls a "true knight," flawed but honourable.
So, what is, in the end, that women truly desire? What is the answer the Loathly Lady gives Arthur that Gawain then puts into practice?
Neat, isn't it? A rather feminist tale for a time when women had little to no choice over their lives.
Oh, and the artwork here is better than in the other Gawain tale also illustrated by Juan Wijngaard; there's bigger panels, less useless decorative frou-frou, and better drawing of figures.
The king sets out to find the answer to the riddle immediately, asking every single woman he sees on his way back to the castle, but he gets as many answers as women he asks, and none of them say the same. In the castle itself, Arthur thinks he'll fare better with the noblewomen.
But...
Some said beauty, some wealth, others wanted power or spiritual salvation. One lady getting on in years wished for a young husband. None could agree.
Resigned to losing the wager, Arthur thinks it's all lost. But then he meets a woman whose appearance is of "a freak, a monster, a truly loathly lady," who claims to have the answer to the riddle and will reveal it to Arthur in exchange for one of his knights in marriage. Arthur is horrified at first, but has to agree to it as he's already given his word of honour. He keeps his crown, and Sir Gawain offers himself as husband to the Loathly Lady.
So far, so Beauty and the Beast. And it stays Beauty and the Beast to the end, when Gawain unwittingly gives the answer to the riddle to his new wife on their wedding night, when she challenges him to choose between having her pretty by day and ugly by night or ugly by day and pretty by night. Initially, Gawain thinks with the wrong brain but quickly rectifies after proper chastising and gives his final answer, that breaks the curse the Loathly Lady is under and allows her to regain her true form.
Beautiful story, isn't it? This is the tale that made Gawain my favourite knight not just from the Round Table and adjacent Arthurian legends but overall. He is what Sansa Stark from ASOIAF calls a "true knight," flawed but honourable.
So, what is, in the end, that women truly desire? What is the answer the Loathly Lady gives Arthur that Gawain then puts into practice?
Neat, isn't it? A rather feminist tale for a time when women had little to no choice over their lives.
Oh, and the artwork here is better than in the other Gawain tale also illustrated by Juan Wijngaard; there's bigger panels, less useless decorative frou-frou, and better drawing of figures.
October 7, 2022
King Arthur needs the answer to the all-important question, “What is it that women most desire?” It’s a matter of his life and kingdom and he only has three days! It would seem a simple thing, just ask a woman, but the trouble is every one Arthur queries gives him a different answer. So, which one is the true answer, or are none of them correct?
On his way back to admit defeat to the Black Knight who has issued the challenge, Arthur meets the Loathly Lady; except for her woman’s voice and ragged scarlet dress she would not look human much less feminine. She is the ugliest creature Arthur has ever seen, a freak, a monster, a truly loathly lady.
She discerns Arthur’s distress over his failed quest and asks him about it. When he tells her, she assures him she knows the answer to the question and but asks him to promise to grant her one wish in return, to which he quickly agrees.
When she tells him the answer to the riddle, Arthur knows she is correct, but before he can leave, she reminds him of his side of the bargain. Her wish? That he grant her one of his brave knights to be her husband. Arthur is horrified and tries to reason with the hag, but she reminds him that kings do not break their word.
Arthur completes his quest, delivering the answer to the question which Loathly Lady gave him. There is one unnecessary curse by the Knight when he realizes he’s lost his opportunity to kill Arthur and seize his kingdom.
The problem still remains of who Arthur is to ask to accept the Loathly Lady in marriage. Can he even ask one of his knights to agree to such a living death?
Clever story, hopefully readers can rise above the generalities and enjoy a laugh. If not, the artwork is beyond gorgeous and worth studying for itself alone.
On his way back to admit defeat to the Black Knight who has issued the challenge, Arthur meets the Loathly Lady; except for her woman’s voice and ragged scarlet dress she would not look human much less feminine. She is the ugliest creature Arthur has ever seen, a freak, a monster, a truly loathly lady.
She discerns Arthur’s distress over his failed quest and asks him about it. When he tells her, she assures him she knows the answer to the question and but asks him to promise to grant her one wish in return, to which he quickly agrees.
When she tells him the answer to the riddle, Arthur knows she is correct, but before he can leave, she reminds him of his side of the bargain. Her wish? That he grant her one of his brave knights to be her husband. Arthur is horrified and tries to reason with the hag, but she reminds him that kings do not break their word.
Arthur completes his quest, delivering the answer to the question which Loathly Lady gave him. There is one unnecessary curse by the Knight when he realizes he’s lost his opportunity to kill Arthur and seize his kingdom.
The problem still remains of who Arthur is to ask to accept the Loathly Lady in marriage. Can he even ask one of his knights to agree to such a living death?
Clever story, hopefully readers can rise above the generalities and enjoy a laugh. If not, the artwork is beyond gorgeous and worth studying for itself alone.
October 1, 2019
Riding out in Inglewood one day, King Arthur encounters the sinister Black Knight, who challenges him to a battle for his very crown. With his sword Excalibur lying far away in Camelot, Arthur is rendered immobile by his foe's unearthly power, and given one chance to redeem himself: if he returns in three days' time, with the answer to the Black Knight's question - "What is it that women most desire?" - he and his crown will be saved. And so the king sets out to discover the answer to this perennial question, eventually discovering what he needs in the guise of the "Loathly Lady." But is he willing to pay the price she demands for her information? Will any of his faithful knights be willing to sacrifice themselves in marriage to so hideous a creature...?
This gorgeous picture-book retelling of the story of Sir Gawain's marriage is one of two Arthurian titles that author Selina Hastings and illustrator Juan Wijngaard have adapted together - the other being Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - and presents one of my favorite medieval tales. Found in many sources, from the fifteenth-century poem, The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle, to the Wife of Bath's Tale, in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales , this story emphasizes a reality that is still under attack today: that what women most want and need is choice. It is also one of the few Beauty and the Beast variants where it is the woman who is the enchanted ugly spouse, as opposed to the man.
Selina Hasting's narrative is engaging, but it is Juan Wijngaard's gorgeous artwork that really makes Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady outstanding! From the decorative endpapers to the lovely borders that surround each page, everything about the visual design of this book is appealing. The paintings themselves, whether full-page or smaller inset images, are breathtakingly beautiful, and wonderfully expressive. The facial expressions of the court ladies and knights are perfectly captured. All in all, a wonderful retelling of a wonderful tale, recommended to young readers who appreciate such stories.
This gorgeous picture-book retelling of the story of Sir Gawain's marriage is one of two Arthurian titles that author Selina Hastings and illustrator Juan Wijngaard have adapted together - the other being Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - and presents one of my favorite medieval tales. Found in many sources, from the fifteenth-century poem, The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle, to the Wife of Bath's Tale, in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales , this story emphasizes a reality that is still under attack today: that what women most want and need is choice. It is also one of the few Beauty and the Beast variants where it is the woman who is the enchanted ugly spouse, as opposed to the man.
Selina Hasting's narrative is engaging, but it is Juan Wijngaard's gorgeous artwork that really makes Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady outstanding! From the decorative endpapers to the lovely borders that surround each page, everything about the visual design of this book is appealing. The paintings themselves, whether full-page or smaller inset images, are breathtakingly beautiful, and wonderfully expressive. The facial expressions of the court ladies and knights are perfectly captured. All in all, a wonderful retelling of a wonderful tale, recommended to young readers who appreciate such stories.
November 9, 2025
What do women want? Read to find out.
January 29, 2020
Wow! This one has such gorgeous illustrations that I went through it the first time just marveling at the pictures and then went back and took in all of the storyline. I love all things Arthur so this one was a winner for me right off the bat. I also love stories when that which seems hideous is a cover for an enchantment to hide true beauty, especially when a pure heart breaks that enchantment. This one should be read to older children, young ones are gonna be lost and bored with the amount of text, but it would make a wonderful read aloud for older grades school children.
February 3, 2012
My medieval lit professor read this to us in class one semester, and I liked the story then. So I hunted down the almost-out-of-print story and bought it. The artwork is gorgeous, the story is well-told for its audience.
A disclaimer on the audience: this book is geared toward older readers, despite being formatted as a children's book. In fact, if I had to pick an audience, I would say that it's geared mostly toward Arthur-loving adults. The story is text-heavy, and may not be particularly interesting for children. The format as a "children's book" is mostly a vehicle for the wonderful artwork. The text is mostly just simplified (not childrenized) so that the paintings can help tell the story.
That being said, it's not inappropriate for children. The story is far tamer than traditional, un-censored tales from that era tend to be. But it may not be all that interesting for them.
As an Arthurian aficionado, and based on the nostalgia factor from a favorite literature professor, I loved this story.
A disclaimer on the audience: this book is geared toward older readers, despite being formatted as a children's book. In fact, if I had to pick an audience, I would say that it's geared mostly toward Arthur-loving adults. The story is text-heavy, and may not be particularly interesting for children. The format as a "children's book" is mostly a vehicle for the wonderful artwork. The text is mostly just simplified (not childrenized) so that the paintings can help tell the story.
That being said, it's not inappropriate for children. The story is far tamer than traditional, un-censored tales from that era tend to be. But it may not be all that interesting for them.
As an Arthurian aficionado, and based on the nostalgia factor from a favorite literature professor, I loved this story.
August 5, 2021
Este hermoso librito adapta una de las mejores historias de Los Caballeros de la Mesa Redonda y uno de sus héroes más emblemáticos: Sir Gawain, sobrino del rey Arturo y vencedor del Caballero Verde.
El rey Arturo se encuentra con un caballero de negro que lo reta a una pelea por la coronal. Arturo no trae en ese momento a Excalibur y sabe que lleva las de perder, pero el caballero negro hace un trato con él: Deberá regresar a los tres días y traer la respuesta a la siguiente pregunta ¿Cuál es el mayor deseo de las mujeres?
La respuesta parece tenerla un extraña dama que no es precisamente fea, sino verdaderamente horrorosa y para obtenerla, Gawain aceptará casarse con ella. Eso sí, Gawain será todo lo que ustedes quieran, pero siempre será un caballero con TODAS las damas. La boda promete ser un funeral, pero lo que ocurrirá después le enseñará a Gawain (y a todos nosotros) lo que verdaderamente desean las mujeres.
Cada imagen de este libro es una verdadera delicia. Es para estar buen rato viendo los detalles.
El rey Arturo se encuentra con un caballero de negro que lo reta a una pelea por la coronal. Arturo no trae en ese momento a Excalibur y sabe que lleva las de perder, pero el caballero negro hace un trato con él: Deberá regresar a los tres días y traer la respuesta a la siguiente pregunta ¿Cuál es el mayor deseo de las mujeres?
La respuesta parece tenerla un extraña dama que no es precisamente fea, sino verdaderamente horrorosa y para obtenerla, Gawain aceptará casarse con ella. Eso sí, Gawain será todo lo que ustedes quieran, pero siempre será un caballero con TODAS las damas. La boda promete ser un funeral, pero lo que ocurrirá después le enseñará a Gawain (y a todos nosotros) lo que verdaderamente desean las mujeres.
Cada imagen de este libro es una verdadera delicia. Es para estar buen rato viendo los detalles.
May 21, 2019
Gorgeous, medieval-esque illustrations but dense and unwieldy text for most children.
August 18, 2024
The lady was actually busted omg
Good art though and a good message as well
Good art though and a good message as well
October 15, 2024
This was fun, actually. I liked this.
April 3, 2008
This is one of my all time favoirte King Arthur stories, set with lovely illustrations for children. The moral is humorous and enlightening for adults and children. Worth reading and owning for the art.
April 12, 2018
I love Arthurian Romances and Gawain has some of the most fantastical stories of all the knights. I really love this story and the author did a fantastic job of retelling it in modern English; the illustrator is brilliant and has a beautiful medieval style.
July 22, 2009
An Arthurian tale retold, This beautifully illusrated childrens book brings us the question "what do women want?" hundreds of years before Freud.
April 1, 2011
Great art, readable. Too bad it's out of print.
March 7, 2016
Beautifully and lavishly illustrated. A wonderful retelling that talks to keeping promises, honor and chivalry. A must for anyone that loves the Arthurian tales.
December 26, 2019
I had this book as a little boy. It must have been newly published then. I saw a copy second-hand recently and had to have it. The illustrations are stunning. Decorated end-papers and margins. There are lots of Medieval-style illuminations in the text and the main illustrations are full of the most incredible detail and have a texture to them so they look like they’re embroideries. I must have spent hours as a little boy looking at the picture of the Loathly Lady as seeing it again now my memory was so exact.
The story is also well done and has a feminist theme, which is probably why my mother bought it for me.
The story is also well done and has a feminist theme, which is probably why my mother bought it for me.
May 29, 2021
When I was in seventh grade, we read the Arthurian legends for English class. And I remember my teacher bringing out this book (or another version of the same story) to read to us. I absolutely loved it! I was thinking about it recently, so I decided to give it a try. It was just as interesting as I remembered it being, and I loved seeing the illustrations up close--when we read it as a class, I was too far away to see the pictures. Even though the Loathly Lady is meant to be hideous, I have to say, the artwork was beautiful, and it was a delight to read this book again after all these years.
May 8, 2017
This story hinges on the desires of women: first, King Arthur must discover the answer to save his life; then Sir Gawain (with help from his wife) must learn the answer to retain his preeminent position at court.
In some ways, to me, this seems to be a little bit of a reversal on the fairy-tale Beauty and the Beast, as the handsome Gawain must wed the incredibly ugly lady.
Beautifully illustrated with a great deal of detail. Reminiscent of medieval manuscript illustrations. Highly recommended.
In some ways, to me, this seems to be a little bit of a reversal on the fairy-tale Beauty and the Beast, as the handsome Gawain must wed the incredibly ugly lady.
Beautifully illustrated with a great deal of detail. Reminiscent of medieval manuscript illustrations. Highly recommended.
January 3, 2026
one of my favourite books as a kid, I was raised on Arthurian legends, stories of courtly love, and the proto-feminist lessons taught by these old tales. it is clear that many of these originated in a court where women had near equal rights to men. This story of women needing their own way in order to become their true selves is gorgeously illustrated and is a true favourite.
September 3, 2017
I didn't like this version as much as the one found in Beauties and Beasts.
February 17, 2024
I can't believe that this is a children's book. It's so beautiful. Love the illustrations and this tale is one of the magical ones from king Arthur's court.
March 26, 2024
Uno de mis libros favoritos tanto por sus ilustraciones estilo medievo como su historia
April 27, 2024
Sir Gawain is so sweet. This is such a sweet story. Beautifully illustrated.
March 4, 2025
I listened to an audio version by Donna Washington
June 17, 2025
Gorgeous illustrations.
June 17, 2025
A vocabulary rich tale with perfectly matched illustrations.
November 13, 2025
The Curse was underwhelming.
March 23, 2017
I just love reading this over and over. The art is exquisite and filled with new details every time I look at it.
February 1, 2023
I am mystified by this. On one hand, it is detailed but brisk, with gorgeous margins and lively illustrations. On the other, I have zero clue who the intended audience is. There's cursing, grotesque and frightening imagery, insulting insinuations about women that promote negative (naggy) stereotypes, and insta-love. I'm just so torn and confused.
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September 7, 2011Sir Gawain and the loathly Lady
This story commences the day King Arthur and his court are out in Inglewood for Christmas and Arthur becomes lost. A conflict arises with an arch nemesis the black Knight. The furious knight charges on Arthur but immediately stops as he has other plans. With no “Excalibur” sword the King is rendered defenceless. The knight challenges him to find the answer to a riddle he had, “What do women most desire?”. If he could come up with the answer to this question within three days he would be saved but if not the King would be killed and the black knight would come into power. The king set out on his journey home to find the answer to the riddle, he asked various women along the way but none of them agreed. He searched for a few days but still he didn’t find the answer. On returning to meet the knight the king came across a loathly lady huddled alone in the deepest part of the forest. She gave him the answer in which he needed to free himself from the knight’s challenge, but in return the King had to promise the loathly lady that he would condemn one of his knights to a life with this vile old woman. Gawain was a knight so enthusiastic and loyal that he bravely gave his name to the King. The next day they were married in the Castle. Once they took to the chamber the knight was astonished to find that the ghastly hag had turned into a beautiful woman with a beauty so radiant and true. The dilemma that followed brought conclusion to the wonderful twisting plot line. The Lady had to ask her knight whether he preferred his wife ugly by day or by night, in the end the knight could not choose and he gave his lady a choice. She was finally freed from her spell and could be her own self once again. This book might be a tale from Arthurian times but the message and meaning of the tale is still contemporary in today’s society. The emphasis in the book is on women’s choice and how they need the freedom to choose for themselves, this is still a major issue today. The book is full of beautiful illustrations, pieces of art one could say. The book has in parts quite complex language, and the language diversity I feel could make it a little difficult for the younger children to read themselves and comprehend. I feel the book is mainly for an older age group maybe even teens. This book has connections to the national curriculum in primary schools because the Arthurian tales and King Arthur exists in their history syllabus, and also it’s a great story for role play, there are quite strong characters used in this book making it an easy book to transform into a drama. The descriptions and imagery are very vivid in this book the writer constantly uses impressive verbs and nouns . “Her fingers on which were several fine rings were as gnarled and twisted as the roots of an old oak”. I would recommend this book for a classroom read or also for the older child or teen. An amazing enchanting tale with a contemporary theme mixed
This story commences the day King Arthur and his court are out in Inglewood for Christmas and Arthur becomes lost. A conflict arises with an arch nemesis the black Knight. The furious knight charges on Arthur but immediately stops as he has other plans. With no “Excalibur” sword the King is rendered defenceless. The knight challenges him to find the answer to a riddle he had, “What do women most desire?”. If he could come up with the answer to this question within three days he would be saved but if not the King would be killed and the black knight would come into power. The king set out on his journey home to find the answer to the riddle, he asked various women along the way but none of them agreed. He searched for a few days but still he didn’t find the answer. On returning to meet the knight the king came across a loathly lady huddled alone in the deepest part of the forest. She gave him the answer in which he needed to free himself from the knight’s challenge, but in return the King had to promise the loathly lady that he would condemn one of his knights to a life with this vile old woman. Gawain was a knight so enthusiastic and loyal that he bravely gave his name to the King. The next day they were married in the Castle. Once they took to the chamber the knight was astonished to find that the ghastly hag had turned into a beautiful woman with a beauty so radiant and true. The dilemma that followed brought conclusion to the wonderful twisting plot line. The Lady had to ask her knight whether he preferred his wife ugly by day or by night, in the end the knight could not choose and he gave his lady a choice. She was finally freed from her spell and could be her own self once again. This book might be a tale from Arthurian times but the message and meaning of the tale is still contemporary in today’s society. The emphasis in the book is on women’s choice and how they need the freedom to choose for themselves, this is still a major issue today. The book is full of beautiful illustrations, pieces of art one could say. The book has in parts quite complex language, and the language diversity I feel could make it a little difficult for the younger children to read themselves and comprehend. I feel the book is mainly for an older age group maybe even teens. This book has connections to the national curriculum in primary schools because the Arthurian tales and King Arthur exists in their history syllabus, and also it’s a great story for role play, there are quite strong characters used in this book making it an easy book to transform into a drama. The descriptions and imagery are very vivid in this book the writer constantly uses impressive verbs and nouns . “Her fingers on which were several fine rings were as gnarled and twisted as the roots of an old oak”. I would recommend this book for a classroom read or also for the older child or teen. An amazing enchanting tale with a contemporary theme mixed
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews