[Today, guest blogger Lorien Griffith, age 7 is filling in for her dad as he is home sick with a cold. These are her words.]My Synopsis of the Story
It was Christmas Time at Camelot. King Arthur's duty was the giving of a feast. Before they ate, someone had to tell King Arthur a story. But no one had a story to tell.
Just then a great big, green, knight showed up! He challenged someone to chop off his head but in a year and a day he would get to chop off their head.
Arthur was brave enough to do it but his nephew Gawain did it instead. He chopped off the head of the giant but his body still lived! It went over and picked up it's head and rode off on his green horse and reminded them of the wager. He would be found at a place called The Green Chapel in a year and day.
The seasons came and went and Gawain was not very excited about going to fulfill his promise. And the people did not want him to go.
He started off on his journey and some geese led him. Along the way, he met some people that were mean and he fought a dragon and an ogre but his worst enemy was the freezing cold!
After going through a dangerous swamp, he and his horse Gringolet find a shiny castle. The people there were very nice. He thought the lady was pretty.
Gawain made a deal with the king of the house: If Gawain took care of the King's wife while the king went hunting, the king would bring Gawain something to eat from out in the woods. In exchange Gawain was to give the king whatever came his way at the house.
So the men of the house go out for a hunt and kill many deer.
Meanwhile back at the house, Gawain gets kissed by the lady.
The king returns and gives many deer to the Gawain and all Gawain can give is a kiss!
Late that night they agree to do the same thing the next day.
The next day the king goes on another hunt and kills a giant, old, mean boar.
Once again, the lady and Gawain kiss but Gawain does not think this is a good idea because he loves the king too and does not want to hurt him.
The king brings back the dead boar and they have a big party and this time Gawain gives the king two kisses!
Gawain now wants to go because he does not want to get in trouble with the lady.
The king says it would be best to stay and play the game, just one more time.
The next day the king goes fox hunting and again Gawain is tempted by the lady. This time she gives him a supposedly magic green belt which will keep him safe. She wants Gawain to keep it a secret from the king.
The king bring Gawain a fox and Gawain gives him three kisses this time but does not tell him about the belt.
The house has a feast in honor of Gawain's going away but he is troubled by a mysterious old woman who watches him.
The next day Gawain rides out with his horse Gringolet and a guide.
The guide leads them to a green hill and warns him of danger.
The Green Knight shows up and Gawain offers him his neck as promised a year and a day ago.
The Green Knight teases him by acting like he is going to chop off his head two times. On the third time he nicks him but spares his life.
The Green Knight at this time reveals that he and the king are actually the same man! He had been testing Gawain's loyalty back at the castle and Gawain passed the test because Gawain had kept the belt only so he could continue to live.
Gawain and Gringolet begin their journey home.
When they return to Camelot, Gawain is welcomed as a hero.
What I Thought of the Book
I thought it was good story and I would recommend it. Some of the pictures in the book were revolting because they showed tons of blood. My favorite part was at the end when I found out the Green Knight and the King were the same man!
may be one of those books one might either loveth or hateth. I, loved it! Although it is hard not to like a book which has a character named "Gandolf" and which predates Tolkien's work by close to 100 years! The book is also chock full of archaic expressions, i.e. forsooth, meseems, betwixt, etc. If reading such fanciful language is a turn off to you, run far, far away, and very fast. Actually, even if you are into it, digesting those old words takes a while to get used to but that's part of the charm. Besides, the book is so long, (more about that in a bit), those words will soon begin to seem like old hat.