Gawain ( ), whose name is spelled in multiple ways, is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legendary cycle. His prototype appears under the name Gwalchmei in the earliest Welsh sources. He has subsequently appeared in Arthurian tales in multiple languages – Welsh, Latin, French, English, Scottish, Dutch, German, Spanish, and Italian – notably as the protagonist of the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Other works featuring Gawain as the central character include De Ortu Waluuanii, Diu Crône, Ywain and Gawain, Golagros and Gawane, Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle, L'âtre périlleux, La Mule sans frein, La Vengeance Raguidel, Le Chevalier à l'épée, Le Livre d'Artus, The Awntyrs off Arthure, The Greene Knight, and The Weddynge of Syr Gawen and Dame Ragnell.
In Arthurian chivalric romances, Gawain is typically depicted as King Arthur's closest companion and an integral member of the Round Table. Gawain is often depicted as the son of Arthur's sister, Morgause, and King Lot of Orkney and Lothian. In this family, Gawain's younger brothers (or half-brothers) are Agravain, Gaheris, Gareth, and the infamous Mordred, though his family relations and upbringing vary among romances. Gawain is often said to have been raised unknowingly in foster care in Rome, before returning to Britain to reunite with his biological relatives. Of the many children from his numerous wives and lovers, Gingalain (the "Fair Unknown") stands out as a popular Arthurian hero in his own right.
In early Welsh texts, Gawain is portrayed as a formidable warrior who is courteous, compassionate, and fiercely loyal to both king and kin. Gawain is known as a friend to young knights, a defender of the poor and unfortunate, and a rescuer of women. Variants on the motif of the Castle of Maidens often portray Gawain as a "Maidens' knight". Other notable recurring motifs include his skills in healing, his weapons (including the famed Caliburn, also called Excalibur) and his powerful warhorse Gringolet. In some later versions of the romance, such as Le Morte d'Arthur, Gawain's strength is linked to a daily cycle, making him an invincible swordsman at noon.
Gawain's prowess diminishes in the Vulgate Cycle (also known as the Lancelot-Grail Cycle), which elevates Lancelot. Gawain's character becomes strikingly ignoble in the Post-Vulgate Cycle and outright villainous in the Prose Tristan. Le Morte d'Arthur further complicates Gawain's character by presenting him as a symbol of secular knighthood – a departure from his original piety that attracted significant criticism by the authors of French prose cycles. Two important plotlines illuminate this redefined Gawain: his leading role in a familial blood feud against the clan of King Pellinore; and the deterioration of his close friendship with Sir Lancelot, which becomes a bitter rivalry when Gawain is consumed with vengeance. In this tradition, Gawain's sinful ways and unforgiving nature inadvertently lead to the fall of Arthur and the Round Table – and ultimately Gawain's death by Lancelot's hand.
Sir Gawain
The character of Gawain has multiple names (and variants) in different languages:
Welsh: Gwalchmei ap Gwyar (meaning "son of Gwyar"), also spelled Gwalchmai Latin (throughout the Middle Ages): Galvaginus, Gualgunus (Gualguanus, Gualguinus), Gualgwinus, Walwanus (Walwanius), Waluanus, Walwen, etc. Old French (and sometimes English): primarily Gavain (Gavaine) and also Gauvain (Gauvaine), Gauvan (Gauvayn), Gauven (Gauvein/Gauveyn), Gavan (Gavane) or Gavayn (Gavayne). Middle High German: Gâwein or Gâwân Italian dialects: Gavino, Galvagin or Galvano Old Spanish: Galván Old Portuguese: Galvam or Galvão Middle English: Gawaine, Gawan (Gawane), Gawayn (Gawayne), Gawein (Gaweine), Gaweyn (Gaweyne), Gauwein (Gauweine), Gauweyn (Gauweyne) or Wawen (Wowen), among other forms and spellings. The later forms are generally assumed to derive from the Welsh Gwalchmei.Bromwich, p. 369.
In Gwalchmei's name, the element Gwalch – meaning hawk – is an epithet typical of medieval Welsh poetry.Bromwich, p. 367. The meaning of the element mei is uncertain, however. While it has been suggested that this element refers to the month of May (Mai in Modern Welsh) – rendering the full name as "Hawk of May" – medievalist and linguist Rachel Bromwich considers this meaning unlikely. Celticist Kenneth Jackson suggests the name Gwalchmei evolved from an early Common Brittonic name *Ualcos Magesos, meaning "Hawk of the Plain". Some scholars disagree with the "hawk" interpretation altogether. For example, John T. Koch suggests that the name Gwalchmei could be derived from the Brythonic *Wolcos Magesos, "Wolf/Errant Warrior of the Plain".Koch, "The Celtic Lands," p. 267.
By contrast, other scholars argue that the continental forms of the character's name do not ultimately derive from Gwalchmei. Roger Sherman Loomis suggests a derivation from the epithet Gwallt Avwyn, found in the list of heroes in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, which Loomis translates as "hair like reins" or "bright hair".Roger Sherman Loomis, The Grail (Princeton University Press, 1963), p. 272.Roger Sherman Loomis, Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance (Academy Chicago Publishers, 1997), pp. 63–66. Lauran Toorians proposes that the Dutch name Walewein (attested in Flanders and France c. 1100) was the earliest version, suggesting that this version entered Britain during the large settlement of Flemings in Wales during the early 12th century.Toorians, Lauran, "Nogmaals 'Walewein van Melle' en de Vlaams-Keltische contacten," Queeste, 2 (1995), 97–112. Still, most scholarship supports a derivation from Gwalchmei, variants of which are well attested in Wales and Brittany. Bromwich, Joseph Loth and Heinrich Zimmer all trace the etymology of the continental name versions to a corruption of the Breton form of Gwalchmei, Walcmoei.
Gwalchmei The Gawain character's precursor – Gwalchmei, son of Gwyar – was a hero of Welsh mythology and a major figure of the largely lost oral tradition. Gwalchmei's popularity increased significantly after foreign versions of the mythology, particularly those derived from Geoffrey of Monmouth's account Historia Regum Britanniae, became known in Wales.Bromwich, p. 368. The element Gwyar (meaning "gore"Pughe, p. 195. or "spilled blood/bloodshed"Rhys, p. 169.) in the name Gwalchmei ap Gwyar is likely the name of Gwalchmei's mother, rather than his father, as is standard in the Welsh Triads. Gwyar appears as a daughter of the legendary king Amlawdd Wledig in one version of the hagiographical genealogy Bonedd y Saint. The 14th-century fragment Birth of Arthur – a Welsh text that adapts scenes from Geoffrey – substitutes Gwyar for Anna, Geoffrey's name for Gawain's mother, the Queen of Orkney.Bromwich, pp. 369–70. Gwalchmei's father is named as Emyr Llydaw (Emperor of Brittany), that is, Budic II of Brittany. In that fragment, Gwalchmei has three sisters: Gracia, Graeria, and Dioneta, the last of whom is a counterpart of the enchantress Morgan le Fay.
Early references to Gwalchmei include the following sources:
the Welsh Triads the Englynion y Beddau (Stanzas of the Graves), which lists the site of Gwalchmei's grave the Trioedd y Meirch (Triads of the Horses), which praises Gwalchmei's horse Keincaled (known as Gringolet in the works of medieval French authors) Cynddelw's elegy for King Owain Gwynedd, which compares Owain's boldness to that of Gwalchmei
In the Welsh Triads, Triad 4 lists Gwalchmei as one of the "Three Well-Endowed Men of the Isle of Britain" (probably referring to his inheritance);Bromwich, p. 9. Triad 75 describes him as one of the "Three Men of the Island of Britain who were Most Courteous to Guests and Strangers";S Davies, Mabinogion (Oxford 2007), p. 245. and Triad 91 praises his fearlessness.Bromwich, pp. 205, 234. Some versions of Triads 42 and 46 also praise his horse Keincaled, echoing the Triads of the Horses.Bromwich, pp. 111–12, 127–28. The emphasis on Gwalchmei as "most courteous" recalls his role in the early Welsh prose stories called the Mabinogion, where he regularly serves as an intermediary between King Arthur's court and stranger knights.S. Davies trans., Mabinogion (Oxford 2007) p. 245.
The early Welsh romance Culhwch and Olwen – composed in the 11th century (though not recorded until the 14th) and eventually associated with the MabinogionHall, pp. 2–3. – ascribes to Gwalchmei the same relationship with Arthur that Gawain later has: he is the son of Arthur's sister, as well as one of Arthur's leading warriors. Gwalchmei is mentioned only twice in the text – first in a list of attendants at Arthur's court in the beginning of the story, and second as one of the "Six Helpers" whom Arthur sends to assist protagonist Culhwch on his quest to find his love interest, Olwen. Unlike Arthur's other helpers, Gwalchmei has no further part in the action. This difference suggests that Gwalchmei was added later to the romance, likely under the influence of the Welsh versions of Geoffrey's Historia. Gwalchmei also appears in the Welsh romance Peredur fab Efrawg (Peredur son of Efrawg), part of the Mabinogion, where Gwalchmei aids the hero Peredur in the final battle against the nine witches of Caer Loyw. A similar motif was mentioned by the 16th-century Welsh scholar Sion Dafydd Rhys in an unrecorded oral tale, in which Gwalchmei destroyed three evil witch-sisters, wives of the giants previously slain by Arthur. This feat was accomplished only through Gwalchmei's cunning, because the witches could be killed by no other means "on account of their strength and power".The Giants of Wales and Their Dwellings by Sion Dafydd Rhys (Peniarth MS 118 f.829–837, ca. 1600). Gwalchmei appears as a giant in Welsh folklore. Gawain
Histories and romances
The first known references to Gawain outside Wales appeared in the first half of the 12th century. In his chronicle Gesta Regum Anglorum from around 1125, William of Malmesbury wrote that "Walwen's" grave had been uncovered in Pembrokeshire county hundreds of years after his death, following the 11th-century Norman conquest of England. William recounts how Arthur's nephew, a well-known Post-Roman Briton soldier celebrated for his bravery, tirelessly fought against the Saxons led by Hengest's brother: "He deservedly shared in his uncle's praising, because he prevented the fall of his collapsing country for many years." William also noted uncertainty regarding the manner of Walwen's death:
William also described Walwen as a former ruler of the Galloway region, which William noted was still called Walweitha centuries later, in his own era.
Geoffrey of Monmouth's version of Gawain in the Historia Regum Britanniae, written around 1136, made the character available to a wider audience.Busby, pp. 178–79. As in the Welsh tradition, Geoffrey's Gawain (Gualguanus) is the son of Arthur's sister (here named Anna) and her husband Lot (Loth), the prince of Lothian and one of Arthur's key supporters. Geoffrey mentioned that Gawain was twelve years old when King Lot and Arthur began a war with Norway, and that Gawain had previously served Pope Sulpicius in Rome. Gawain later plays a major role as one of the leaders in Arthur's victory against the Romans; Gawain had started the conflict by killing the Roman envoy Caius (Gaius Quintilianus) in response to insults against him and Arthur. Geoffrey's Gawain is depicted as a supreme warrior, describing Gawain and Hoel as the two "warriors than whom no better had ever been born". Gawain is the potential heir to the throne. He is later tragically killed by the forces of his traitorous brother Mordred (Modredus) at the fort of Richborough during an attempted sea landing that ended in disaster.Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae Books 9–11.