XPost: alt.literature, soc.culture.british   
   From: siegfriedson@stormfront.org   
      
   Among the many Arthurian tales dating back to the period of the Middle   
   Ages, the adventure of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is by far one   
   of the most unusual. This tale was written by an unknown author   
   sometime between 1350 and 1400 of the Common Era, and it only existed   
   within a single manuscript. Although there are indeed superficial   
   Christian trappings present, the story has more in common with older   
   pagan agrarian fertility myths than any of the tenets of the newer   
   faith. This is abundantly evident from the many pre-Christian motifs   
   and symbols which occur throughout the story.   
      
   Although cryptic pagan syncretisms can be found throughout the whole   
   myriad of Arthurian tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is by far   
   the least obscured by Christian revisionism. Chretien de Troyes’   
   rendering of the Grail quest in Perceval also contains many pagan   
   elements but it had become increasingly muddled with time through   
   subsequent continuations and adaptations by various authors. Because   
   Sir Gawain and the Green Knight stood alone as unique among the other   
   Arthurian tales and never influenced future adaptations it remained   
   more true to its pagan roots. Nevertheless, the complete meaning   
   behind the various pre-Christian symbols and elements and how they   
   interconnect is only partially clear, with certain elements open to   
   speculation.   
      
   Continued:   
      
   http://www.nationalvanguard.org/story.php?id=9506   
      
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