What Knights Carry: Symbols, Talisman, and Tattoos

Gawain's Shield- front 

Somewhere in a students’ academic career, like Dr. Reichard’s Phil 200 ”Courage and Violence,” he or she might encounter Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried.  I have frequently been reminded of essays of O’Brien’s essays and stories as I read about tales of valor and of violence in Arthurian legend.  Soldiers, ancient or modern, bear particular truths greater than their actual stories. Humans often carry “good-luck” artifacts like: religious symbols and articles or relics, the cliché rabbit’s foot, a treasured love letter, a beloved’s trinket or item of clothing.  Sir Gawain gives us several symbols.  

The shield Gawain carries into battle has a pentangle on the outward facing side and the image of the Virgin Mary on the interior facing side.  While fighting, Gawain could draw strength and courage from the Blessed Virgin’s image.  The pentangle is a symbol with pagan and Christian meanings.  It is often associated with the five joys of Mary, the five knightly virtues, and the five wounds of Christ.  For protection, Gawain wears the sash into battle with the Green Knight.  Later the fellow “Knights of the Round Table” adopt the green sash too.  Looking at the box of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies in my cupboard, I am reminded of a gang of young girls that proudly wear a green sash. According to one of my classmates girls “can be knights too.”

"Thin Mint"--yumm!

Sir Galahad

Malory’s Galahad carries a shield with significant symbolism too.  Malory tells us that Galahad’s shield is white with a red cross. The shield descends from his ancestor Joseph of Arimathea. Legend tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was the soldier that removed Jesus from the cross. It is blood pouring from Joseph’s nose that forms the red cross of Galahad’s shield (Le Morte d'Arthur).

What do people wear as they face modern challenges? What symbols do they weave into the quests and campaigns of their lives? Are we so different or more sophisticated than our forbearers?  Our lives are filled with symbols and images. Look at the ubiquitous tattoos!  Gawain’s religious symbolism pales by today’s religious tattoos.   Arthur wore an aegis of the Virgin Mary across his shoulders. What might Gawain’s or Arthur’s Mary look like today?  Many tattoo artists have inked the Virgin Mary.  

Tattoos and body scarification have been around for thousands of years.  Several times, on assorted tattoo websites, I have read that knights during the Crusades would have the Jerusalem cross/Crusader’s cross tattooed on a hand or forearm to identify them for Christian burial. I’m not sure if it is factual but branding and tattoos have been used for ages for identification purposes--think animal identification, American slavery, and Nazi concentration camps. Mrs. Malcome, my fourth grade elementary school teacher, had a concentration camp tattoo.  Full of quiet strength and courage, Mrs. Malcome was my childhood hero.  

"Pastrix" Rev. Nadia Boltz-Weber
Pastor of ELCA mission church
House of All Sinners and Saints

From gang members to Protestant ministers, tattoos are everywhere.  Rev. Nadia Boltz-Weber is one of those tattooed pastors.  What symbols or tattoos do you carry?

Girls, Girls, Girls!

Me again! My post today is going to be about something a little different, and that is the role beauty plays in Arthurian tales. This may seem bizarre, and although beauty does not play a main role in the legends, the subject has been nagging at me for quite some time. (Although good looks are mentioned in both knights and maidens, I will be talking about feminine beauty, because it is the beauty I am most familiar with.) Guinevere, of course, is said to be the most beautiful in Arthur's kingdom. There are many portrayals of Guinevere, based on artist's ideas of beauty. I'll include some here:

William Morris's painting of Guinevere

Painting by Judith A. Smith

The list goes on. As a result, her beauty captures the heart's of Lancelot and King Arthur, and as a result, their free will. Even the women in The Saga of the Mantle seem to nearly have an enchanting power over the men, and are described as: "beautiful women and beautiful maidens, and there had never been better garments in the world than those with which they were adorned. For this reason every man looked at them, and every man was captivated..." (page 215 in my book, but don't even bother...you all have different editions. Anyhow, something about these words send a shiver down my spine. It is just so...

creepy. Can these men be for real? I picture these men drooling over a group of women as if they were behind glass at a zoo.

It does not end here, folks. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,  stanza 18, lines 940-970, two women are described (I will paraphrase):

(The first woman): "She was the fairest in all her figure, flesh and face...even more gorgeous than Guinevere..."

(enter the second woman): "With another lady leading her...who was far more aged...I must tell you that these two were totally unalike, for if the younger one had spirit, the senior one was seared. A pink complexion suffused the one, while rough, wrinkled cheeks rolled down upon the other. The younger...her breast and bright throat were laid all bare...the senior...By God! Her body was squat and thick."

By God is right! Despite the elderly woman having high honor in society, she has lost all power over Gawain, as opposed to the woman who is exposing her breast.

Do I even have to...go into how sexist that is?

After reading this, I got to thinking about our beauty standards today, and my conclusion is that despite how things may seem, we are much more accepting of different types of people. I will include pictures of women and maidens alike who have been deemed beautiful in today's society.

From boyishly thin to plus size, from age 16 to age 60...from black to white skin, to crazy pink hair...from hair long and curly to pixie-like short, society's idea of beauty is becoming more diverse. As diverse as the people who live in it. Not everyone can be Queen Guinevere, and it that notion in mind, it seems that the features that make a woman unique are what make her beautiful today.

What do you think? Has society truly changed, or is it as shallow about beauty as the society in Arthur's days appear to be? Who would you put on today's beauty list? Are any of them similar to the way you appear Guinevere? I don't think there is a wrong answer! 

Sir Gawain the Wonderfully Unimpressive

So about Sir Gawain. I know a big part of chivalry is modesty but in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Sir Gawain leaves something to be desired. He seems fairly lack luster and as if he's only famous because his uncle is the King. I didn't see his offer to face the Green Knight as bravery so much as a 'someone had to do it' and he wasn't really anyone of value.
He seems to be proving himself to be at least true to his word over the course of his journey. So I guess that's good. He hasn't had much of a chance to prove himself quite yet. He cut off a guy's head, wandered around, and partied a bit. Hopefully the second half proves to be more interesting.
I guess I'm just used to Gawain being the greatest of all knights and doing all these incredible feats and being awesome.
 
The Gawain in this story thus far just kind of seems to be bumbling around, making things up as he goes. I'm just not that impressed.

Oh! Such Magnificence and Fame in Your Round Shape!

The title does, in fact, refer to the Round Table; the one that brought all of King Arthur's knights together for some nice, manly bonding in politics and war ( Ah those bloody Romans).  And perhaps just to chat...no probably not.

They just look so symmetrical, it's amazing! I really like this depiction of the round table from First Knight

But you are probably thinking "Duh, the Round Table is Arthur 101" and you would be right, since it is brought up so often in Arthurian legends that it goes hand in hand with Camelot! However, to me the table also brings together the knights whom I have grown up reading about since I first began my journey with this king of legend.

The  book above was written by Gerald Morris, and is included in my influence map! I read the book in sixth grade, and it actually focuses more on Gawain, and his page Terence, then on King Arthur. This book also made me more fascinated with the knights of the round table in general ( it was also humorous as the front cover demonstrates, I mean I usually don't ride a horse in that manner). So instead of focusing on the king himself the books succeeded in glorifying Arthur through his knights and the people, much like legends show.

"...these three rings represent
the unity of our kingdom.
As a knight, I took an oath...to protect Camelot, King Arthur
...and Excalibur."

With the round table, and the knights who sit there, there comes to mind the great sword of King Arthur: Excalibur. I grew up with the beautiful movie Quest for Camelot ( thus the picture) and so I have always viewed the sword as a mighty magical gift that brings the kingdom together. Yet, in the reading Geoffrey refers to the sword as Caliburn. I was puzzled at that moment but after looking into the name I discovered it was the same sword but just different context. Meaning: it is the difference between Welsh legend (Caledfwich) and the later altered name in Continental Europe: Excalibur. Yes, it bothered me immensely why the sword had different names! Glory to the internet for leading me to salvation!