Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo

[Wolfshead]

On Wednesday of this week, that being New Years Day, a program entitled Sir Gawain And The Green Knight is on Channel 4 here in the UK. I've never read the Tolkien story by the same name, so I don't know what happens in it.

All the TV guide tells me is 3.45 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Coming of age story set in 14th century England So I'm assuming it is based on the Tolkien story, but whether or not it's animated or not, I don't know.

Anyway, Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Wednesday, Channel 4, 3.45pm. UK only.

[Beorn]

I had forgotten about that....I think the version published under his name is J. R. R. T.'s translation of it...but I'm not sure...It was originally written in Middle English.

Abriged Version:
There was a green knight, with a green horse. He went to Arthur's Court, interrupted dinner, and said "I'll let anyone take a swipe at me. If I'm still living afterwards, I can take a swipe at you in a year and a day"
Sir Gawain ('G') chopped of his head. The green knight picked up is head, got on his horse, turned to G and told him to find him in a year and a day at the Green Chapel, and rode off.

G left to find Green Chapel. It takes him a year and a day to find it. The Green Knight takes the first swipe at him, but G jumps out of the way. The Knight says no fair, and makes G stand there again. G stands there again, but the Knight stops just before hitting him, and G didn't flinch. The Knight takes one more swing, and scratches G.

The knight explains:
The first time, was to pay for chopping my head off a year and a day ago
The second time was to make sure you didn't flinch again
The third time I took my swipe at you, and didn't hurt you (badly) because you honored your promise.

The End.

[Rangerdave]

For a more in depth account of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, press this LINK (http://alliteration.net/gawain1.htm).

This is a modern translation, but is adapted from Professor Tolkien original translation of the Middle English. For more information about Gawain and the rest of Arthur's Knights; check out the Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes (1135-1183). I strongly recomend them.


enjoy.

RD

[Wolfshead]

Ah, it's a translation, I didn't know that. I'll make an effort to watch it anyway. And at the end, I'll have a look to see if Tolkien is in the credits :)

[Nenya Evenstar]

I just finished reading "Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo." I enjoyed the entire book very much. I thought Sir Gawain & the Green Knight was quite witty and fun; I thought Pearl was written beautifully, but my favorite was Sir Orfeo. This poem seemed to me to flow better than the others, and I enjoyed the faeries and slightly ethereal air of it. However, I am wondering if anyone can shed some light on this matter. Note these two passages:

Of adventures that did once befall,
some can I tell you, but not all.
Listen now, lordings good and true,
and "Orfeo" I will sing to you.

And:

Harpers in Britain in aftertime
these marvels heard, and their rhyme
a lay they made of fair delight,
and after the king it named aright
"Orfeo" called it, as was meet:
good is the lay, the music sweet.

Now from these two passages I can only think that the lay should have been named "Orfeo" and not "Sir Orfeo." I know that the name Sir Orfeo is mentioned in the poem, but why with two such obvious stanzas was it not named simply "Orfeo?" Was this a change on Tolkien's part? Or did the author have the poem named "Sir Orfeo" already?

[HLGStrider]

I don't know...
But Orpheo is my favorite of the three as well... We often read and written find... sigh...

Really good read. Got it on my shelf right now... stole it from my mommy.

[jallan]

It seems Tolkien dropped the word "Sir" in his translation for metric reasons.

A good annotated edition of the original can be found at Sir Orfeo (http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/orfeo.htm). An introduction to the poem appears at Sir Orfeo: Introduction (http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/orfint.htm)

The language of Sir Orfeo is not so far from modern English as is the language of the other two poems translated by Tolkien.

Lines 57 to 96 appear as lyrics to "Undrentide", the first track on the album Undrentide by Mediæval Bæbes. A clip is available at Mediæval Bæbes Discography (http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/disco.htm). Click on the image of the CD Undrentide and then on the words "New Album 'Undrentide'" and then on the words "Sound Sample" and then on the word "Sound".

[Nenya Evenstar]

Thank you very much, jallan, for the links and information! I find the links quite interesting. I also like the sound of the Mediæval Bæbes -- very mediæval. ;)

[HLGStrider]

Um. . . Walter, isn't that spamming?

These threads must've been merged. . .I don't remember the first half of it.

[Wolfshead]

Incidentally, I forgot to watch the program...

[Ithrynluin]

Originally posted by Walter
I don't know, I think that each Tolkien book in this section would deserve a thread that isn't swept away with time...

Well, people can still change the way they see old threads. I changed the forum default in my User CP and now I see all threads from the very beginning.

[HLGStrider]

When I want to raise a thread to the top I make up something to say just so it doesn't look like spamming. . .even if I have to stare at the computer and think for awhile.

Don't want the mods to get me!

[Wolfshead]

These threads have been merged, or something's been merged at some stage, so could a Mod somewhere at least change the title of the thread? It wasn't the original one I had on, and it has a spelling mistake, which then reflects on me, seeing as it looks as if I started the thread...