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The Celtic Elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

The medieval English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight evidences much of its Celtic heritage in the plot and subplot, as well as in the characters themselves. The Ulster Cycle, an ancient Irish story group, and the Mabinogion, a medieval collection of traditional Welsh tales, both contain parallels to the English romance. In addition to these numerous analogues, other Celtic features appear in the poem. Knowingly or not, the Gawain-poet used the conventions of the Irish and Welsh traditions in the Other World journey, the battle-belt/lace, the pentangle/ sun symbol, and the color green. A study of these elements as Celtic features of the poem ensures a proper reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc504544
Date08 1900
CreatorsAlewine, Elizabeth
ContributorsRich, Carroll Y., Davis, C. Pruitt, Jr., Chamberlin, Mallory
PublisherNorth Texas State University
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatiii, 99 leaves: ill., Text
RightsPublic, Alewine, Elizabeth, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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