The Green Girdle as a division of faith.

This paper measures the faith of Sir Gawain, and displays how the division of Sir Gawains soul from that of his body, through the use of the green girdle provided a commentary as to the power of faith and the consequence of sin. The Gawain poet best displayed Gawains departure of faith in FITT IV, in which Sir Gawain was preparing for his engagement with The Green Knight. The Poet stated, That green silk girdle truly suited Sir Gawain and went well with the rich red weaves that he wore. But our man bore the belt not merely for its beauty . . . but to save his skin when presenting himself, without shield or sword, to the axe. To its swing and thwack (lines 2035-42)! Gawain had positioned the green girdle as the symbolic measure of faith that will protect him in his upcoming contest; he had replaced his faith in the almighty God with the mystical properties of a token he acquired while engaged in the sin of coveting Bertilaks wife. Sir Gawain by accepting the girdle and fastening it to his body reinforced the division of soul and form. Something that Sir Gawain had been forced to do while kissing and wanting after Lord Bertilaks wife. The girdle represented the corporeal component and Sir Gawains faith in God represented the soul.1 Sir Gawain, despite being a man of unyielding faith, did nothing to reject the girdle, or turn away its mystical properties. Sir Gawain performed quite the opposite making it part of his battle regalia and fastening it neatly two his waste twice. The Poet made mention of how well the green girdle suited Sir Gawain and how well it went with the gold and red attire that was Sir Gawains customary splendor. Sir Gawain by accepting the promises made by Lady Bertilak transformed his faith by joining the ideas and

I think it appropriate to highlight that Sir Gawain had to undertake this division in order to participate in the game of lust and flirtation with Lady Bertilak. I also think it that according to medieval church doctrine; it is strange for ones soul to be capable of committing sin, let alone any sexual act of love or lust.

imagery of Christianity2 and thereby the soul, with the physical, man-made and natural aspects of the green girdle. The ideologies of the two had become one on Sir Gawain, He was no longer wearing God as his armor, the girdle not only represented a separation of the soul from the physical form of his body, but also the natural, wild, pagan and uncivilized nature of man. His faith in God remained alongside with the representation of his corporeal existence; he was wearing an amalgamation of Christian ideals forged with a keep-sake symbolic of nature, devoid of discipline, and reminiscent of his estrangement not only with Bertilaks wife, but of his engagement with sin. He had forsaken Gods stewardship of his soul and donned a man-made, pagan like garment in an effort to safe-guard his life. Through Lady Bertilaks cunning advances, and the point that Sir Gawain was deceived, Sir Gawain had no choice in the matter. He was part of a bigger game between Morgan Le fay and Arthur. The circumstances do not change the circumstance, Sir Gawain had sinned by coveting the Lady and the green girdle is a reminder to this interlude of sin. Sir Gawain being an Arthurian Christian knew that he had sinned and as a consequence, undertook the separation of soul and form, despite the subtle warning against his faith by Lady Bertilak when she presented the token. Lady Bertilak triumphantly displayed its properties when she stated, But the knight who knew of the power knitted in it would pay a high price to possess it, perhaps. For the body which is bound within this green belt, as long as it is buckled robustly around him, will be safe against anyone who seeks to strike him (lines 1849-53). Sir Gawain staying true to his virtue should have rejected the belt on the basis that it is against his faith. Gawains faith yet again is presented to be full of inconsistencies, prior to the ladys advances Sir Gawain would have undertook the be-heading game with nothing more than his belief in Gods protection and his faith as the armor

(lines 640-659) The images of Christianity as discussed in FITT I, the pentangle, the image of Mary and the five wounds of Christ build him up as a warrior of Christian virtue and faith.

to protect him. Upon arrival at the castle, after the Christmas feast, Sir Gawain was describing his pact with the green knight when he claimed, For I am bound by a bond agreed by us both to link up with him there, should I live that long. . . If God sees fit, I shall face that freak more happily than I would the most wondrous wealth (lines 1060-64)! Coupled with when Sir Gawain stated, But find it I must by the first of the year and not fail for all the acres in England, so the Lord help me (line 1055). It is evidentially clear that Sir Gawain held a much higher esteem for his faith prior to receiving the girdle. One moment he appears to be a devoted man of God, attending mass and confession, the next he is inserting his faith into false idols such as the green girdle. Sir Gawain planned to approach his adversary with little more than his faith in God and his Arthurian virtues of Christian chivalry. Consequently, the guarantee of protection offered to him by Lady Bertilak was a guarantee that Sir Gawain could not deny3, as it seemed more sufficient than the protection his faith could provide, alternatively he chose to displace his faith from that of mother Mary4 onto Lady Bertilak and into her green girdle. Sir Gawains faith arises again just before his confrontation with the green knight when Sir Gawain stated, By Christ, I will not cry, announced the knight, or groan, but find my fortune by the grace of God alone (lines 2156-59). Sir Gawains fate would be determined by a combination of the symbols that represent both spirit and body. They are joined as one when Gawain is under-taking the game of the Green knight; yet seek division when under the influence of the feminine guise. The emphasis of the girdles qualities to act as protection of Sir Gawains life divide the two forms and place the body outside of Sir Gawains faith. The girdle was a physical manifestation of the sins of man. A piece of clothing that Sir Gawain utilized as a device of
3 4

On line 2368 Lord Bertilak tells Gawain that it is Gawains love for his own life that allowed for the deception. It is quite clear that the Gawain poet uses Mary as a device of Sir Gawains faith, there is early mention of her at the onset of Sir Gawains journey when the poet describes her depiction on Gawains Shield. There is mention of her in Sir Gawains bedroom chamber when he has placed his faith in Lay Bertilak, and there is mention of her in the end after Bertilak has forgiven Sir Gawain.

protection to ensure his body withstood the Green Knights assault. The spirit and form of Sir Gawain where joined again for the showdown with the green knight, who confessed to Sir Gawain that the brave knight is a pawn in a game between Arthur and Morgan Le fay. Sir Gawain in a fit of shame, and an attempt to cleanse himself of sin, stripped off the girdle and threw it at Bertilak demonstrating his disgust. Sir Gawain then completed the joining of the soul with the body and chose to keep the belt as a reminder of his sin of coveting5 Lady Bertilak. As the poem ended, Arthur deemed that all knights are to wear a sash like Sir Gawain to remind them of the perils of the feminine, but more importantly, to act as a deterrent of sin.

Sir Gawain does go to confess before undertaking his journey to rendezvous with the Green Knight, however he makes little mention of his token of new-found faith. And the Poet is unclear as to the specifics of the confession, only that he is reprieved of all of his sin and born anew, The priest declares him so clean and so pure that the day of doom could dawn in the morning (lines 1883-84).