THE WEDDYNG OF SYR GAWEN AND DAME RAGNELL FOR HELPYING OF KYNG ARTHOURE

(ca. 1450)

The Weddyng of Syr Gawen and Dame Ragnellis a 15th-century poem of the Arthurian tradition. While hunting, King ARTHUR finds himself alone in the forest and is confronted by Sir Gromer-Somer Jour who alleges that Arthur has appropriated his lands for Sir Gawen (seeGAWAIN). In retaliation, he intends to cut off Arthur’s head in 12 months unless Arthur can answer a riddle: What do women love best? Arthur agrees and returns home. He confides in Gawen and they ride out separately to poll the population in an attempt to solve the riddle. Arthur meets a horrible hag who claims to have the answer but her price of disclosure is marriage to Gawen. Arthur declines to promise but indicates he will counsel Gawen, and the foul woman, Dame Ragnell, tells Arthur that women love sovereignty best. Freed from the bargain with Gromer-Somer Jour (who happens to be Ragnell’s brother), Arthur returns home, and Gawen and Ragnell are married. Ragnell tells Gawen that she can be beautiful either during the day when others see them together, or during the night when they are in bed, and Gawen asks her to choose what would be best. This act of yielding to Ragnell’s decision gives her the sovereignty she seeks, and having found a knight who will treat her according to the riddle’s solution, Ragnell is subsequently freed from the curse of hideousness and is beautiful both day and night. Gawen and Ragnell live happily together until she dies five years later. The transformation from the ugly to the beautiful is part of a folktale tradition, the “loathly lady” motif. Analogues to the poem include CHAUCER’sWIFE OF BATH’S TALE(in which the errant knight is burdened with solving the same riddle asTheWeddyng’s Arthur), GOWER’s “Tale of Florent” from the CONFESSIOAMANTIS, and the later 15th-centuryMarriage of Sir Gawaine. NeitherThe WeddyngnorThe Marriageis as complex asThe Wife of Bath’s Tale.The riddle itself may have grown out of the tenets of the COURTLY LOVE tradition, which dominated ROMANCE literature. Poets in this genre were frequently courtiers writing for their female audience and the traditional chivalrous knight was often emasculated while carrying out mandatory sacrifices for the love of his lady. It has also been asserted that the motif has Celtic origins and was influenced by Irish,Welsh, Breton, and French tales.

Another detail in the poem is also found in (the roughly contemporary)AWNTYRS OFF ARTHURE AT THE TERNEWATHELYNE, wherein a visiting knight alleges that Arthur confiscated his lands and distributed them to Gawen, then challenges Arthur’s court to battle. InThe Weddyng, Gromer-Somer Jour threatens to behead Arthur because Arthur took his lands and gave them to Gawen. It is Arthur’s prideful and covetous nature that provoked Gromer’s challenge. In theAwntyrs, Gawen battles the knight on Arthur’s behalf, while in theWeddyng, Gawen aids Arthur in his quest for the riddle’s solution and ultimately acts as Arthur’s savior by promising to marry Ragnell. One notable difference in the two tales is that Gromer’s lands are not restored to him in this poem. As the tale relates to Arthurian literature, it is consistent with the English tradition that recognizes Gawen as the premier knight in Arthur’s court, as opposed to Lancelot in the French tradition. InThe Weddyng, Arthur is often more shrewd and thoughtful than the impetuous and rash character encountered in some (particularly French) Arthurian texts. For instance, when he initially meets Gromer, he claims to be unprepared for battle as he was hunting and had no war weaponry, and thus avoids battle.

The poem’s one extant manuscript dates from either the very late 15th century or early 16th century, while the poem’s date of composition is believed to be no earlier than the middle of the 15th century. Its rhyme scheme is six-line TAIL-RHYME stanzas with anaabccbscheme, and at least 64 lines are omitted from the scene describing the wedding banquet, as one page of the manuscript has been lost.

The poem provides an alternative to the traditional Gawain character, who often has the reputation of a philanderer, but in this text, he marries happily and sires a son. The poem is also useful in considering the frequently transforming relationship between the faithful knight, Gawain, and his lord, King Arthur.

■ Shenk, Robert. “The Liberation of the ‘Loathly Lady’ ofMedieval Romance,”Journal of the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association2 (1981): 69–77.

■ Shepherd, Stephen H. A., ed.,Middle English Romances. New York: Norton, 1995.