"Decription of "The Green Knight"" Topic

Gang,
Looking for descriptions of the Green Knight in history, literature and Fantasy. I'm most interested in the chap from literature, ie "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", but will also check out his other appearances, roles, etc.
I'm preparing to paint Tom Maier's fabulous sculpt of him from Thunderbolt Mountain, and working on my 'visualization' of this knight.
Thanks in advance.
'Erb

Have you read the original? There are a number of translations (including one by Tolkien). Those are your best source.

But in general, the Green Knight is the representation of Nature or the Wilderness, particularly as in opposition to civilization (not necessarily in a hostile sense, just in an "otherness" sense). He is the rawness of Nature Untamed and Uncontrollable— dangerous, deadly and unconquerable, yet not unsurvivable. So the "green" aspect is not eldritch, but natural— the green of deep forest, untamed growth, spring and summer unrelenting, and the evergreens of winter. So try for different shades of green found in nature, particularly those associated with evergreen plants such as holly and ivy.

Good luck; it ought to be an interesting project!

There are a number of translations (including one by Tolkien)

I heartily recommend the new, alliterative, translation by Simon Armitage. He gets a bit too exuberant in places, but it is the liveliest, most readable version I have read.

Spiff! Didn't know there was a new translation. I was also hoping to find some on the web, no luck so far.

Don'y you know? The "Green Knight" was actually a renegade Templar, who sold his sword for filthy lucre. The reference to "green" as his color was on account of his envious countenance, which was further on account of his lust for the finer things. He could never get the level of accouterments and wealth that he felt were his due; and he had an inferiority complex because of his dirty secret: his common birth. The full tale is in the prequel to the chapter about his meeting with Gawain, et al: a small tome compiled by his biographer, Tim the Wizard, and generally lost to the knowledge of humanity. You can trust me on this one.

I thought that this was the Green Knight:

picture

:-)

Greg

Hey, this thread couldn't go on too long before some pedant piped up with the fact that there was a real green knight.

Today, the pedant is me. Amadeus VI, the Green Count of Savoy, who was important in European politics and who launched a crusade in 1366 against the Ottomans to relieve pressure on the Byzantine Empire. He was known as the Green Knight or the Green Count because of his devotion to the color: all his clothes for state occassions were green, and his personal bodyguard were also outfitted in green.

Why he did this, I have never been able to figure out.