When we engage in the daily activities of life, giving little thought
to spiritual matters, the kundalini energy can become blocked, often at
chakra 5, the throat chakra, and sometimes at chakra 4, the heart chakra.
Then like Enid we cannot speak in our natural spiritual voice, or like
Geraint we do not act from the heart as we otherwise might. Instead, we
may live out part of our lives fueled by the energy of chakra 2, experiencing
the frustrations of sex, and fueled by the energy of chakra 3, acting upon
those experiences. A karmic pattern of action/reaction is established from
which, like wandering in a dark forest, it is very difficult to emerge.
This karmic pattern is often magnetic for negative energy, and for Sir
Geraint and Lady Enid the negative energy comes in the form of an Earl.
In the often cruel activities of life that can take us so far afield
of the spiritual, that take us away from the castle and into the dark woods
where we must struggle to survive, there is recognition of the divine.
Enid and Geraint acquire three, then four, then five horses, and this totals
twelve, the number of the Knights of the Round Table and the Apostles at
the Last Supper. During the Middle Ages, the mysticism of numbers was widely
popular. Twelve by natural addition is three, the number of the Holy Trinity.
But there is not much holiness to be found by Geraint as well as by others
living solely on the levels of the first three chakras. For them, life
is a competition and all about fighting and winning in the popular world
that honors the divinities of wealth, lust and power.
Geraint asks the youth, "Where did you come from?" He replies, "From
the Earl's town on the other side of that hill yonder. Where did you come
from?" Geraint responds, "From the forest there. We traveled all day yesterday
through the forest and slept there last night."You must be hungry," says
the youth. "I have bread and cheese to offer you that I was taking to the
mowers for their breakfast. I also have milk."Well, thanks, friend,"
says Geraint. "We will accept your kind offer of food." The youth helps
Enid down from her horse, and she and Geraint sit under a crab-apple tree
and eat breakfast.
When they are finished, the youth bids goodbye but Geraint tells him,
"Go to the town yonder and get us a room at the best inn. And for your
kindness in helping us, pick out one of these horses and a suit of armor
that you like and keep them for yourself." The youth says he has done nothing
as great as that to deserve a horse and armor, but Geraint insists. Joyfully,
the youth chooses among the horses and then leaves for town to make reservations
at the inn for the knight and his lady.
As the youth rides into town, one of the Earl's servants stops him to
discover how he has come by such a grand suit of armor and stalwart horse.
"A noble knight has given them to me, " he tells the servant. "He has eleven
other horses and eleven other suits of armor."This is strange," says
the servant. "Come and tell your story to the Earl." The youth goes to
the Earl and tells him about the knight and the lady and the twelve horses
and the twelve suits of armor. The Earl tells the youth to return to the
knight and invite him and his lady to his castle for lodgings. So the youth
rides back to Geraint and tells him what the Earl has said, but Geraint
is displeased, saying, "I told you to find us lodgings at the inn, not
at an Earl's castle. I will not stay with the Earl but will stay at the
inn." The youth leads Geraint and Enid to the inn.
The landlord of the inn comes out to meet the knight and his lady, and
Geraint tells him, "Show us your best room," and the landlord does so.
In the room Geraint tells Enid, "Keep to that side of the room and I will
keep to my side, for I am tired and I want to sleep." Enid says, "I will
do as you say." He tells the youth, "Come back after I awake and wait on
me." The youth says he will, but first he must go see the Earl as he has
promised. So while Geraint sleeps, the youth goes to see the Earl and tells
him, "Sir, this man is a prince or a knight-royal, because he commands
everyone." The Earl asks, "Where is he lodged?" The youth tells him at
the inn and that he is to return to wait on the knight when he awakens.
"Give him my regards," says the Earl.
Geraint sleeps all afternoon and awakens because he is hungry. He summons
the landlord and tells him to lay on a feast and asks the landlord if he
has some friends he would like to invite to dine. The landlord has many
friends, he says, and Geraint tells him to invite them all to eat and drink.
He tells the landlord, "Although I am unhappy myself, I love to see people
who are happy and having fun." Everyone comes to Geraint's feast and the
entire inn is taken over with laughing and eating and drinking and merrymaking.
That
evening the Earl comes and brings with him twelve knights of his court.
Geraint arises and welcomes them, and the Earl sits down to talk with Geraint.
He asks him what is the purpose of his journey, and Geraint responds his
journey has no purpose, that he is seeking adventure as a knight-errant.
The Earl casts his eyes upon Enid, who is sitting far from Geraint, and
he studies her, thinking how fair and beautiful she is. His heart fills
with sudden love, and the fire of lust ignites. He asks Geraint, "Have
I your permission to speak with that lady? I notice she is not with you."
Geraint says, "By all means, go ahead."
So the
Earl goes over to Enid and says to her, "Lady, your hands are so beautiful
and soft and your body is so fragile and gentle, it cannot be pleasant
to travel the cruel world with that man." Enid says, "I enjoy his company."
The Earl says, "You should have servants waiting on you day and night."
Enid says, "I would rather travel with that man that have servants serving
me." The Earl says, "Take my advice. Give up that man and come with me.
Everything I own will be yours and you shall be mistress of it and of me."
Enid is getting very angry and she says, "I will not go with you! That
man is dearer to me than all the earth, all its kingdoms, its principalities,
its dukedoms and its earldoms. He was the first man I plighted my faith,
and never have I withdrawn it from his keeping. Do you think I would leave
him now for the little piece of ground you offer me, and do him such dishonor
and let him go forth into the world alone?" The Earl responds, "Lady, you
are wrong in this, because I will kill that man and take you by force.
And when I am tired of you I will throw you away. But if you come willingly,
then I will not throw you away but I will keep you as my most precious
treasure as long as I live. Come with me and I will let that man live,
but do not come with me and I will kill him."
Enid is greatly disturbed by this and she sees the Earl's twelve knights
standing by to do his bidding. So at last she says to the Earl, "Listen
to what I say to you. Everything I just said, I said for the sake of my
honor. But you have made me want to go with you. Come tomorrow morning
with twelve armed knights and take me away as if by force, so that it appears
I did not go willingly. " The Earl agrees to this and leaves. But Enid
says nothing of this to Geraint, knowing he would go into a rage and go
after the Earl. She keeps everything secret and to herself. That night
as they lie on different sides of the room, Geraint sleeps but Enid does
not. When she hears his deep breathing of sleep, she arises quietly and
gathers his armor and piles it softly where he can easily get it. Then
she lies down and sleeps.
He arises, puts on his armor and summons the landlord, asking him, "How
much do I owe you?" The landlord replies, "Not much. You were only here
one night." Geraint says, "Take eleven horses and eleven suits of armor
in payment. Will that cover it?"Heaven bless me," says the landlord,
"that is far to much. You don't owe me the value of even one horse, much
less eleven with suits of armor."In that case," says Geraint, "you are
a richer man, now. Is there a back way out of here? We need to leave in
a hurry." The landlord shows them the back way and they leave before the
Earl arrives.
As Enid and Geraint ride onward, Enid looks back many times. Finally,
she sees a cloud of dust coming nearer and nearer, and in that cloud of
dust are the Earl and his twelve knights. She cries out to Geraint, "Sir
Knight, get ready to fight! Here they come!" Geraint has been sunk in thought,
but now he closes his visor, latches it and prepares himself for battle.
He turns his horse in the middle of the road and stands waiting for his
enemies. Soon they reach him and stop a little away from him. Then the
Earl comes forward and says, "Sir Knight, give up that lady and we will
not harm you. She told me she wanted to stay with me." Geraint calls out
to Enid, "Is this true? Do you want to go with this man? If you do, you
have my permission to leave." Enid calls back, "No! I don't want to go
with him. I would rather go with you to your death than with him to his
joy." Geraint says to the Earl, "The lady says you are mistaken. She does
not want to go with you."She said she did yesterday, " the Earl says.
He calls out to Enid, "What did you tell me yesterday? You said you wanted
to stay with me!" Enid calls back, "I told you what I had to tell you,
because you put me in a bad situation."
Then the Earl goes back to his knights and speaks with them. He calls
out to Geraint, "Sir Knight, I will not let you go until you have jousted
some of my knights for the lady yonder, for her bright eyes and her slender
body."Well," says Geraint, "Let's begin." The Earl responds, "And if
you lose the lady is mine."You shouldn't have said that," replies Geraint.
The strongest of the Earl's knights rides forward, and he and Geraint make
a violent charge at each other.
Three times they charge and the Earl's
knight lies on the ground as though dead. Then one after another the knights
take turns charging Geraint, and each is violently thrown upon the ground.
Then the Earl says, "Sir Knight, you have fought gallantly and have won.
Leave in peace."Not so," says Geraint, "For you are remaining for me
to fight before I leave."
"So be it," says the Earl, and rides forward. They set spurs to their
horses and ride forward in such a fury and crash like thunder in the middle
of the field. The Earl's spear is shattered against Geraint's shield, while
Geraint's spear pierces the shield of the Earl, lifting him out of his
saddle and hurling him behind his horse, where he lies as though dead.
Geraint runs to the Earl and snatches off his helmet, grabbing him by the
hair and drawing his neck forward to chop off his head. Just before Geraint
swings his sword, the Earl comes to and cries out, "Sir Knight, spare my
life!"Why should I?" says Geraint. "You tried to kill me, you tried to
destroy my honor, you tried to steal my lady, and this while we were guests
in your town!" He whirls his sword to strike, but Enid comes running, saying,
"Spare the Earl's life. What do you gain by killing him?" Geraint says,
"This lady has asked for your life. I will spare it." The Earl cries, "Thank
you, thank you!"Get out of here," says Geraint. "Go in peace," says Enid.
Enid and Geraint mount their horses and travel on their way, Enid leading
and Geraint following far behind. The twelve knights all require medical
attention, and many weeks pass before they are well enough to go outside
the castle. This is the second day of their journey.
When the portals to ida, pingala and shushumna open, it sometimes
happens they don't all three open concurrently. This malfunction is described
by many who experience it as being total hell. Certainly, it is nothing
to take lightly and can result in madness, even suicide. When this blockage
occurs, kundalini shakti shoots up through only one of the subtle nerves,
for example, ida, channel for the energies associated with mortality. Then,
there is an energy imbalance such as we see in Geraint, who is expressing
only the physical and nothing spiritual. The more Geraint becomes stuck
on himself, on ego, the more he becomes the tyrant of his own personal
hell.
When the imbalance occurs the other way, and it is ida and the energies
associated with mortality that are blocked, the complete ungrounding of
the individual can occur, and the physical world and physical life and
all they encompass are rejected. The transpersonal dominates, resulting
in a refusal to allow the love energy of chakras 1, 2 and 3 to express
naturally, particularly chakra 2, sexuality, and then we have men refusing
to be men and women refusing to be women.
Lady Enid exemplifies the love balance of shushumna, for she is open
and expressing from chakra 1 to heart chakra 4 and to throat chakra 5.
Although Geraint would like to blame Enid and her beauty for his problems,
to Enid is due equal credit with Geraint for keeping them both alive and
free. But the brighter Enid shines, the darker Geraint becomes. Geraint follows Enid as
she rides forth until at last they see before them a beautiful valley with
meadows and fields, and in the center of the valley a wide river. Not far
from there is a large town. All around the town is a fortress castle, tall
and forbidding, that looks down upon the town and the road. They cross
a bridge over the river and enter the town, and on either side of the bridge
are two tall towers that guard it. Geraint and Enid sit for awhile and
admire the scenery, and from the town rides a horseman out to meet them.
Geraint rides forward and they salute and Geraint asks, "What town is that
in this beautiful valley?" The horseman says, "It is the town of Redlands,
and the lord of this country is a brave, famous Earl called the Little
King. He is called that because he rules this place as though he were a
king."
Enid
rides forth and Geraint follows. They come to the bridge and Geraint tells
Enid not to cross the bridge but to continue into the Little King's land.
They go past the bridge and past the two towers at the bridge head, and
ride along beside the river. After awhile they realize someone is galloping
toward them. Sir Geraint turns about and sees an armed knight coming at
a fast gallop. Geraint waits and the knight stops near to him and says,
"Sir Knight, is it through ignorance or presumption that you travel my
dominions without my permission?" Geraint replies, "Sir, how would I know
this road is forbidden to travelers?"No," says the strange knight, "You
do know it is forbidden and you have broken the rules of my land. You shall
come with me to court."I will not come with you to court," says Geraint.
"This is a free road and anyone may travel on it."
Each knight makes ready for battle and takes post for a tilt. Shouting
at their horses they drive their spurs into the flanks of the animals and
meet head on in a loud crash. Their lances hold and the horses sink back
on their haunches shaking from the shock of that assault.
They throw down their lances, leap from their horses and draw their
swords, rushing against the other like wild bulls. They lash at each
other, several severe strokes, and both are wounded. Geraint's wounds begin
to hurt and he becomes enraged, raining blow after blow upon his opponent,
striking him with a terrible violence again and again, until he drives
down the shield of the Little King and smashes him upon the crown of his
helmet.
"I have heard of you," says the Little King. "If I had known it was
you, I would not have challenged you. I see you are hurt in many places,
I am sorry for that. Blood is flowing from your wounds and running down
your armor. You're not fit to travel in this hot son. You and the lady
return with me to my castle where you can recover from your wounds. After that, you may return to Camelot."
But
Geraint refuses, saying, "I will not go to your castle, but instead I will
go on my way." The Little King looks at Enid, seeing how fragile and beautiful
she is and how much she suffers because Geraint is injured, and he feels
pity for her. "Sir," he says to Geraint, "You do yourself injury. Your
wounds need attention. What if someone attacks you along the way, you will
not be able to defend yourself adequately. What will happen to your lady?"
Geraint cries out fiercely, "I have told you, my lady and I are going on
our way!" and mounts his horse, takes his spear in his hand and rides away,
telling Enid to ride on ahead of him as before, and they leave.
The day grows hotter, and the blood inside the armor of Geraint begins
to dry and glues his wounds to his armor, so that his pain is very bad.
But he says nothing and rides along, until at last he can stand it no more
and gets off his horse to rest under some Oak trees. Lady Enid tries to
help him dismount but he says to her, "Go and stand under that tree. I
am in terrible pain and I want to be alone, now." So Enid does as he says
and stands under her tree and cries as Geraint dismounts and stands under
his tree. Suddenly, they hear voices and horses approaching, and it is
King Arthur and his court out hunting. Before Geraint can hide, the foot-page
of Sir Kay the Seneschal sees him.
The page goes to Sir Kay and tells him of a knight and a lady under
some trees. Sir Kay goes to see, and Enid hides behind her tree ashamed
of her tears. Geraint is so bloody Sir Kay does not know him, but Geraint
knows Sir Kay. "Who are you?" asks Sir Kay. "It doesn't matter. I am in
search of adventure," says Geraint. "You appear to have had one adventure
too many," says Sir Kay. "I will take you to King Arthur, who is near by."
"I will not go," says Geraint. "I am not fit to stand before the King."
"Come with me," says Sir Kay, and he lays hold of Geraint's arm. This makes
Geraint terribly angry, and he lifts his spear and hits Sir Kay on the
head with the butt of his spear, knocking him unconscious. After a little
while, Sir Kay comes to and goes away, leaving Geraint where he is standing.
Sir Perceval is nearby and Sir Kay goes to him, telling him of the wounded
knight under the tree. "Where is he?" asks Sir Perceval. "Over yonder.
But be careful. He has a bad temper." Sir Perceval does not recognize Geraint
because of all the dried blood, but Geraint knows Sir Perceval. "Sir Knight,
" says Perceval, "Will you not come to the tent of King Arthur and have
your wounds attended?"No," says Geraint, "I will not." Lady Enid recognizes
Sir Perceval's voice and comes forward from behind the tree, her face all
wet from weeping. She calls out to Perceval, "Sir Perceval, make him go
to King Arthur." Then Perceval knows Lady Enid and that the wounded man
must be Geraint. "Sir Geraint, is it you?"No, I am not Geraint," he
responds.
"What condition are you in and where will you go with your lady? If
you go forward, you will die, and if you stay here you will die," says
Perceval. "I will go forward," says Geraint, and at those words Enid begins
to cry. Perceval tells the page near by to find King Arthur and tell him
Sir Geraint is standing here wounded. The page runs away and then Perceval
says to Lady Enid, "How is it you and your lord came to this place?"I
don't know, " says Enid, "I just do what he tells me to do, and he told
to ride forward while he followed." Sir Perceval says, "I think he might
have gone crazy."
Geraint and Enid remain at the woodland court of King Arthur for nearly
a month. Geraint's wounds heal and he grows jealous again of Enid's joy
at being in the company of so many others, and he asks the King's permission
to leave. "Where will you go?" asks the King. "I don't know, " says Geraint.
"I go in search of adventure."Then let the lady stay here, "says the
King. "She cannot stay here," says Geraint. "She must travel with me."
"This is crazy," says the King. "Her body is too soft and fragile to endure
these hardships you bring upon her."No matter," says Geraint. "She must
travel with me wherever I go." The King thinks for awhile and then says,
"You may leave if the physicians say your wounds are healed."Call the
physicians," answers Geraint. The physicians come and say his wounds are
healed. So the King gives Geraint permission to leave and he and Enid depart.
That is to say, Enid rides forward ahead of Geraint, and Geraint rides
some distance behind Enid.
What does it take in a person's life to put down the physical so
the spiritual may rise and the love energy may be taken on up to the heart
chakra and beyond? Extreme measures might be necessary. Sometimes it takes
a near death experience. For many people, even this is not enough, for
they cannot break through to the light, and the light cannot break through
to them. Although they cannot love God, they can love someone near and
dear to them, and this is one way to love God. And when that much-loved
person is threatened, when Enid is threatened, then Geraint's love that
nearly destroyed him becomes his salvation.
Chakra 4, Geraint's heart chakra, begins to open, and we see a man
who is far more fearless going into battle against twelve knights and three
giants than he is going into the unconditional love energy of chakra 4.
Built into this part of the story is the archetypal symbol of the mind
disincarnate - a decapitated head. This means the body is cut off, the
physical is sublimated to the spiritual, and this also symbolizes the rise
of the energy of immortality through pingala into chakras 4 and 5. Also
symbolized in this story is the lightning path of shushumna from the throat
at chakra 5 to the top of the head at chakra 7, outlined by the lightning
strike of a sword and the cleaving into of an Earl.
Geraint must quickly ascend to Enid's level of love or else he stands
some chance of losing her. As it is, she has much to forgive and forget,
and this is Enid's personal trial involving unconditional love. Shakespeare
said the course of true love never did run smooth. Maybe he was thinking
of Geraint and Enid when he wrote that. Their story of love, widely popular
throughout the ages, preceded his life by about 400 years.
After leaving King Arthur's
encampment, Geraint and Enid travel for some time until they come to a
thick, dark and dismal forest, where they stop.
They hear someone crying out in mourning.
In a glade of the forest they see a lady and two horses and a knight lying
dead on the ground and covered with blood. "What happened?" Geraint inquires
of the lady. "Three giants came out of the woods upon us and killed him,"
the lady says. "Which way did they go?" asks Geraint. "Down that path,"
the lady says, pointing and weeping. Geraint tells Enid he will ride after
them and for her to stay with the lady, and Enid tries to stop him by reminding
him of his newly healed wounds and of his own weakness.
But Geraint pays
no attention to her and rides off in pursuit of the giants. After awhile he
sees them walking along side by side, each wearing a huge body-piece of
armor and each carrying a huge club girded with iron.
Geraint charges upon them and runs one of them straight through with
his lance. He withdraws it and runs it straight another one. Before he
can withdraw this time, the third giant smashes him a terrible blow with
his club, and Geraint's shield and helmet are split and his armor is beaten
off his shoulder. Geraint falls to his knees, all his newly healed wounds
bursting open and bleeding. He recovers, rushes the giant, swings his sword
and cuts the giant's head clean off. Then Geraint, leaving the three where
they lie, mounts his horse and rides back to Enid and the lady, saying,
"Lady---," but stops, sways from side to side, and falls lifeless from
his horse onto the ground.
Enid runs to him and puts his head in her lap. She thinks he is dead,
because his face is completely white. In grief she raises her voice and
cries loud and shrill. In that forest not far away is the Earl of Limours,
who hears Enid cry and goes to see with his knights what lady is crying.
They gallop forward and find Enid and the lady and two dead knights. The
Earl of Limours says to Enid, "What has happened here?" Enid tells him
of the three giants who have killed the only man she will ever love. The
other lady says the same. "Which way did they go?" asks the Earl, and both
Enid and the lady point to the path. The Earl and his knights ride after
the giants and come upon them all lying dead. "That was a strong knight
to have killed these three giants, " says the Earl.
They return to the forest glade and examine the knights. One of them is
dead, but the other one is not completely dead. So the dead one they bury
and the other one they take to the castle and also both ladies. The Earl's
castle is very large and beautiful. Inside the castle the physicians come
to examine Geraint, and the leech comes to bleed him. They all determine
he is not totally dead but very near to it. The Earl suggests the ladies
go change clothes, and one of them does but Enid refuses. She stays beside
Geraint. The Earl tells her, "Go change clothes. You are very beautiful
and you will be even more attractive to me if you will wear nice clothes.
Your lord is going to die, and when he is dead I will marry you and bestow
myself and my castle and all my lands upon you." But Enid only weeps and
says, "I don't know what to do, for I am very lonely. If my lord dies I
will never be happy again as long as I live."Take heart, pretty one,"
says the Earl. "I cannot take heart," replies Enid.
Enid says to Geraint, "Oh, my husband, are you dead or alive?" Geraint
replies, "Beloved, I am alive and well. Let us make haste to escape this
place while we can. Where are our horses?" Enid leads Geraint to the horses,
but only one horse can be found. Geraint mounts his horse and reaches his
hand to Enid and lifts her up from the ground and places her on the horse
behind him. She wraps her arms around his body, like shakti wrapped around
lingam, and he feels her arms with great joy and delight. Once more on
the path of love, they ride away hastily and no one dares stop them because
they believe it is the living riding with the dead. Just as they depart,
a small group of horsemen rides toward them, and it is the Little King,
come to help Geraint.
"I heard you were in trouble," he says. "I am come
to help you." Geraint thanks him and tells him there is no need, they have
escaped their troubles, and they ride forward with the Little King.
As they ride Geraint turns his head and looks at Enid and sees how thin
and colorless she is because of the hardships of his anger and his injustices
to her, and he turns his head away and bows his head. After awhile he lifts
his head and says to her, "Lady, can you forgive me?"I do forgive you,"
says Enid, "but I will never forget." Geraint is dismayed and asks her,
"Do you still love me in spite of all I have done? I have made your life
a misery because I believed my life to be a misery. But I want you to know
that even though it seemed I cared not at all for you, I loved you deeply,
more than I ever thought possible." Enid is heartened by his words and
says, "Well then, we must start anew and begin again, for if we have love,
it is the only thing that matters. Only love counts," she tells him and
he turns and kisses her full upon the lips as they ride at long last toward
Camelot.
Composed by Claire Grace Watson, B.A., M.S.T.
Part 1 - Our Five Bodies | Knight of the Sparrow Hawk Copyright Notice - Disk of the World - Text and images copyrighted March 21, 1993-2023, Claire Grace Watson, B.A., M.S.T., U.S. Copyright and under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, All rights reserved.
orning comes and Geraint
awakens Enid from her sleep. She is very hungry but makes no complaint.
She mounts her horse, takes the reins of the twelve horses and rides forth,
Geraint following at a distance. After awhile the trees of the dark forest
become thinner and sunlight finds its way through the leaves and onto the
ground. Enid and Geraint ride out of the woods and into the open fields
of hedgerows, meadows and mowers mowing. They come to a river to ford it,
and all the horses bow their heads and drink of the water. They ride up
a steep bank on the other side of the river. At the top of the bank stands
a youth carrying a leather satchel and a crock of milk.
Before dawn Enid arises and goes to where Geraint sleeps, touches her
finger to his chest and he awakens. "Do you know what the Earl said to
me last night?" she asks Geraint. "Tell me," says Geraint. Enid tells him
everything and Geraint is very angry and says to her, "Your beauty brings
out evil wherever you go. Now I will kill this Earl before I leave here
for what dishonor he has suggested."Not so," says Enid. "Let the Earl
alone. He has too many men. Let us leave now before they come." In this
respect, Geraint is no fool and agrees to leave.
ENID AND GERAINT ENCOUNTER THE LITTLE KING
hen Geraint asks permission to pass by the bridge and into the country,
the horseman tells him the Little King has forbidden anyone to the
enter his land without his permission. Geraint tells the horseman he will
enter anyway. The horseman says Geraint will come to shame and disgrace
if he does. Geraint says he will take that risk. The horseman laughs, they
salute each other and the horseman leaves.
he blow is so powerful it splits the helmet apart and the iron cap
beneath and cuts into the bone. The Little King loses his wits and also
his strength. He sinks to his knees as Geraint snatches his helmet from
his head and pulls his head forward by his hair, whirling his sword to
chop off his head. The Little King cries out, "Spare my life!"I will
spare you," said Geraint, "on one condition. You must swear to be a true
friend to me hereafter and be faithful to me as I will be faithful to you.
For you are the noblest knight I have ever fought." The Little King agrees
and asks, "Who are you?" Geraint says, "I am Sir Geraint, the son of King
Erbin."
Soon King Arthur appears and some of his court and Queen Guinevere and
several of her court. King Arthur says to Lady Enid, "Lady, how came you
here to this place." Enid says, "Lord, I do not know, only that whatever
he tells me to do, I do it, and wherever he tells me to go, I go." King
Arthur says to the Queen, "Take Lady Enid and care for her. I will take
Sir Geraint and put him under the care of my physicians." Sir Geraint calls
out, "Lord, I beg of you, let me go on my way!"I will not," says the
King. "You appear to me to be crazy, and if I let you go it will certainly
be to your death. You can't live with wounds like that."They are not
so bad," says Geraint, but the King ignores him. He makes Geraint lay upon
the couch in his tent and he has his physicians bind up the wounds and
make Geraint comfortable. Meanwhile, the Queen brings Lady Enid to her
pavilion, gives her fresh clothes and has Enid tell of their adventures,
while the Queen and her ladies all marvel as Enid tells of all she and
Geraint have done together.
SIR GERAINT AND THE THREE GIANTS
Then
the Earl gives orders that a feast be made ready, and when it is ready
he says to Enid, "Come sit beside me and eat." She says, "I will not eat
and I will not sit at table unless my lord sits with me." The Earl laughs
and says, "Lady, you are foolish, for your knight will never sit and eat
again, for he is dead, or else just now dying." This causes Enid to cry
very bitterly. The Earl says, "Come sit by me, and I will have your knight
brought to the table, also." He has his servants bring Geraint to the table
on a bier, and they lay him beside the table. He takes Enid's hand and
leads her to the table and compels her to sit by him. But she refuses to
eat. He offers her wine and she refuses to drink. "Drink this wine. It
will help you forget."I will not drink," says Enid, "until my husband
arises and drinks with me." This makes the Earl very angry, and he pops her
on her ear. Now Enid feels the loneliness of her life at its extreme, and
she thinks the Earl would never dare hit her if Geraint were alive and
well. She cries out loudly, she shrieks aloud.
ir Geraint this whole time has been recovering and lying quietly listening
to everything around him. He hears Enid refuse to eat and drink and he
hears her shriek with pain when the Earl hits her. The eyes of his soul
open and he realizes how crazy and blind he has been this whole time and
how faithful Enid has been, how beautiful her love is for him. Then rage
and shame flame up like a fire within him, and he feels the strength of
ten men come into him. He grabs the sword beside him and the shield and
leaps up, all white and smeared with blood, frightening everyone because
he looks like a dead man just come to life. He runs over beside the Earl
and cries out, "Would you dare to hit my wife?" and hits him on the head
with all his strength, splitting the Earl right down the middle to his
chest, the blade of the sword stopped only by the oaken table into which
it cuts. Everyone clears the room except for Geraint and Enid and the dead
man sitting dreadfully in his chair.
Based on the original tale.
Sir Geraint and the Knight | Geraint and Enid
Page 2 - An Evil Earl | The Little King | The Three Giants
BOOKS, ARTICLES, ART, AND WEB DESIGN BY CLAIRE GRACE WATSONTHIS IS A PHAISTOS DISK INSPIRED ARTICLE