King Arthur never actually lived, but stories about him were extremely popular in Medieval Europe. One of the most well known today is _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_. The poem survives in only one manuscript that dates to the late 14th century. The language is Middle English, but belongs to a conservative rural dialect from the West Midlands — translation is not easy.
This is one of the illustrations from the _Gawain_ manuscript (Cotton Nero A.X), and it shows the moment in the story when Gawain has just beheaded the Green Knight as part of a challenge to his lord King Arthur. You can see the animated body of the Green Knight, completely unharmed from the blow. The Green Knight is the most bewitching part of the story, because he is so mysterious — his coloring is wild, as is his behavior. He stands outside of civilization and makes games out of social expectations.
Geeky Medievalists today are excited to see how the new film based on the poem turns out (it is releasing today in the States).
Source(s): The manuscript is digitized at bl.uk/manuscripts/Full display.aspx?ref=Cotton_MS_Nero_.A_X/2.
