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Welcome to the Mythical Britain Blog
Written by Michael Smith, the Mythical Britain Blog provides detailed insights into a range of historical and literary topics including Middle English poetry, medieval castles and churches, Arthurian romance, historical geography, prehistoric sites, and historiography. The blog also reviews books, film and theatrical performances of relevance.
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The arming of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The arming of Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is testament to the poet's descriptive skill and accuracy. But the ritualistic nature of the arming of Gawain also builds the dramatic tension as our hero faces unknown terrors.
Michael Smith
Mar 111 min read
The tarnished reputation of King Arthur in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The reputation of King Arthur and the Round Table takes a great knock in the fourteenth century masterpiece Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This article discusses how the Gawain-poet's critique of Arthur also applies to kings and kingship.
Michael Smith
Feb 2612 min read
Tarn Wadling and the supernatural landscape of Arthurian Cumberland
A lost, mysterious lake near High Hesket, Cumberland, provided the setting for a series of Arthurian romances written in the fifteenth century and now largely lost to time. Here, Michael Smith explores its reputation and cultural influence.
Michael Smith
Jan 910 min read
The haunting literary landscape of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The literary landscape of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a powerful evocation of a magical possibility existing at the fringes of our known imagination. How does the poet evoke this?
Michael Smith
Nov 3, 20258 min read
The Alliterative Revival - lessons from a time of tyranny which still hold true today
The poems of the Alliterative Revival may date from the fourteenth century but their content has much to tell us about the need for good government today - and how to avoid the tyranny of terrible leaders we are starting to see.
Michael Smith
Oct 26, 20259 min read
Overal enker-grene – the symbolism of the colour green in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The symbolism of the colour green in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has often been attributed to the supernatural. But is there a simpler reason behind the poet's choice, one based on narrative technique and audience expectation?
Michael Smith
Sep 29, 20257 min read
Sir Gawain graphic novel by John Reppion and Mark Penman
Michael Smith reviews an astonishing graphic novel version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by John Reppion and Mark Penman.
Michael Smith
Jan 24, 20257 min read
Some hidden Christmas messages in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The message of Christmas which emerges from an alternative reading of the Middle English masterpiece, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Michael Smith
Dec 2, 202412 min read
The Journey of Sir Gawain - a new linocut print inspired by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Michael Smith reveals the processes involved in the making his latest linocut of Sir Gawain as he ventures in search of the Green Knight.
Michael Smith
Nov 29, 20244 min read
Castles and Landscapes – Hautdesert Castle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Michael Smith discusses the Gawain-poet's castle Hautdesert, showing how its place in the landscape reflected the zeitgeist of his time.
Michael Smith
Dec 22, 20236 min read
Nobut an old Cave – the power and meaning of the Green Chapel in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The poet in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight calls the Green Chapel 'nobot an olde cave' with huge understatement. It was a house of horror.
Michael Smith
Nov 23, 20235 min read
Review: Green Knight - a mediaeval lady's real thoughts on knighthood and chivalry
A review of Dr Debbie Cannon's magnificent play about Lady Bertilak and her love for Sir Gawain - as seen from the point of view of The
Michael Smith, Author, Translator, Printmaker
Jul 9, 20197 min read
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - recreating in linocut the characters of Cotton Nero A.x
Background In a glass case in the British Library in London can be found one of the true gems of English literature, a book now known...
Michael Smith, Mythical Britain
Mar 30, 20165 min read
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