arthurian

It’s time for us to review another medieval poem! In this episode, we discuss “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. 

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English, with an unknown author. The title of the poem was given centuries later after it was first written. It is one of the best-known Arthurian stories, with its plot combining two types of folk motifs: the beheading game, and the exchange of winnings. The poem draws on Welsh, Irish, and English stories, as well as the French chivalric tradition. Also, it is an important example of a chivalric romance, which typically involves a hero who goes on a quest which tests his prowess.

In the episode we discuss the following translations by different translators:

• J R R Tolkien 
• Simon Armitage

We had some technical issues with this episode and had to use our backup recording, apologies for the increase in background noises, cross talk ect. 

Content Warnings
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Con orígenes en la tradición oral de los primeros pueblos de Britannia, modificada y moldeada por los estándares y deseos a través de toda la edad media, la historia del Rey Arturo tal como la conocemos hoy en día es principalmente obra de Sir Thomas Malory. En su Le Morte d'Arthur, impreso en 1485, volvió a contar muchos de los cuentos que primero habían circulado de boca en boca y luego se escribieron. Vistió a Arthur a la moda de su época, transformándolo en un héroe del siglo XV.

Así, en el episodio CXXXIV de ¡A lo Bestia! podcast, les contamos algunas de las muchas leyendas alrededor de Arturo, desde el punto de vista de personajes, lugares y objetos que protagonizan canciones de metal.

Episodio grabado el 31 de marzo de 2023.

Escuchen la lista de reproducción (playlist) de este episodio en:

- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzEUmf3C1pXFSah4hoSutketTdsAuoDcS

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/61z9DNdWghg53bmIAi6lGf?si=df1d2dc4cfa54279

Artistas y canciones analizadas en este episodio:

• Fenrir - Camelot (Legends of the Grail, 2019)
• Suidakra - Pendragon's Fall (Emprise to Avalon, 2002)
• Serenity - Queen of Avalon (The Last Knight, 2020)
• Grave Digger - Excalibur (Excalibur, 1999)
• Chronomancy - Percival (Age Of Chivalry, 2017)
• Santa - Morgana (Templario, 1986)
• Crusadist - The Unholy Grail (The Unholy Grail, 2019)
• Carved - Camlann (Kyrie Eleison, 2016)

“In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to ask questions.”  -- Mary Oliver

The Arthurian legend of the knight Perceval and his quest for the grail was written by the French Romantic poet Chrétien de Troyes, who reworked Celtic legends and British history. 

The story includes King Arthur, his knights, and a number of unlucky damsels, but the mysterious loathly lady is the key.

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In 1981 John Boorman directed a tale of the greatest Arthurian myths set to film: Excalibur! The iOtians chat about one of their favorite movies on its 40th anniversary.  You'll learn about interesting casting prospects (Sean Connery as Arthur) and hear other behind-the-scenes tales from the making of the film. Before you go hunting for the Grail, listen to this podcast!

Excalibur (1981) directed by John Boorman
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082348/

Excalibur: Behind the Movie (2013)
https://pbsinternational.org/programs/excalibur_behind-the-movie/

The Sword in the Stone (1963)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057546/

Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory
https://bookshop.org/books/le-morte-d-arthur-9780375753220/9780375753220

The Once and Future King by T. H. White
https://bookshop.org/books/the-once-and-future-king/9780441627400

The Death of King Arthur retold by Peter Ackroyd
https://bookshop.org/books/the-death-of-king-arthur-the-immortal-legend-penguin-classics-deluxe-edition/9780143106951

Idylls of the King by Alfred Lord Tennyson
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/261147/idylls-of-the-king-by-alfred-tennyson/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
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Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music
Siegfried's Funeral March and Finale composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by the United States Marine Corps Band, recorded December 8–11, 1981 at w:Lisner Auditorium, w:George Washington University, w:Washington, DC, funeral march transcribed by Howard Bowlin and finale transcribed by John Bourgeois, who was the Band Director.

The music was obtained from WikiMedia Commons and is under public domain.

What if looking foolish, mistakes and regret are essential to living your purpose?

This famous Arthurian tale provides an interesting backdrop to questions of seeking, destiny, and character.

“In a dark time the eye begins to see,
I meet my shadow in the deepening shade;
I hear my echo in the echoing wood—“

----Theodore Roethke,  from In  A  Dark Time

Like the Norwegian fairy tale, “Prince Lindworm,” the Arthurian story of Sir Gawain and Lady Ragnell is a story about the mysterious transformative power found in embracing the un-embraceable. It raises different questions though, questions about the nature of a true king, patriarchy, and our secret ugliness. I’m sending this out to nasty women everywhere, and the men who love and support them.

Our minds, bodies, feelings, relationships are all informed by our questions. What you ask is who you are. What you find depends on what you search for. And what shapes our lives are the questions we ask, refuse to ask, or never think of asking.”  —Sam Keen

This episode is the conclusion of this famous Arthurian story about the quests and questions that determine our lives, character, and destiny.

“It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” ~Joseph Campbell

“What is it we are questing for? It is the fulfillment of that which is potential in each of us. Questing for it is not an ego trip; it is an adventure to bring into fulfillment your gift to the world, which is yourself. There is nothing you can do that’s more important than being fulfilled. You become a sign, you become a signal, transparent to transcendence; in this way you will find, live, become a realization of your own personal myth.”  ~ Joseph Campbell, Pathways to Bliss

 Part 2 of a famous story about the quest and destiny.

What is the purpose of your life? Is there some promise, gift, or need that you are destined to fulfill?  

These questions lie in the heart of the mystery that surrounds our lives. A few people are born with answers, but for most of us the search is part of a long quest. A quest for truth, for meaning, for completion. . . for consciousness, for Self knowledge.

It’s possible to ignore these questions of life purpose and refuse the quest. Contemporary Western society encourages us to limit our explorations to shopping malls and commercial entertainments. But if you are seeking, the story of Perceval is a valuable one to contemplate. 

This is an old story, as is the cultural conversation about authenticity, love, and self-determination that we are having today, and that gave birth to this story. 

There’s more to this story than knights and swords, which came into written form at the same time that folks were contemplating some radical ideas about what it means to be a fully realized human being.