Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1981, Qupperneq 51

Gawain objects, since he foresees difficulties: any knight would rather
fight than stand idly by while a lady other than his own is acclaimed the
fairest. The king’s reaction, upon hearing Gawain’s words, is swift and
decisive; he informs the knight of his royal prerogatives:
Hvårt |?ér likar vel eda illa, Valven, J)å skal fara sem ådr,
jwiat engi jrjonustumadr å at neita J?vi, sem hans meistari
bydr honum. (5:10-12)
(Whether you like it or not Gawain, we shall nevertheless proceed
as I have indicated, for no vassal has the right to refuse to carry out
what his lord has commanded.)
Nonetheless, when Arthur wants to collect the kiss which is rightfully his
- he has been the lucky hunter - quarreling ensues. Such discord arises
that the retainers nearly come to blows, for each one considers his lady to
be most beautiful. When the situation has reached a dangerous point, the
queen asks to be heard. She suggests postponement of the kiss until the
return of Erex, the eponymous hero. Only the queen’s stepping forward
saves the day for Arthur. Despite the king’s earlier pronouncement re-
garding his own authority, in the last analysis his words have little effect
on the behavior of the knights, once emotions are aroused.
A similar case obtains in Januals Ijod, in which Arthur’s anger is
aroused when he learns from the queen that Janual has not only attempt-
ed to seduce her but has also added insult to injury by maintaining that
the meanest maid-in-waiting of his beloved is more beautiful than the
queen (see p. 107). The king is so angry when he hears Guinevere’.s
accusation - Arthur does not realize the charge is false - that he threatens
to have Janual burned on a pyre or hanged like a thief on the gallows
unless the knight can demonstrate his innocence. When Janual appears
before Arthur to respond to charges, the king informs him that the royal
honor has been impaired:
Snapr kvad hann. mioc heuir j)u svivirt mic oc vid mic gort
suivirdlega. J)u hoft i dag kvad hann illa oc unyta deilld.
suivirdir mic oc spottader drotningena. rosader mikilli
heimsku. Of frid oc of dyrleg er unnasta (jin. ef jrionastomær
hennar er villdre oc hoskare en drotning vår er. (p. 71)
(“Boor,” he said, “you have greatly disgraced me and treated me
4 King Arthur
37