halloooo L! I have a quick (and hopefully answerable) question. I feel like I see/read depictions of Gawain as a redhead more than any other knight— when did that start? What’s the historical context for that man being a ginger? This has been itching at my brain for weeks
Hi!
Gawain and his brothers hair color are not usually mentioned in medlit. Vulgate Mordred is the exception.
Gawain's son in Wigalois is described as blond, but not Gawain himself. Many characters with blond hair end up adopting it as epithet, such as Isolde the Blond, as it's evidentially special enough to be worth mentioning. This leads me to believe Gawain has some other hair color. But! Not red. Which also stands out and is mentioned for the opposite reason. Our friend Wirnt von Grafenberg actually comes to the defense of red haired people, as it's an old belief that red hair indicates deception.
Now here's the the actual answer...In Queen of Air and Darkness by T. H. White, Gawain has red hair.
So as far as I'm aware, ginger Gawain started in TOAFK to indicate that he was a "dumb" "violent" Scot. Literally medieval authors were doing better. But I won't harp on that. The color I see most in retellings is blond, perhaps assuming Gawain has the same hair color as Mordred, or Gingalain/Wigalois/Vidvilt, or because of Gawain's sun powers. Red is a close second, though.
I think it's great that authors and artists have reclaimed redhead Gawain as a swell guy to undo the damage of the racist trope. I like the red hair and if we roll back the lore to it's earlier Welsh/Celtic beginnings, it makes perfect sense. Whether he be from Southern Britain or Ireland or somewhere in Pictland, it's the place to be ginger! From a historical standpoint, it totally works. But it's definitely a modern phenomenon regarding Gawain attributes.
!!!!!! BET OK!!!! <33
gonna teach yall abt Xīn Zhuī who is over 2000 years old!!
ok so Xīn Zhuī was found in 1971 at the Mawangdui archaeological site in Changsha! She was found while a team was digging for a new air raid shelter for a nearby hospital but instead they discovered three tombs! The first and largest being Xīn Zhuī's, the second was her husbands Lì Cāng, and the third was (potentially) their son who we dont know the name of. Xīn's tomb by far is the best preserved out of the three and youll see the condition of her and her grave goods soon! (just as a general tw for everyone, theres going to be pictures of deceased people and in depth discussions regarding her state both peri and post mortem here so if you dont want to see that id advise scrolling <3)
with that out of the way, onwards! So like i said she was the best preserved of the 3, for reasons were still a little unsure on! It could have been the depth at which she was buried, luck, or the unknown liquid that coated the bottom of her tomb (more on that later)
(picture by Gary Todd)
so this is a photo of her tomb and her maybe sons tomb! (for some reason they didnt want to include her husbands which is mildly annoying but anyways) you can see how much further down she was buried in comparison here, but also just how large her burial chamber was, and itll make sense why in a second, but first, more on this specific method of burial and how they were structured!
All three tombs at Mawangdui are rectangular in shape and located at the very bottom of a steep vertical shaft as you can see in the image above. When these tombs were constructed, there would have been beams made from cypress planks, that would have been fitted together snugly. Then clay and dirt were layered around the tombs and packed firmly, to help insulate them and protect the tombs. This type of burial actually does not originate with the Han Dynasty, but instead came to be during the Zhou Dynasty. Each burial chamber found had the tomb of the deceased placed directly in the middle, in a series of nesting coffins, with their grave goods placed around the deceased individual in separate chambers. And god did Xīn have A LOT of grave goods.
Here is an image of her tomb, undisturbed.
You can see, her tomb is placed squarely in the middle, with her grave goods on the sides!
(Unknown Photographer)
She was discovered with a total of 1,400 grave goods inside her tomb! ranging from funerary items, to aid her in the afterlife (called míngqì) to items for everyday use such as furniture, toiletries, silk clothing, and dishware! additional fun fact about the dishware recovered, it actually contains one of the earliest found sets of chopsticks!
(Hunan Provincial Museum)
and finally the third set of items were all foodstuffs for banquets such as meat, vegetables, fruit and grains. (of which i was not able to find pictures of)
ok onto the final part which is actual care and preparation of the deceased so if you dont want to see human remains now is the time to click off this post <3
So like i said she was buried in a set of four nesting coffins!
So the outermost layer was a plain, unadorned wooden box which is still fascinating and quite frankly is slept on as wood very rarely survives to the modern day! Also an important note to make is its possible that this wooden box was at some point painted like her other three coffins are (youll see in a second what i mean, theyre beautiful!) but paint is another thing that sadly does not tend to survive for very long, so its rarely seen in archaeological finds and since this was the outermost box, its possible it just got worn away with time.
(Hunan Provincial Museum)
these are the other three coffins! so the one on the left was the second layer, the one in the center the third, and the one all the way to the right is the one she was actually buried in. You can see the beautiful painting work i mentioned here!
Some close up shots of the outer layer!
(Hunan Provincial Museum)
So this layer depicts her souls journey to the afterlife, the world of immortals! Whats interesting is since Xīn was from Southern Han, she would have most likely believed that humans had not one but two souls (a fairly common belief around the world actually! such as the norse believing your soul was made up of four parts but this isnt about them right now maybe a post for another time <3)
Their belief states that the souls two parts are hún and pò. Hún is the part of the soul which makes the dangerous journey to the afterlife, while pò stays within the tomb, which is why theyre buried with so many items! These items were meant to be used by the deceased's pò.
Coffin number 2!
(Hunan Provincial Museum)
This red coffin depicts many animals thought to be protectors of the deceased's hún for its long and arduous journey to the afterlife , animals such as dragons, tigers and deer. Beneath the dragons, there appears to be figures of the immortals in dance.
Coffin number 3!
This is the final coffin, the one in which she was laid to rest in. It was painted in solid black paint with a silk banner laid on top.
(Hunan Provincial Museum)
This silk banner actually depicts a continuous narrative of Xīn's death and funeral, her trip to the afterlife, and then her arrival.
Some details of the tapestry <3
This tapestry also shows potential depictions of the famous Chinese myth of Archer Yì and his wife Cháng’é, as well as a potential depiction of Nǔwā at the top, the Goddess of Creation.
Now Xīn's body is where things get a little bit odd! So she was tightly and carefully wrapped in 20 (!) layers of damask silk, which was then tied with 9 silk ribbons! Her body was also submerged in 21 gallons of an unknown, slight acidic liquid which tested very high for magnesium!
a scrap of the silk recovered
(Hunan Provincial Museum)
Now when they removed her from her tomb, people were shocked at how well preserved she was! An autopsy and scans were performed and revealed that there was still blood inside of her veins, and that her skin was soft and her limbs could still be bent at the joints with ease. Her hair and tongue are also still completely intact! Unfortunately as soon as she was unearthed, she began to decompose with the introduction of oxygen, so her current state isnt how she looked pre excavation.
Due to the remarkable condition shes in, we were able to tell a lot about her peri mortem! We know she had gallbladder disease. But this isnt what killed her. Due to the presence of blood in her veins, scientists were able to see clots that formed during a heart attack, meaning this was likely her cause of death. She also had extremely high levels of lead and mercury present in her system, as well as melon seeds in her stomach, suggesting this was her final meal.
Today, Xīn Zhuī is resting in the Hunan Museum, alongside her grave goods. You can still visit the site today where she was excavated.
The rose is used twice on the post so this ask is going to yield 3 answers!
🌹 What scent reminds them of the person they loved/love most?
Cinnamon and cannabis lol
🌹 What is their love language & how badly do they need it right now?
Touch and if someone doesn’t give him a hickey or five right now he’s gonna DIE!
🧋What food/drink do they hate that everyone else loves?
Fish. You’d think growing up in Orkney it would taste like home to him but he prefers the extravagant court food now and he’s not looking back. His brothers still like it though.
popular – lunette is platonically obsessed with ywain. he’s just her little guy, you know? she wants to put him in a nice jar and provide him with substrate. she gets him in weird situations from time to time for his enrichment but she’ll always step to help if things get out of control. oh also this is a headcannon but ywain considers her his best friend (and he is closer to her than he is to laudine). besties at first sight <3
neutral (?) – lancelot and guinevere are both gay (or the medieval equivalent. whatever) but they were very attracted to each other and they DID fuck. the love was real and so was the adultery.
unpopular – arthur/lancelot from medlit isn’t a compelling ship to me. maybe I just haven’t been reading the right sources but I feel like their chemistry is most intense in retellings. a/g/l is an A+ ship though; those retellings rock
Popular: SOOOO TRUE BESTIE!! She saw that freak of a man trapped in between the gate & the castle with his horse cut in half and was like…. I smell an opportunity here. I want to dissect her mind she is so fun what a great character. Oh they would be such great friends yeah 🥺 totally it.
Neutral: I see I see. Does this mean we get some Guin/Enid as a treat? Hoping yes. Manifesting yes.
Unpopular: The way I see it, Arthur/Lancelot doesn’t exist in a way that matters without Guinevere! In Medlit or Retellings or wherever. Like that’s a pointless pair without her. It feels similar to Tristan/Isolde/Palomides as described in the essay Triangular Desire. Everything falls apart without Guinevere and the appeal to me will always include her.
would you mind telling me about laurel? her appearances + your hcs for her
Hi Bia!!!
Oh, Laurel my friend Laurel. The entire history of the character is rather short. I don't think any illustrations of her even exist. (Except for all the lovely art we bloggers have made!<3) She originates from Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory as a single name drop. But I'll get in-depth with this because I love the character and think she should be utilized more often!
So, Laurel's Le Morte d'Arthur origins. After the story of Gareth's time as Beaumains the kitchen boy traveling with Lyonette the Damsel Savage, he has won his lady, Lyonesse, and plans to marry her. Their brother, Gringamore, accompanies them all to court. As Gareth is preparing to marry Lyonesse, King Arthur sets up two more of his nephews with her kinswomen; Gaheris with Lyonette the Damsel Savage, and Aggravain with their niece, named Laurel.
Translation by Dr. Dorsey Armstong
An arranged married with Aggravain which yields no children is the extent of Laurel's presence in Medieval literature. She wasn't mentioned before or after this in Le Morte d'Arthur and few other Medieval texts give Agravaine a wife (The Maiden of the Chair, his amie in the Vulgate; Floree, whom he won at a tournament in Meliador [1] [2] [3]).
Who are Laurel's parents? If Lyonesse and Lyonette are her aunts, is Gringamore her father? Or is there an unmentioned fourth sibling? What is her opinion of her new husband whom she's evidentially never met before? What happens to her after this? Malory said, "Figure it out!" He's not answering!
Most retellings write Agravaine as unattached (read: homosexual). So there are just a handful of retellings which include Laurel.
In 1895, Henry Newbolt wrote his play Mordred: A Tragedy, which includes all three of the gals. Laurel is introduced sequestered in Queen Guinevere's chambers. An interesting characterization here shows Laurel with a similar temperament to her aunt Linet, that is, "savage." One could see how she and Agravaine might get on well in this scenario. In fact, Newbolt's Laurel is so much like Agravaine, that she's the first one to mention the adultery, gossiping about Iseult [and Tristan], while making allusions to Guinevere [and Lancelot's] affair, and sets a trap to gauge Guinevere's guilt.
Kind of galaxy brained to make Laurel an accomplice in her husband's schemes and parallel his conversations with Mordred to her conversations with Linet. I support women's rights and women's wrongs.
In 2007, Sarah Zettel wrapped up her four-part romance series with By Camelot's Blood, starring Laurel/Agravain detailing their arranged political marriage in dual pov. They'd both been present in the prior installments, especially the preceding book, Under Camelot's Banner, in which their younger siblings, Gareth and Lynet, marry. But when it comes time for their own wedding, Laurel and Agravain don't know each other at all. Seated on opposite ends of the high table, Agravain by Gawain, Laurel by Ragnelle, they're unable to speak to each other in earnest until they're left alone in their chamber. Long story short, they end up bonding over their strong sense of familial duty. (And that they're the last of their siblings to marry... which could mean nothing 🏳️🌈...) Each helps the other manage their respective houses to secure a future for them as their siblings had failed to do.
In 2023, Keri Sperring published The Book of Gaheris, which does include Laurel as more than a name, but I dropped the book pretty early. Agravaine had a weird fixation on his mother, with which he and Morgause teased and humiliated Laurel, among a lot of technical/sentence structure issues that make it a chore to read. I won't even bother with a quote. I don't understand the Goodreads rating at all, but then again, I never do.
Now if I really scrape the bottom of the barrel, there are a couple more instances of Laurel, but they're merely name drops again. Literally she and Agravaine standing side by side with thousand yard stares.
Namer of Beats, Maker of Souls by Jessica Amanda Salmonson (1995)
Morgan le Fay, Queen of Gore by Jeffrey Wikstrom (2011)
Many famous retellings by well-known and influential authors chose to cut Laurel, even when they kept in the Kitchen Knight storyline that introduces Lyonesse, Lynet, and Gringamore as characters. To name a few:
The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions by Howard Pyle (1907)
King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green (1953)
Gareth of Orkney by E. M. R. Ditmas (1960)
Arthur Rex by Thomas Berger (1978)
The Three Damosels by Vera Chapman (1978)
Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley (1990)
The King Arthur Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff (1990)
The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf by Gerald Morris (2000)
Some of these are because the authors, namely Ditmas and Chapman, clearly hated Agravaine and didn't include him any more than was strictly necessary, let alone writing in his wife. Other authors omitted Agravaine's wife for a different reason (🏳️🌈).
Did I say Laurel's history was short? Leave it to me to make a non-character into a long post. Anyway as for my own interpretation of her, I've always had a very clear vision of what she looked like, her appearance and color scheme now is virtually unchanged from the original concept, although my art is vastly different. I first drew her in a cartoonish anime style back in 2020, became possessed writing for a few years before painting her with Agravaine in early 2023, and drew them again in late 2023.
My most recent depiction of Laurel/Agravaine can be found here!
Laurel my beloved<3 Insofar as the books are concerned, she's introduced in book 2 as Guinevere's soft-spoken herald and failed bard (dubbed The Silent Minstrel because she refuses to play her lyre or sing).
Here's how Gawain first describes her:
Dark, downcast eyes stood out prominently in a heart-shaped face, small mouth never quite closed, teeth too big. A hunching posture exacerbating her slender, short frame. At her hip, a lyre without strings rustled against Pendragon-green skirts.
And a couple paragraphs later:
[Gawain] disguised a barely perceptible nod by looking aside from her. And her treachery. So doing, he incidentally turned directly back toward the Silent Minstrel. Blankly, as if unseeing and yet wide-eyed, she had watched every moment. Were she as other minstrels, salivating for the newest scandal to exploit in hopes of fame, he might have cared. She appeared uncomprehending of what she witnessed, without even the sense to feign otherwise. She bore a strong resemblance to Luned and Laudine and Tristan. Curly tresses fell like a curtain past her waist in the same warm shade, though the similarities ended at physicality. Ettarde had called her simple. The poor maid was, he had to admit, unnervingly odd and devoid of Lyonite charisma.
I <3 failgirls!! (Also damn Gawain not a very charitable description!) As in Le Morte d'Arthur, Laurel is the niece of Lyonesse and Lynette, but I've removed their brother Gringamore in exchange for a character from the Vulgate; Tradelmant the king of North Wales, who was the father of Agravaine's amie, the Maiden of the Chair. Tradelmant is no longer king of North Wales, but instead the whole family hails from the sunken Isle of Lyonesse, as Tristan does. (Yes, Lady Lyonesse is named after the Isle of Lyonesse, we've all met that person named after a place, the tradition is timeless.) I've developed a whole culture for Lyonesse which essentially boils down to a very gender-strict society, complete with a specific naming convention which dictates men are named with a T and women with L. (Meliodas, father of Tristan, is Mark's brother, while Tristan's mother, Lizabeth, is the native to Lyonesse.) Men are trained as warriors or priests and women are minstrels or wives. Laurel suffers debilitating stage fright, but pursued a career in music to avoid marriage. Meanwhile Tristan, a trans man, is both musician and warrior. It's because of this the legend of sirens popped up, as all the musically inclined women of Lyonesse are relatively free to take any partners they want (such as Luned and Laudine, who I've also made Lyonites). Meanwhile in Britain, entertainers are considered untrustworthy partners, often stereotyped as ruthless gossips who turn their lovers' secrets into diss tracks for clout, hiding behind what's known as "chronicler's immunity" to avoid retribution.
For her part, Laurel spends all her energy staying sane in a court full of people who pick on her like the little prey animal she is (namely the Queen's guards, Ettarde, Morfydd, etc.). After [redacted] happens, and Ragnelle goes to Guinevere in search of a new handmaiden, all the girls eagerly offer themselves [for a chance to get into Gawain's chambers]. Ragnelle picks Laurel out of the crowd as the only one who didn't volunteer (which could mean nothing) and they become friends and confidants. Laurel doesn't meet Agravaine until the end of book 3, after [redacted] happens, she's the only who didn't flee (she hid) and asks Agravaine if he's alright, wiping the blood away with her sleeve. But they don't become friends until book 4, during the war in Rome, while Agravaine is left behind in place of Kay and Bedwyr to manage Camelot with Guinevere. Lots and lots of plot happens that would spoil much but basically, Gaheris has been "in love" with Laurel since book 1 where he references crushing on a lady without naming her. Through Lyonesse, Gareth's wife, Gaheris sends a letter to Tradelmant to ask permission for Laurel's hand. So Lord Tradelmant turns up at court and reveals that Laurel had been presumed dead after the sinking of the Isle of Lyonesse, but newly discovered, her father agrees to let this suitor have her hand. Laurel panics and intends to venture out alone in the dead of winter even if she dies. Agravaine ends up getting Gaheris to retract his proposal, but Tradelmant has a back up plan, and says his champion knight, Ironside, has stepped forward as a suitor. (If he can't have Lyonesse, her niece is the next best thing.) Furthermore he's willing to fight to keep her. This, as you can imagine, is so much worse. Now Laurel's really frantic so Agravaine appeals to Guinevere, and together they appeal to Arthur. But silly Arthur, with literally a million "more important" things on his mind, completely misunderstands the situation and gives his blessing to Agravaine and his bride, Laurel. Agravaine still tries to deflect Tradelmant under the façade that he's been courting Laurel in secret, waiting for the war to end before marrying, but they're in too deep. Tradelmant wants his daughter secured and Ironside is more than willing, kept at bay only by Arthur's flimsy blessing. So they marry.
They're besties so it works out fine, particularly as Morgause brings Mordred to court shortly after this and leaves him in Agravaine's care, which Laurel helps with immensely. Somebody ought to call Agravaine on his shit to start breaking those cycles. [Somewhere in here Gaheris and Lynette officially meet and have insane Lawful Evil sex chemistry so they also pair off lol] During this time, Geraint comes to court with his wife, Enid, whom Agravaine had befriended in the previous book. She's a shell of her former self and Laurel seems particularly invested in helping her escape this marriage, (which could mean nothing). It's a hard thing to do in the year [redacted]. Laurel and Ragnelle work to bring that about while Agravaine bursts a blood vessel resisting the urge to smash Geraint into a million tiny pieces so the divorce can happen as cleanly as possible and leave no room for Church denial of Enid's claim. I won't spoil the ending which does bring Ironside back in as the final boss but ultimately Laurel is in good hands. Hard hands, you might say, but good. ;^)
Okay wow that is so much. Thanks for asking about one of my favorite gals. I just love her I don't know why lol now everyone go out there and write Laurel into your projects!!!!!
hallo L! (hopefully) quick question: did the pellispawn/orkney family feud start directly over lot’s death? or were there other tensions brewing before that
Stemmed entirely from Lot's death. Lot was going in for the kill when Arthur was reeling but Pellinore intercepted and killed Lot. No tensions before that in any version of the story I've encountered, Medieval or Modern.
hiii L! wonder if you could answer something that’s been bugging me– if Tintagel is in Cornwall, and where Igraine hid from Uther, how does Mark end up in possession of it later?
Hey there!
From what I can tell, it’s just a Malory oversight.
Tintagel is mentioned in The History of the King’s of Britain, but Mark isn’t the Duke of Cornwall; first it’s Caradoc, then Gorlois, then Cador, etc.
In the Post-Vulgate, Mark was crowned King of Cornwall at age 17, but he doesn’t live at Tintagel. In fact, Tintagel isn’t in the Post-Vulgate at all (it’s in The Story of Merlin, at the beginning of Vulgate, but Mark isn’t a character until Post).
Tintagel returns in Le Morte d’Arthur, first mentioned in association to Gorlois and Igraine, then later said to be King Mark’s castle in book 8. It’s not explained how he obtained it. He just… lives there now.
So I guess we can make a reason up! He “found” it. Squatters rights. Or something.
