Covenants in SGGK and the Bible

Throughout reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I noticed several similarities that correspond with biblical texts. For example, we discussed in class that Sir Gawain removed the head of the Green Knight on the same day that the foreskin of Jesus was removed in the traditional Jewish circumcision and naming ceremony, eight days after birth. This can be taken further by emphasizing how circumcision represents the covenant made between God and Abraham in the Jewish community. I think this fact emphasizes the analogous chopping of the Green Knight’s head in King Arthur’s court which likewise symbolizes the agreement made between the Green Knight and Sir Gawain. The term “covenant” is derived from a Hebrew root word meaning “to cut,” which is an appropriate term for the agreement between God and the Jews because of the cutting of the foreskin, and the one between the Green Knight and Sir Gawain for obvious reasons.

The terms of the covenants are different however, because while God promised to bless Abraham’s descendants and make them his own people in return for Abraham’s faithfulness, the Green Knight and Sir Gawain traded fatal blows to the head. The covenant in the Old Testament can never be fulfilled by the descendents of Abraham because of the imperfection of humanity however, and Sir Gawain did not fulfill his agreement with Bertilak, which exemplifies their similitude. The Green Knight absolves Sir Gawain of his failure however, which I believe references the covenant in the New Testament, where Jesus is the medium between God and man instead of circumcision. When the Messiah came to earth, circumcision became unnecessary, just as the chopping of Sir Gawain’s head did because of Bertilak’s decision to spare him. In the first part of the poem, the Green Knight focuses on the law, but in the last part, he is merciful and compassionate, which parallels the old and new testaments respectively.