[Gatesedge] King Arthur and the Witch

[Carolyn Young]

Another story of King Arthur as a young man; anecdotal perhaps, but who
knows?

The Witch / A Moral Question / Which Would You Choose?


Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a
neighboring kingdom.  The monarch could have killed him, but was moved by
Arthur's youthful happiness.  So he offered him freedom, as long as he could
answer a very difficult question.  Arthur would have a year to figure out
the answer; if, after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to
death.  The question was: What do women really want?

Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young
Arthur, it seemed an impossible query.  Well, since it was better than
death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's
end.  He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everybody: the princess,
prostitutes, priests, wise men, the court jester.  In all, he spoke with
everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.  What most people
did tell him was to consult the old witch, as only she would know the
answer.  The price would be high though, since the witch was famous
throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.  The last day
of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but to talk to the witch.

She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept her price first:
The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of the Knights of the
Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!  Young Arthur was horrified: she
was hunchbacked and awfully hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage
water, often made obscene noises...etc.  He had never before run across such
a repugnant creature.  He refused to force his friend to marry her and have
to endure such a burden.

Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.  He told him that
nothing was too great a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the
preservation of the Round Table.  Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and
the witch answered Arthur's question: What a woman really wants is to be
able to be in charge of her own life. Everyone instantly knew that the witch
had uttered a great Truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.  And so it
went.  The neighboring monarch spared Arthur's life and granted him total
freedom.  What a wedding Gawain and the witch had!  Arthur was torn between
relief and anguish.  Gawain was proper as always, gentle and courteous.  The
old witch put her worst manners on display, and generally made everyone very
uncomfortable.

The wedding night approached.  Gawain, steeling himself for a horrific
night, entered the bedroom.  What a sight awaited!  The most beautiful woman
he'd ever seen lay before him!  Gawain was astounded and asked what had
happened.  The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when
she'd been a witch, half the time she would be her horrible, deformed self,
and the other half, she would be her beautiful maiden self.  Which would he
want her to be during the day, and which during the night?

What a cruel question!  Gawain began to think of his predicament.  During
the day a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the
privacy of his home, an old spooky witch?  Or would he prefer having by day
a hideous witch, but by night a beautiful woman to enjoy many intimate
moments?  What would you do?  What Gawain chose follows below, but don't
read it until you've made your own choice.
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Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose for herself.  Upon hearing
this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time, because he had
respected her and had let her be in charge of her own life.

What is the moral of this story?  The moral is that it doesn't matter if
your woman is pretty or ugly, underneath it all, she's still a witch---and
don't you forget it!



Cheers,
Caitlin

Carolyn Young
MIS Department
Goodman Mfg.
713.861.2500  ext 425