InArthurian legend,Gringolet is SirGawain's powerfulwar horse.
Israel Gollancz in the early 20th century suggested that Gringolet was derived from the giantWade's magic boat,Guingelot or*Wingolet – one form of magical transport (horse) being substituted for an earlier one (boat).[1] More generally accepted is the suggestion by the prominent Arthurian scholarRoger Sherman Loomis that theFrench name Gringalet derived from either theWelshguin-calet ("white and hardy"), orkeincaled ("handsome and hardy")[2] – linked to a wider Celtic tradition of heroic white horses with red ears.[3]
His earliest appearance is inChrétien de Troyes'Erec and Enide; in that poem he is borrowed bySir Kay to joust againstErec. Even Gringolet cannot prevent Kay from losing to the protagonist. In theLancelot-Grail Cycle, Gawain wins Gringolet from theSaxon king Clarion;[4] a different story of the acquisition is given inWolfram von Eschenbach'sParzival, where the horse bears the mark of, and comes from the stable of, the Grail castle – part of the gradual displacement of Gawain by Percival and the story of the grail.[5]
In theMiddle English poemSir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain sets out atop Gringolet in search of the Green Chapel.[6] Lines 600–604 of the poem describe Gringolet's ornate appearance in being readied for the journey:
Gawain is always shown as attached to Gringolet, caring for his horse, and talking to it as to a beloved pet or companion.[7] When (inThe Awntyrs off Arthure) Gringolet (here called "Grissell") is killed beneath him in combat, Gawain is seized with battle fury, and runs mad, his strength amplified, until nightfall.[8]
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