Mark: Hi, Ming. Can you tell me the rest of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?"

    Ming: Sure. Remember: Gawain made a deal to cut off a Green Knight's head, but later the knight would cut off his.

    Mark: Right. On the way to their meeting, Gawain agreed to exchange things with the lord of a castle.

    Ming: Uh-huh. On Day One, Gawain got a kiss from the lord's wife, and exchanged it for a deer.

    Mark: Okay, now: the second day?

    Ming: The same thing happens, except Gawain and the lady kiss twice. The lord gives Gawain a wild pig he killed, and Gawain gives him two kisses.

    Mark: Okay.

    Ming: But the third day, something different happens.

    Mark: What was that?

    Ming: After three kisses, the lady offers Gawain a ring, which he refuses. Then she offers him a green belt and tells him it will protect him from death.

    Mark: I'll bet he takes that!

    Ming: He sure does! He's thinking about the next day. When the lord comes home and gives him the fox he has killed, Gawain gives him the kisses--but keeps the belt a secret.

    Mark: Uh-oh. He breaks the deal.

    Ming: And he pays for it! The next day, he rides to the Green Chapel, where he hears the Green Knight sharpening an axe to use on his neck.

    Mark: Scary!

    Ming: So, being an honest knight, Gawain gets ready for the final moment. The Green Knight swings once--but stops short. And again--but stops short.

    Mark: Gawain must have been freaking out!

    Ming: I imagine so. The third time, the Green Knight hits his neck, but just a little--enough to draw blood, but he doesn't cut off Gawain's head.

    Mark: What a relief!

    Ming: Then the Green Knight tells Gawain the rest of the story: He is the lord of the castle. The first two swings were harmless because the first two days at the castle, Gawain had kept the bargain.

    Mark: Let me guess: he didn't kill Gawain because he was honest with the three kisses, but he cut him a little for lying about the belt?

    Ming: Exactly!

    Mark: Why did the lord do this whole thing?

    Ming: Actually, an evil woman named Morgan le Fay, meaning "Morgan the Fairy," dreamed it up.

    Mark: Wait--the ugly old lady in the castle?

    Ming: Right! She hated Arthur and Guinevere, his wife. She wanted Guinevere to be frightened by the talking head. She also wanted to bring shame to the Round Table.

    Mark: Did it work?

    Ming: Not exactly. Gawain is ashamed, and wants to return the girdle. But the Green Knight tells him to keep it, and later all of King Arthur's knights wear green belts in Gawain's honor.

    Mark: Wow! Great story.

    Ming: Yeah, I really liked it.