Gawain
November 2018
There was a long dark forest,
wicked woods, wild, wind-blown
and whistling woods,
Where twirling leaves trembled
on tall, terrifying trees,
With treacherous twigs to
tempt you to a terrible fate
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| a dragon in a castle.... |
We are having a wintry Gawain and the Green
Knight season this month
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| visiting Wooden Spoon royalty |
The Sir Gawain project saw a lively and successful weekend. There was painting, a new artwork from Sue Prince (with mass
community participation, paintbrushes and pennies), walks, talks and
excitements from Clive Foden, and some
40 people, and more, joining us (Creeping Toad, Stone and Water and Sarah
Males) on Saturday to make a cast of medieval characters on wooden spoons at
the Foxlowe Arts Centre in Leek
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| Gawain might find new foes, or new friends, in Leek |
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| a journey through an enchanted wood |
But the long road home was waiting
A perilous path through the wild wastes
Where a wild wood grew over the hilltops
Through the dales
There were terribly twisty trees
Where owls rested on the branches
And wary wolves watched from the shade
There were robbers in those woods
But fighting fierce foxes and
Struggling bravely to battle big, bad badgers
Gawain finally made it through the fierce forest
(Manifold)
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| Gawain crossing hills |
Through the woods in safety
Gawain stopped by a cool, relaxing pool,
The home,
But he did not know it
Of mysterious mermaids,
secretive mermaids
Who can sing, or scream, as loud as trumpets
Mean as monsters
Swift as snakes,
With claws as sharp as sharks’ teeth
they would drag you down, down to the depths
Down to your drowned death
And of those mermaids there was one
Who had once asked the fairies of the forest
For a friendly favour, a wild and wonderful wish,
To become the most mysterious, the most marvelous,
The most powerful mermaid,
Ever
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| the Mermaid Pool at Blakemere |
Gawain rested by the water, trailing his tired toes in
The cool refreshing water
When he felt a tug on his leg,
A hand pulling him into the dark water,
And down, down, down….
(Longnor)
So many people to thank here - all those artists, puppeteers and poets and Borderland Voices who are coordinating my Gawain workshops in the schools
