Green Knight Green Knight The Green Knight is a character of the 14th-century Arthurian poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and the related medieval work "The Greene Knight". His true name is revealed to be Bertilak de Hautdesert (an alternate spelling in some translations is "Bercilak" or "Bernlak") in "Sir Gawain", while "The Greene Knight" names him "Bredbeddle". The Green Knight later features as one of Arthur's greatest champions in the fragmentary ballad "King Arthur and King Cornwall", again with the name "Bredbeddle". In "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", Bercilak is transformed into the Green Knight by Morgan le Fay,
Lady of the Lake mother of Jesus as the Lady of the Lake, evidencing fusion between Arthurian legend and middle-Christian history. Alfred, Lord Tennyson adapted several stories of the Lady of the Lake for his 1859–1885 poetic cycle "Idylls of the King". He too splits her into two characters; Viviane is a deceitful villain who ensnares Merlin, while the Lady of the Lake is a benevolent figure who raises Lancelot and gives Arthur his sword. Some other authors choose to emphasize a single character. Modern authors of Arthurian fiction adapt the Lady of the Lake legend in various ways, often using two or more