The lord welcomed the knight with open arms and said that whatever he hunted, he would give to Sir Gawain at the end of the day, and whatever Sir Gawain got, he had to give to the lord. While the lord was out hunting, his wife came onto Sir Gawain. The first day, she gave him a kiss, so Sir Gawain had to kiss the lord. The second day came two kisses. The final day, the wife gave Sir Gawain a girdle and three kisses. However, at the end of the day, Sir Gawain broke his promise to the lord and only gave him three kisses, no girdle.

             When Sir Gawain got to the Green Castle, the Green Knight went to strike him over the head and Sir Gawain flinched twice. The third time the Green Knight broke the skin, but surprised Sir Gawain by stating that he knew about his broken promise to the lord. Sir Gawain was set up by the Green Knight"s challenge, as the lord was the Green Knight and it was the Green Knight"s wife. Upon returning to King Arthur"s court, Sir Gawain was embarrassed at his mistake and had to wear the green girdle as a reminder that he did not uphold chivalry.

             The epic poem Beowulf described the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, was a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of a hero. He was able to use his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. He encountered hideous monsters and the most ferocious of beasts but he never fears the threat of death. His leadership skills were superb and he is even able to boast about all his achievements. Beowulf was the ultimate epic hero who risked his life countless times for immortal glory and for the good of others.

             Beowulf was a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all but his last. In his argument with Unferth, Beowulf explained the reason he "lost" a simple swimming match with his youthful opponent Brecca.