In the poem, the fox (nicknamed Reynard by the narration) is hunted by Lord Bertilak on the third day of Gawain's stay at his castle.And the ending never even makes clear if the Green Knight does, in fact, end up killing him. Biggest of all, through Dreaming of Things to Come, he defies his fate at the Green Knight's hands, fleeing back to Camelot, growing to become the King of the Britons, forever haunted by his dishonorable actions.He succumbs to his lust for Lord Bertilak's lady, causing him to flee from the castle in shame.At the Green Chapel, he removes the belt in a final demonstration of his courage, rather than keep it on and receive a mark of shame on his neck for his dishonesty as in the original tale. Gawain receives the magic belt right before he begins his quest, it is stolen by thieves, and he is dumbstruck when it appears again later.When it becomes clear that Gawain is hot-headed in his endeavors, he calmly bows and presents his neck, awaiting (arguably encouraging) his beheading. The Green Knight's challenge is arguably more respectful, and the "man" himself is much more courteous, never calling Arthur's court's valor into question, and he seemingly would have been content to receive a minor wound.The Reveal that the Green Knight is actually Morgan le Fay's assistant in testing Gawain is strongly hinted almost immediately rather than stated at the end of the story.He is invited to attend Arthur's Christmas celebration by virtue of being his nephew, and his encounter with the Green Knight leaves him with a means to be knighted if he comes back alive with his honor. Gawain isn't even a knight in the beginning.
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