Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, there is an interaction between magic and religion. The Green Knight is the magical figure that comes from no where and challenges someone to strike him a blow that he will return a year and a day from that date. Gawain is the religious knight that prays because he does not want to spend Christmas Eve alone and he wishes to attend church. Once Gawain has spent his time within the castle, that appeared out of no where, he starts getting dressed to meet with the Green Knight. "While he dressed himself in his noblest clothes-/ His coat with its finely embroidered badge/ Set upon his velvet, with stones of magical power/ Inlaid and clasped round it, with embroidered seams/ And richly lined on the inside with beautiful furs" (2025-29). Why, for the religious man, to have stones of magical power instead of a crucifix as a part of his attire for meeting a magical green man? Religion and magic are quite different from each other. Religion is structured and organized. Magic, on the other hand, what rules are there to follow? A green man can get his head cut off and survive and a castle can appear out of no where. Both of these instances seem more magical than some religious miracle. Magic and religion start off as two apposing ends; a magical Green Knight and a religious knight in red. The ideas of magic and religion end up becoming entwined within Sir Gawain. Gawain is a man of religion, by continuing to pray, and becomes one of magic, by wearing magical stones for his meeting with a magical green man.
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