Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday is the sacred calendar date set for King Arthur and Sir Mordred to meet in battle near Salisbury. Its eve becomes a moment of warning: King Arthur dreams of a reversal of fortune, then sees the dead Gawaine, who foretells the cost of fighting and urges a truce before the appointed encounter.

The appointed battle

After searching for the fallen knights and arranging their burial and care, King Arthur gathered an army and moved west along the coast toward Salisbury. A battle with Sir Mordred had been agreed for a down near the sea, on the Monday after Trinity Sunday. King Arthur welcomed the prospect of taking vengeance, while Sir Mordred gathered a large force around London and drew support from several southern and eastern counties. The opposing sides also reflected the fellowship’s division: many who loved Sir Launcelot joined Sir Mordred.

The dream on Trinity Sunday night

On Trinity Sunday night, King Arthur dreamed that he sat in rich clothing on a chair fixed to a wheel, above a deep, dark water filled with fearsome creatures. The wheel turned over, and he fell among them. He cried out in his sleep; his knights, squires, and yeomen woke him, and he was so disoriented that he did not know where he was. After sinking back into a state between sleep and waking, he saw Sir Gawaine approach with a company of ladies.

Gawaine’s warning

King Arthur greeted his nephew as one returned from the dead. Gawaine explained that the ladies were those for whom he had fought in righteous causes, and that their prayers had obtained permission for him to appear. He warned that if King Arthur fought Sir Mordred the next day, both leaders would die and most of the people on both sides would be killed. As an alternative, he urged King Arthur to seek a month’s delay, offering land and goods generously; within that time, Gawaine said, Sir Launcelot and his knights could arrive and defeat Sir Mordred.

The warning’s immediate effect

After Gawaine and the ladies vanished, King Arthur summoned his lords and bishops, recounted the dream, and ordered Sir Lucan the Butler, Sir Bedivere, and two bishops to negotiate with Sir Mordred. They were authorized to offer lands and goods in exchange for a month-long truce. Sir Mordred’s forces were described as a grim host of one hundred thousand men; after prolonged negotiation, he agreed to receive Cornwall and Kent during King Arthur’s lifetime. The dream therefore turns Trinity Sunday night into the last opportunity to defer the battle, while the attempted settlement leaves the conflict unresolved.