Sacrifice in Sir Gawain and the Green KnightThere are many different types of heroism that exist among heroes of the past and present. Heroism is generally seen as the struggle and triumph over an obstacle, or the winning of the love of a beautiful maiden. But notice what this passage from the Mahabharata says about the “true hero.” Heroes of all kinds are proclaimed: listen to me what their objectives are. Rewards are given to the heroes' families as well as the hero himself. Hero of sacrifice, hero of self-control; others who are heroes of the truth; are also proclaimed heroes of battle and men heroes of the gift. Others are heroes of intellect, and others are heroes of patience; and also heroes of honesty and men who live in tranquility. . . There are forest heroes, domestic heroes and heroes who honor guests. (Mahabharata XIII.74.22-27) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight encompasses all the points made in the Mahabharata about what a hero really is. Sacrifice is a quality that many people choose to ignore. But Sir Gawain, throughout the book, has magnified this virtue to the extreme limit of death. When the Green Knight challenged King Arthur's knights to a game and King Arthur volunteered, it was Sir Gawain who intervened. Sir Gawain was quick to explain to Arthur: “When a challenge like this rings through your hall/To meet it.” yourself. . . For the battle. Think of your bold knights,/My life least, my death without loss. . .” (58). Of course, all of King Arthur's knights were valuable to the kingdom, so the phrase "my death without loss" simply meant that King Arthur's kingdom would continue without Sir Gawain, but it would not continue with King Arthur's death. Sacrifice continued to play a role even until halfway through the book and beyond. Like that of sacrificing a woman's pleasures which was quite possibly the greatest of all sacrifices, a sacrifice in which, we know, Sir Lancelot would have failed miserably. This sacrifice would indeed save Sir Gawain's life at the end of the story. Throughout the three days spent in Bercilak Castle, Morgana tried to seduce him, but each time he refused (86-90). From the line 1830-1865 (104) we read at one point that Sir Gawain's righteous ways wavered..