Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Part 4

In the final part of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the beheading game comes full circle, as well as the blending of the Christian and the pagan. In this section Gawain survives his turn on the chopping block; with the help of the Green Knight's magical green silk sash. At first the Green Knight cannot chop Sir Gawain's neck as he flinches. The knight then berates Gawian for being a coward. In response Gawain says "Strike once more; I shall neither flinch nor flee; But if my head falls to the floor there is no mending me"(208).
This is the point at which Gawain's faith is to be tested fully, be it his faith in the Christian God or in Pagan magic; both elements are being counted on to save Arthur's favorite knight. With his life on the line it does not matter which religion saves him, as long as his skull remains firmly attached to his spine.
The use of these Christian and pagan elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight seek to display the melding of the two dominate cultures in England, the Anglo-Saxon/Celtic/Pagan and the French/Roman/Christian. In early Christian tradition, rather than force non-Christians to give up their forms of religious practice, the Christian's absorbed them and created Christian elements to mask the old traditions. The magic in writing is shown in the drawing of the pentangle on all of Gawain's armor, and in the magic of the gold embroidery on the Green Knight's sash. The Christian blends with the pagan in the meanings assigned to the five points of the pentangle, and gives Sir Gawain the protection and courage to complete his tasks.