This document was written when I was in high school. I have little or no authority on this topic. Make of this what you will.
In Thomas Malory’s tales, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, the story of the golden age of Logress and its eventual downfall is told. Throughout these tales there is a common thread of good verses evil. Supernatural acts dealing with benevolence and of villainy help define this titanic struggle. Events of the benevolent supernatural can be split into religious and non-religious events. The morality of many people is tested through holy supernatural occurrences that depict the internal encounters of good and evil.
The supernatural events that deal with religion are depicted as benevolent. For instance, when Launcelot and Gawain are in the presence of the Holy Grail, Launcelot is hurt by the Grail and Gawain, who is not injured, carries Launcelot away to be healed. By doing this, Gawain breaks the Curse of Desolation brought about by the Dolorous Stroke. The appearance of the Holy Grail in front of these two knights shows that the knights are good, since they are worthy of being in its presence. But, the fact that Gawain is unscathed in the Grail’s presence shows that he is more pure of heart than Launcelot. Another example occurs when Galahad “[takes] the Holy Grail in his hands, drew away the cloth, and drank of the Holy Wine… Then Galahad held the Spear so that the drops of blood fell into the wounds of [King Pelles] and at once Pelles was cured of his sufferings…” (246). Here Galahad is able to touch the Grail, something that neither Gawain nor Launcelot are able to do. Galahad, having the ability to do this act with out injury, shows he is even purer than Gawain.
There were also non-religious supernatural events that are clearly altruistic. For example, when Merlin “comes suddenly to Arthur and [leads] him … to a strong tower, well provisioned for a siege” (22), the reader learns that Merlin is good and intends to help Arthur’s kingdom. This is supernatural because Merlin foresaw through his magical practices Arthur would be attacked. Also, when Gawain slices the Green Knight’s head off “… [the Green Knight] neither faltered nor fell: swiftly he sprang forward with his hands outstretched and caught his head…” (85) The Green Knight is good for he teaches Gawain that no one is perfect. Malory foreshadows The Green Knight’s goodness by taking the supernatural and causing it to act in his benefit. With this elucidation, Mallory makes it easier to understand the message behind “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.”
However, the supernatural is also associated with evil. This can be seen in “The Magic of Nimue and Morgana le Fay” when King Arthur receives a mantle from his half-sister Morgana le Fay who has the will to kill Arthur by casting a spell that causes the mantle to burst into flames when it is put on. Since this is an evil supernatural act, the people associated with it can be deemed evil. Thus, Morgana le Fay is evil. Also, when Launcelot is on his first quest he encounters four women who “…cast an enchantment upon him so that he shall sleep without waking for seven hours: then we can have him carried to my castle, and when he wakes, he shall choose one of us to be his love- or else die some dreadful death in my dungeons… when he woke, it was to find himself lying in a cold stone cell…” (103). The four women, who appear to be normal women enchanted by Launcelot’s looks, are actually evil enchantresses that capture Launcelot and intend to take him from Arthur’s Round Table. Without the evil magic they used the reader would have a hard time figuring out that they are evil.
In conclusion, the supernatural depicts the never ending battle between the forces of good verses evil. These timeless stories by Malory have been looked back upon to help with many modern stories that have a basic tale of good verses evil. In Star Wars, for instance, there is the light side and the dark side. Both opposing sides are aided by the Force, a supernatural phenomenon, which enables the light side to protect the galaxy from the dark side and on the other hand the dark side uses the Force to further its cause and influence. An example of the Force used by the light side would be mind tricks which cause people to bend to their will. A more violent example of the Force used in the dark side would be the ability to shoot lightning from their fingers in order to “solve their problems.” Lightning can symbolize immense power and, in this context, evilness.