What thing it is all women most desire

The Bodleian Library has an exhibit on right now highlighting manuscripts and early printed books containing medieval romance. They have on display several lavishly illustrated volumes about King Arthur by various figures of English medieval literature such as Geoffrey Chaucer and the anonymous Gawain-Poet. I saw a manuscript today, dating back to the 1500s that contained the "The Marriage of Sir Gawain" a fragmented Arthurian ballad of the story of Sir Gawain and the loathly lady from the medieval poem The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. (The loathly lady episode itself dates at least back to Geoffrey Chaucer's WIfe of Bath's Tale from the Canterbury Tales.)

I read this story years ago but had forgotten all about it.  When I read the synopsis at the exhibit today, I was amazed that this story has been in circulation since 400 AD.  The answer to the riddle is as true and timely now and it was then.  Some things never change.

The story goes that King Arthur is forced to help a young lady in distress. Her love has been taken away by a surly, selfish and rough knight who is in reality blinded by magic, pride and arrogance because of a charm that was cast upon his family by a wicked witch. In order to break this spell, this churlish knight must discover, by the mouth of the king, "what thing it is all women most desire?" or the king will lose his life.

After numerous encounters with various villagers, he comes up with a list of insufficient answers. A hideous woman from the forest accosts him and proposes a bargain. If King Arthur promises the old hag a young, fair, and courtly knight, she will give him the answer.

To save Arthur, Gawain sacrifices himself to marry the old hag, so she tells Arthur the answer. Arthur is saved and discovers that both the churlish knight and the old hag are related and suffer from the same spell. True to his word, Gawain marries the loathly lady. On their wedding night, she turns into a beautiful young woman and tells him to choose whether he would have her beautiful by day and ugly by night, or vice versa. He thinks for a moment then tells her she can choose for herself, giving her her will, and that, dear reader, is “what thing it is all women most desire”: to choose for themselves.

Because Gawain gives Dame Ragnelle what she wanted most, it breaks the spell of ugliness that binds her. She turns into a lovely, beautiful women by both day and night. They live happily ever after, or so the story goes.