Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch
of a neighbouring celtic kingdom. The monarch could have killed
him,but was moved by Arthur’s youthful happiness. So he offered
him freedom,as long as he could answer a very difficult question.
Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer; if, after a year,
he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question was: “What do women really want?”
Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man
and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it
was better than death, he accepted the monarch’s proposition to
have an answer by the year’s end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everybody:
the princesses, the prostitutes, the priests, the wise men, and the
court jester.In all, he spoke with everyone, but no one could give
him a satisfactory answer.What most people did tell him was to
consult the old witch, as only she would know the answer. The price
would be high, since the witch was famous throughout the kingdom
for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but
to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer his question, but he’d have
to accept her price first.
The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of the Knights
of the Round Table and Arthur’s closest friend! Young Arthur
was horrified: she was hunchbacked and awfully hideous, had only
one tooth,smelled like sewage water, often made obscene noises,
and had discoloured skin. He had never run across such a
repugnant creature. He refused to force his friend to marry her and
have to endure such a burden.
However, Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke
with Arthur.He told him that nothing was too big a sacrifice in
order to save Arthur’s life and preserve the Round Table.
Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and the witch
answered Arthur’s question: “What a woman really wants is to be
able to be in charge of her own life.”
Everyone instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and
that Arthur’s life would be spared. And so it went. The neighbouring
monarch spared Arthur’s life and granted him total freedom.
What a wedding Gawain and the witch had! Arthur was torn
between relief and anguish. Gawain was proper as always, gentle
and courteous.The old witch put her worst manners on display and
generally made everyone very uncomfortable.
The wedding night approached: Gawain, steeling himself for
a horrific night, entered the bedroom. What a sight awaited! The
most beautiful woman he’d ever seen lay before him! Gawain was
astounded and asked what had happened. The beauty replied that
since he had been so kind to her (when she’d been a witch), half the
time she would be her horrible, deformed self and the other half,
she would be her beautiful maiden self.
Which would he want her to be during the day and which during the night?
What a cruel question!
Gawain began to think of his predicament. During the day a beautiful
woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his
home, an old spooky witch? Or would he prefer having by day
a hideous witch, but by night a beautiful woman to enjoy many
intimate moments?
What would you do? What Gawain chose follows below, but
don’t read on until you’ve made your own
choice… . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . Noble Gawain replied that he would let
her choose for herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would
be beautiful all the time because he had respected her and had
let her be in charge of her own life.
What is the moral of this story?
The moral is that it doesn’t matter if your woman is pretty or ugly.
Underneath it all, she’s still a witch and don’t you forget it.
(Sorry Dear 
)