The Unknown Knight as a Catalyst of Psychological Growth in Karel ende Elegast and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

The article presents a comparative analysis of two chivalric epics, the Middle Dutch Karel ende Elegast and the Middle English Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, concentrating on the similarities and differences in the presentation of the figure of a mysterious knight (the Green Knight and the Black Knight – Elegast) who appears in the plot primarily as a challenger, but who also acts as an unexpected facilitator, provoking through his actions the psychological change of the main protagonist.