Sacrifice in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight There are many different types of heroism that exist among heroes of the past and present. Heroism is usually thought of as the struggle and triumph over an obstacle, or the winning of the love of a beautiful maiden. But notice what this passage from the Mahabharata says about the “True Hero.” Heroes of various kinds are proclaimed: so hear from me their objectives. Rewards are given to the families of the heroes and also to the hero himself. Heroes of sacrifice, heroes of self-control; others who are heroes of truth; heroes of battle and men who are heroes of donation are also proclaimed. Others are heroes of intellect and others are heroes of patience; and also heroes of honesty and men who live in tranquility. . . There are heroes who live in the forest, heroes who are heads of families, and heroes who honor guests. (Mahabharata XIII.74.22-27) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight encompasses every point made in the Mahabharata about what a hero truly is. Sacrifice is a quality that many people choose to ignore. But Sir Gawain, throughout the book, extols this virtue to the extreme limit, to the brink of death. When the Green Knight challenged King Arthur's knights to a match, and King Arthur volunteered, it was Sir Gawain who intervened. Sir Gawain hastened to explain to Arthur: “When such a challenge rings in your hall/To accept it yourself. . . For the battle. Think of your bold knights, / My life is the least, my death no loss. . .” (58). Of course all of King Arthur's knights were valuable to the kingdom, so the phrase "my death without loss" simply meant that King Arthur's reign would continue without Sir Gawain, but it would not continue with King Arthur's death. he continued to play a role even until the middle of the book and beyond. Such as sacrificing a woman's pleasures was most likely the greatest of all sacrifices, one in which we know Sir Lancelot would have failed miserably. This sacrifice would actually save Sir Gawain's life at the end of the story. During the three days spent in Bercilak castle, Morgana tried to seduce him, but each time he refused (86-90). From line 1830-1865 (104) we read of a time when Sir Gawain's virtuous ways faltered..