to life to inform him that he is now one of God's children, but further miracles are later seen to occur beside his tomb; although it is only in the British Library Royal MS that Sir Gowther is actually identified with Saint Guthlac, who wore animal skins and lived in a barrow, and for whom King Æthelbald of Mercia founded Croyland Abbey in Lincolnshire, England in the eighth century. The poem in the British Library version ends: Explicit Vita Sancti. Breton lai Breton elements in the story of Sir Gowther, including references to Arthurian legend in the form of Merlin, supernatural encounters in an orchard, the significant involvement of animals and episodes of disguise, may derive ultimately from a European pagan tradition preserved in the Breton lai. Notes External links Sir Gowther. Introduction and Middle English text. TEAMS. Sir Gowther from National Library of Scotland MS Advocates 19.3.1. Modern English prose translation Sexuality, Love, and Loyalty: Sir Gowther as Secular Romance Middle English literature Romance (genre) Middle English poems British Library Royal manuscripts