eye and kills him. Before arriving at Arthur's court, Perceval has already taken a ring from the finger of a sleeping maiden, exchanging it with his own, believing himself to be acting in accordance with advice his mother gave him on his departure. This ring will prove to be very important. From this point, the tale diverges from Chrétien's story. The Red Knight has arrived during Perceval's visit to the king, not beforehand as in Chrétien's tale. In defeating the Red Knight, Perceval unknowingly avenges his father's death. Perceval tries to remove the dead knight's armour but fails, ignorant of the way that it is fastened. He prepares a fire in order to try to burn it off, but Gawain arrives, sees the boy's difficulty and helps him to disarm the corpse. Perceval puts on the armour, throws the naked body into the flames, and, in a final parallel with Chrétien's tale, rides off to seek more adventures, without returning to Arthur. Soon, he meets a distraught woman who turns out to be the Red Knight's mother. Seeing Perceval on the Red Knight's horse and wearing his armour and weapons, she mistakes him for her son whom she has been searching but found only some burning corpse. Overjoyed, the woman rides to him and reveals herself to be a witch, reminding him that, had the rumour of his death by the knights of Arthur been true, she would have been able to bring him back to life. Upon hearing this, and before she could demonstrate any of her powers, Perceval skewers her on his lance, rides back to the fire, and merrily casts her in it to burn with her son. Having destroyed a witch, Perceval gladly rides away to do more of such noble deeds. Still clad in the Red Knights armour, he encounters relatives of himself, a knight and his sons, who flee in terror, believing that their enemy the Red Knight is pursuing them. After some comic exchanges, mistakes are rectified and they ride back together to the old knight's castle. A messenger arrives, bound for Arthur and seeking help for a lady who is besieged by Saracen sultan Gollerotheram who wants to marry her: Mete and drynke was ther dighte, And men to serve tham full ryghte; The childe that come with the knyghte, Enoghe ther he fand. At the mete as thay beste satte, Come