Coat of the Giant of Mont Saint-Michel
After slaying the Giant of Mont Saint-Michel, Arthur claimed the giant's jewel-studded coat, embroidered with the beards of fifteen defeated kings, as a trophy. Preserved alongside the giant's iron club, the coat became a symbol of Arthur's triumph and heroic authority.
Alternative Names
Coat of Kirtle
Introduction#
After slaying the Giant of Mont Saint‑Michel in Brittany, Arthur took the giant’s magnificent coat as a trophy, alongside the giant’s iron club. The coat was richly decorated with jewels and, most strikingly, embroidered with the beards of fifteen kings whom the giant had defeated, a grim record of his conquests.
Description and Symbolism#
The coat’s decoration was not merely ornamental; it symbolized the giant’s past victories and, by extension, Arthur’s triumph over a formidable foe. By preserving it, Arthur transformed a garment of terror into a relic of his own martial prowess. In the same episode, Arthur also claimed the giant’s iron club, underscoring the dual nature of trophies as both tangible rewards and reminders of heroic deeds.
Sources and Tradition#
The story is recounted in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136–1138), which describes Arthur’s journey to Brittany to defeat the giant and liberate the local people. The coat, along with the club, serves as a tangible symbol of Arthur’s strength, courage, and status as a conquering hero.
Later medieval retellings and Brut chronicles elaborate on the episode, occasionally specifying the embroidered beards as a way to illustrate the giant’s terror and Arthur’s supremacy. These sources situate the coat within the broader tradition of martial trophies and heroic spoils in Arthurian legend.
