To be philosophical
Back then, people had to live in close proximity to ogres. Frankly speaking, they “were not so bad provided one did not provoke them”. One just had “to accept that every so often” a creature “would come blustering into a village in a terrible rage, and despite shouts and brandishing of weapons, rampage around injuring anyone slow to move”. An ogre “might carry off a child into the mist”, but the people learned how to be “philosophical about such outrages”. The irony is that ogres are really not that bad, they are even perfect if one start comparing them with other hazards of that time such as dragons, plague, demons and witches.
The dream girl
Axl noticed that people in his village suffered from strange forgetfulness. For instance, no one seemed to remember a beautiful redhead, whose healing skills had saved so many lives. When Axl asked Beatrice about her, she suggested that the redhead was simply his mind’s invention. “Perhaps you dreamt her up for your own needs, Axl, even though you’ve a wife here beside you and with a back straighter than yours.” The irony of Beatrice’s words is supposed to mock Axl’s fantasies about beautiful women in old age. However, Beatrice jokes good-naturally, without malice.
Uncertainty
Master Wistan doesn’t want to fight with the soldier of Lord Brennus but the latter refuses to let him go. However, Lord Brennus’s soldier knows that if he starts a fight with Wistan he is not going to survive it, for the great Saxon warrior is too skilled. Sir Gawain is his last hope, so he asks him whether he will “come to the aid of a fellow Briton”. The irony is that the same soldier asked Sir Gawain not to interfere just several minutes ago.
