Gawain and the Four Daughters of God is a study of the mathematical design of four medieval poems collected together in one manuscript, Cotton Nero A.x.
It brings together my interest in mathematics, poetry, fantasy and theology. Beginning with the question, ‘What is the significance of the number 101 in Pearl and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?’, it looks at numbers as symbols of faith across a millennium or two.
In particular it focuses on 490 (seventy times seven) as an arithmetic motif of forgiveness and 153 (the number of the fish caught by the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus) as an emblem of resurrection.