Chapter Guy to Gytrash of G by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Gyneth Natural daughter of Guendolen and King Arthur. Arthur swore to Guendolen that if she brought forth a boy, he should be his heir, and if a girl, he would give her in marriage to the bravest knight of his kingdom. One Pentecost a beautiful damsel presented herself to King Arthur, and claimed the promise made to Guendolen. Accordingly, a tournament was proclaimed, and the warder given to Gyneth. The king prayed her to drop the warder before the combat turned to earnest warfare, but Gyneth haughtily refused, and twenty knights of the Round Table fell in the tournament, amongst whom was young Vanoc, son of Merlin. Immediately Vanoc fell, the form of Merlin rose, put a stop to the fight, and caused Gyneth to fall into a trance in the Valley of St. John, from which she was never to awake till some knight came forward for her hand as brave as those which were slain in the tournay. Five hundred years passed away before the spell was broken, and then De Vaux undertook the adventure of breaking it. He overcame four temptations - fear, avarice, pleasure, and ambition - when Gyneth awoke, the enchantment was dissolved, and Gyneth became the bride of the bold warrior. (Sir Walter Scott: Bridal of Triermain, chap. ii.)

Gyp A college servant, whose office is that of a gentleman's valet, waiting on two or more collegians in the University of Cambridge. He differs from a bed-maker, inasmuch as he does not make beds; but he runs on errands, waits at table, wakes men for morning chapel, brushes their clothes, and so on. His perquisites are innumerable, and he is called a gyp (vulture, Greek) because he preys upon his employer like a vulture. At Oxford they are called scouts.

Gypsy (See Gipsy .)

Gyrfalcon, Gerfalcon or Jerfalcon. A native of Iceland and Norway, highest in the list of hawks for falconry, "Gyr," or "Ger," is, I think, the Dutch gier, a vulture. It is called the "vulture-falcon" because, like the vulture, its beak is not toothed. The common etymology from hieros, sacred, "because the Egyptians held the hawk to be sacred," is utterly worthless. Besides Ger-falcons, we have Gier-eagles, Lammer- geiers, etc. (See Hawk.)

Gyromancy A kind of divination performed by walking round in a circle or ring.

Gytrash A north-of-England spirit, which, in the form of horse, mule, or large dog, haunts solitary ways, and sometimes comes upon belated travellers.

"I remembered certain of Bessie's tales, wherein figured a ... spirit called a Gytrash." - Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre, xii.