Sir Garwin and the Green Knight (the green girdle)

 The symbol of the green girdle changes thought the poem. In the beginning when the queen gives the girdle to Garwin she promises him that the girdle is magical and will protect whoever wears it; to Garwin the girdle signified favor and some form of hope he believed that he was given something of great value and therefore refused to give it up.
 The girdle also signifies deceit because the queen lied to Garwin when she told him that it possess magical powers. Her lie was a test of his character. The fact that Garwin refused to mention the future also makes it a symbol of deceit.
 At the end of the poem the girdle became a symbol of sin Garwin tied the girls to his wrist to remind himself of the sin he had committed it also became a symbol of shame because anyone who saw the girdle would remember the story behind it.