[Mid] re:(mid) Chivalry discussion

Greetings good gentles of the Midrealm!

I've seen some interesting points raised about how a person goes about becoming a Knight of the SCA. Howver, the one point that some people seem to be missing is, to me, the most basic. The Order of Chivalry is not an "award" that one "wins" or is "given" by the Crown. Some people may view it as such, but (in my opinion) that is not the idea behind the Order. Knighthood has to do with who and what you are, not just what you do. A Knight should be one who acts with courtesy and chivalry at all times, in all aspects of his/her life, not just on the field, or even just in the SCA. Chivalry and honor should be the guiding principle for a knight even in the mundane world. If these principles are only given heed at certain times and in certain places, can we truly claim that they are principles at all? I do not believe so.

I have only been around the SCA for four years, and actively involved for the past two. In this time, I have met around a dozen knights, and gotten to know five of them. With the first knight that I met (when I was a "newbie" and didn't have the faintest clue what a white belt was, other than a beginner in karate), I knew that that man was definitely something special, long before I anyone told me what that rather interesting belt meant. I then spent some time thinking that maybe it was similar to karate in that all you had to do was practice fighting, and when you reached a certain level, you would automatically be "awarded" the title of Knight. However, that idea didn't last long, because it couldn't explain what I instinctively knew about that knight I had met. I had never seen him fight, yet I still knew that there was something about him that anyone could feel. There was a certain air about him that spoke of openness, honesty, and integrity. I spoke with others about this and soon had a better understanding of what Chivalry was about.

Unfortunately, I have also met one or two people wearing a white belt that did not come across the same way. To be fair to those persons, it could simply have been a bad day, but I'm not certain about that. They were superb fighters, but that seemed to be the extent of it. Oh, sure, they played the part perfectly, but that's what it was, playing a part. It was as if this was theatre, and they were in character. Chivalry and Honor were things that they did, not who they were.

I think the best way I have heard it put was in an article from Cariadoc's Miscellany, "Concerning Knighthood", written by Cariadoc of the Bow, Knight of the SCA.
"It has been the custom in certain lands that, when a knight is to be dubbed, the King calls the knights to assemble, whereat the eldest approaches the throne to complain that there is one absent who has by right a place among their company. To this the King assents, and calls out him who is to be dubbed. And all this is in token that a knight is made neither by King nor all the chivalry assembled; their part is but to recognize that he has made himself a knight. Neither belt, spurs, nor chain makes up a knight, nor yet the accolade of any King.
"And as kings and knights are but men and fallible, so may they be mistaken, and some may wear the three tokens who are not knights, and some be truly knights who wear neither belt, spur, nor chain. But Allah alone knoweth all."

Remember, reputation is a gift that others give to you. Honor is a gift that a man gives to himself.

Well, I think that I've rambled on long enough for now. Remember, these are just my own personal opinions, and nothing else.

Yours In Service To The Dream,

Seumus O'Seaghdha

From: "seumus o'seagdha (mka: Kurt Roers)" <seumus@itctel.com>
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Received on Sat Jun 19 15:15:28 1999