Knightmare: Chivalry Discussion

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Hello all and welcome to the the Knightmare event brought to you by the Warder's Guild.

 

 

 

In this thread we will be discussing chivalry.

 

Let's start off simply by discussing what chivalry means to you.  How do you define it?

[AesSedaiGuy]

To me ... Chivalry is formal courtesy and valor. It's about being brave and courageous and upstanding. Defending virtues and looking out for others. It is, at it's best about selfless duty.

 

However, at it's worst, it can be misogynistic or sexist when used as a rationale or excuse to prevent equality and advancement of women. :)

[Elaevia]

I agree, but also about sacrifice fot the greater good. And setting yourself goals in terms of behaviour that though you may never achieve, you can improve the world by trying.

[AesSedaiGuy]

I agree, but also about sacrifice fot the greater good. And setting yourself goals in terms of behaviour that though you may never achieve, you can improve the world by trying.

Awesome description Via. :) I "get" that too.

[Nyanna al'Meara]

I agree! I think chivalry is, as said, every selfless deed done, no matter how small... like when a guy takes my suitcase :P It's been trampled down by the image of "acting cool", and there's few gentlemen these days.
It's a term mainly associated with guys - no wonder, with the knightly connotation and all, but I believe women can be chivalrous too. I think it's definitely about acting with honour, and a strong sense of morals. It's practicing kindness to everyone, giving help where it is needed, stepping in to prevent violence and behaving in an honest and genuine way.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

I agree with what is said. I think chivalry is a code of honor that a person follows. Generally this includes being polite and treating others with a lot of respect.

 

Next question.

 

 

 

Do you think chivalry is still alive today And how?

[blank]

I agree! I think chivalry is, as said, every selfless deed done, no matter how small... like when a guy takes my suitcase :P It's been trampled down by the image of "acting cool", and there's few gentlemen these days.

It's a term mainly associated with guys - no wonder, with the knightly connotation and all, but I believe women can be chivalrous too. I think it's definitely about acting with honour, and a strong sense of morals. It's practicing kindness to everyone, giving help where it is needed, stepping in to prevent violence and behaving in an honest and genuine way.

I love this

 

 

 

Do you think chivalry is still alive today And how?

I do, yes. 

 

I think it might be a different kind of chivalry than is read about in books from ye olden days because that Code was built on that society. We have a different society these days and it comes with different rules. Being a kind, generous and courteous person means, to me, that chivalry is very much alive.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Great answer space!!

[Toph Beifong]

[AesSedaiGuy]

 

 

 

Do you think chivalry is still alive today And how?

 

I do, yes. 

 

I think it might be a different kind of chivalry than is read about in books from ye olden days because that Code was built on that society. We have a different society these days and it comes with different rules. Being a kind, generous and courteous person means, to me, that chivalry is very much alive.

Everything blank said.

 

I am from the American South, and despite several of our social problems, we still have a rather pervasive "code of honor" and definitely operate with at least shadows of chivalry. Some is more imagined, probably, but I think even that shows its integration into our psyche as a region, for better or worse.

[Elaevia]

Is chivalry dead? In the knight-riding-of-to-rescue-a-damsel-in-distress-from-a-tower sort of thing yes. Chivalry is now about helping people in little ways (helping them pick up their stuff is someone drops their shopping, for example) rather than one great big quest, so no it's not dead, but instead is called different things: it's called being helpful, kind, thinking of others, sharing, generosity etc

[Toph Beifong]

[Wren of the Brown]

As I understand it, chivalry was originally an ethical code meant to domesticate the war lords of the Dark Ages.  Most warrior classes had ethical codes but that didn't mean every man with a sword was ethical.  A good deal of butchery was inflicted upon the feudal peasantry and other classes by men who had the capacity to wage war and control a population and Christian institutions attempted to provide a solution to that butchery.  One of the first incarnations of chivalry was something known as the "Peace and Truce of God" which granted peasants and other individuals (including women and children) incapable of defending themselves immunity from violence and warfare.  It wasn't terribly effective but, in many ways, it built a framework for future ethical codes.

Chivalry ultimately evolved into something that resembled virtue ethics, which emphasized ideal traits over formal ethical commandments.  Overall, the chivalric knight was concerned with duties: to country, church, God and women but it expanded into further concerns like honor at the expense of life (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight), the pursuit of the sacred (the Quest for the Grail) and the nature of honoring women (Wife of Bath's Tale and also The Wedding of Sir Gawain.)  Many of these ideals were circulated in something called "courtesy books" and detailed the etiquette and social considerations of life at court but they were also popular among merchants and artisans.  The most famous example of a courtesy book of Baldassare Castiglione's "Book of the Courtier" but you'll also see the very early foundations of social manuals and self-government in Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations."

 

Additionally, there is something called the Nine Worthies; these are nine individuals who demonstrated the chivalric ideal.  They were classified in three triads: Pagan, Jew and Christian.  The Three Worthy Pagans are Hector, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.  The Three Worthy Jews are Joshua, David and Judas while the Three Worthy Christians are King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon.  There were also Worthy Women but I'm not familiar enough with that literature to talk about it. 

Modern interpreters have done more to revitalize chivalry as a viable system and it has gained a lot of popularity.  The most basic modern code includes Prowess, Justice, Loyalty, Defense, Courage, Faith, Humility, Largesse, Nobility and Franchise.  I'll leave it to you, dear readers, to figure out how you can operate within these parameters.

 

One word on modern chivalry as it applies to love and duty.  This has taken a lot of flack because some of our cultural critics have decided that holding a door for someone is patronizing.  I hold open a door for people to recognize their presence in the world around me but this can also be accomplished by nodding and making eye contact.  There's a term for this in sociology but I can't recall it but it's basically a way of recognizing the innate humanness of the society we interact while still recognizing the boundaries between complete strangers.  It would be untoward (and frankly creepy as all hell) if I were to shout "I RECOGNIZE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I NEED YOU TO DEFINE ME" to every person I meet on the street, so we find other gentler ways of performing this act of recognition.  Holding a door for someone is my way - I don't do it because I think you need to be handled with kiddy gloves but because it's my way of acting out the word "hello."

And one more thing, I guess.  In the historic literature, there's a lot of talk about courtly love.  In the SCA, this translates often into "fighting for a consort" - the actions one takes on the field of combat are done, not for personal gain, but for an individual we hold in our heart and thoughts.  Sometimes the consort is a spouse, a love interest, a close friend, or a mentor.  I suppose the best way to explain courtly love is to let your actions be a testament for the love of your friendship and the reverence you hold for this special individual.  There's a lot to be said about this approach and it goes a long way to explain why sometimes marital partners call each other the "better half."  Aristotle, who was widely read by the medievals up until the 14th century, also hints at the something similar in the Nicomachean Ethics.  Paraphrasing, the ideal friendship is a celebration of your love for each other, therefore, act in such a way so as to do what is right and desirable for your mutual growth and well-being.