[Ansteorra] The purpose of tournments was history

[Miles Grey]

Your Grace has misunderstood much of what I said.  Rather than attempting
to clarify myself, I think it best to yield the point and speak no further
on this topic.

  Respectfully,
    Miles Grey

"May we find a soldier's resting-place beneath a soldier's blow"


Duchess Willow de Wisp wrote:
> MiLord
>  I hope you want you take this in the spirit of debate. I just love a good
> debate. I would love to talk to you in person. Hear goes
> I would disagree with you. If you look at the writings on tournaments in
> the middle ages you will see that many people in period felt that they
> were training for wars. They were intended to "season" fighters in peace.
> I can quote this stuff and if you want it I will spend the time to look
> this up and write  it down.
> Also the medieval knight thought about the concept of "worship". He fought
> in tourneys to prove his skill. The fact that he was chivalrous was a
> given. There were rules of behavior between Christian Knights. For example
> in the one of the old Chansons showed the "bad" behavior of the main
> character by having him chase after his enemy after cutting off his arm.
> Christian knights were suppose let other Christian knight live to beget
> heirs because in the end they were all at war with outside forces.  This
> was the reason for the Church banning certain kinds of bows for many
> years. They caused too many deaths.
> Prowess and skill were highly respected skills in the middle ages.
> You make the statement that I think this way because it was new for me. I
> watched fighting grow up in Ansteorra. I even trained people who became
> Knights and more. I watch the joy of fighting and the search for
> excellence become a byword in Ansteorra. I stood on a cause way and helped
> when 19 of mostly ordinary fighters took on over 200 Middle fighters. I
> have heard people at Pensic claim that all of us were really Knights and
> we took off our belts to fool them. By the time we got to this point 20
> years had passed in the SCA,and I had been in for 17.  I was neither young
> or new.
> You say I am insulting the Knights and their students by saying that they
> are playing at a sport but then you say it is a sport. If it is a sport
> then I can't insult them by saying it is a sport.
> The main difference between a sport and a Marshal art is the matter of
> growth. Sports are played to win but Marshal arts are done to learn and
> grow. I remember a young knight who have just got his belt and thought he
> was great but I mentioned what my teacher told my first husband. "Now you
> need to win using another weapon". That young knight was Duke Jonathan the
> Macebearer and then he went on to win tournaments using all kinds of
> weapon styles.
> Some people have asked me what keeps me active in the SCA. It is because I
> am never satisfied. I am always learning and always improving.
> You seemed to think that wanting to be known for skill means the
> individual lacks character. I don't understand that thinking. If you have
> skill you never have to cheat. and you don't have to worry about others
> cheating. If you hit the person with the exact proper shot and exact
> proper force he is dead and there is no question of dishonor.
> I hope I haven't come across to intensely. I understand that there are
> many way to look at the SCA and they are all valid. Well most of them I
> wonder about the fantasy sex club viewpoint.