ES - Honour and Victory

[Todd Marsh]

This article was posted on RapierNet.  It can be found on www.chronique.com
, in their library, under the topic of "fighting", along with several other
articles worth reading.

Llywelyn

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
by Steen Jensen
AKA SCA Sir Sten Halverson, Baron
1994

Winning is not chivalrous. Winning is fortunate, and should never be more.
At first glance, the knightly virtue of Prowess would seem to demand winning
as its proof. If you strive for quality in your fighting, will not your
victory over the field demonstrate your success? Yes, it will, but it should
not. A combatant's reward should be Prowess itself, not its results; to be
concerned overly with victory is to fall victim to Vanity, to feel the need
to demonstrate your Prowess to others rather than to yourself.
In the romances, in history, knights triumphed through the inspiration of
love, the faith in God, or duty to a lord, but never simply for the thrill
of victory.  Even William Marshal, untouchable in battle, is remembered for
his loyalty and consistency much more than for being a brute on the field.
Those for whom victory by itself had value were the black knights in history
and in literature.
Doesn't victory, properly motivated, have some value? Shouldn't a proper
knight have about themselves an air of success, and won't Prowess on
occasion produce victory? Yes, though for its negative values, it should be
a thing that occurs but is never striven for.  However much we find value
for winning in Prowess and Franchise (knightly bearing), we find that
value's reverse in Courtesy and in Generosity.
To strive for victory is to reduce your foe to no more than an obstacle to
your goal; to want victory is to rob that possibility from your opponent.
The discourtesy and greed of such a  desire outweighs any value victory
might have to Prowess and Franchise. A true knight will trust themselves to
fate rather than selfishly seek victory; they will fight for many things,
but never for themselves.
Am I saying anything that isn't obvious? As I spell this out, I feel that
most combatants would nod in agreement. But it is a thing that plagues me,
this desire for victory, this need. I find that it is consistently creeping
in among my better motivations and having its influence. How about that new
helm? It is not authentic for me, but it has good glancing surfaces. Why not
toss in an open face so that I can see and breathe? Let's shave a few pounds
off my shield. Let's cut my armour to a minimum, for the weight, so that I
can move better. I can still look good, with a fine surcoat, but I'm not
authentic anymore. I've turned our re-creation into a sport. And I've been
driven not by any knightly virtue, but only by my desire to excel, by my
vanity triumphing over all.
Even getting ready for Crown, those extra practices, places victory in too
high a light. A Crown, or a Coronet, or any major tournament, should be no
more than an interruption in our normal schedule of practice. The victor
should be that person upon whom fortune smiles, or who is greatly inspired
by the love of their consort, or simply whose prowess, gained humbly and not
through need, triumphs. Then what are the reasons for fighting? I offer
three.
Before combat, I salute the Crown of our Kingdom. Duty to the Crown and to
its people is thus the first of my motives. The duty of a combatant, and
especially off a knight, is service in arms on the tournament field or at
war. If I am able, I am bound by my fealty to fight (I might consider If I
Am Able in a different essay). To the people, I am bound to my role as an
inspiration to chivalry. The field is my stage, and I owe a duty to the
populace to shine. Thus, in some tournament ceremonies, a salute to the
populace is included.
Do honor to the person for whom you fight this day. The honor you bring to
your consort is the second motivation. As brightly as I shine upon the
field, that light should show for my lady love. As I fight for gain, that
gain should be for honor and honor only, and should be lain in the hands of
that person for whom I fight. Only the victor's consort receives the wreath
upon the field, but the consorts of all should carry the greater reward of
the honor gained for them by their champions. In this I fear we fail; in
history and within our society, renown clings more to the combatant than to
his inspiration.  But once a year, I do attend a tournament where I go
nameless, and fight only as the champion of my lady. On that day, I feel
much more the knight than I do on most other days of the year.

And salute your most honored opponent. Joy of combat is the last true
motivation. When someone comes to me to learn to fight, my first lesson is
that of joy. Was that fun? If it wasn't, you should not fight. You must love
this thing we do-its exhilaration and technique, its pain and wonder as a
test of honor, its service to Crown and consort. Joy will carry you through
times of onerous duty and pained honor. It is the one constant granted to
us, and when it finally leaves then it is time to hang our weapons upon the
wall.
A desire for victory is not part of chivalry. Fight for the Crown, for the
people, for your consort, for joy, but not for yourself.  Victory is a
powerful lure, but resist it. Fighting is a test of much more than just
Prowess. Salute your Crown, your people, your consort, and your most honored
opponent; steel yourself against ambition and hold yourself to duty, love
and joy; then allow the fates, however you might understand them, to select
the winner.


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