[Wyewood] A memory

[Ruslund Geyer via Wyewood]

A number of years ago now, Sebastian wrote a beautiful description of what
Chivalry means in our game.  That email is long lost but I had the good
sense to save it as a file.  I thought it might be appropriate to re-share
it now.
In service and remembrance, 
Avine 

Several years ago, I was asked to explain Chivalry to a young boy, at a
demo. I found myself at a loss.

Now you might ask why that was so hard to do. We're in the SCA, and we
strive to uphold Chivalric ideals.
How could someone not know them. Especially a Squire!

Its not a case of not knowing them, its a case of knowing how to explain
them, simply.
Our concepts of Chivalry are muddied by both the modern world, and the never
ending debates which surround the topic.
In discussion, Chivalry; as a concept, can have as few as 5 virtues, or 50,
depending on who is addressing the subject.
Period text is often cited, misquoted, corrected, revised and cited again.
Then a modern approach is added which does not match any of the above.
Truly the concept of Chivalry is harder to define when you do not have
examples in your life on which to compare.

So what happened?
I wasn't sure of where to start, or what to cover. I ended up giving the boy
a run around answer that would have confused Lull himself.
(Raymond Lull was a noted period writer who wrote about chivalry.) I
promised myself that I would later sit down and create an suitable method of
explaining Chivalry, that did not require 3 hours, a case of beer and a lot
of yelling.

This is what I made.

Chivalry in 8 simple rules.

1. Do every task to the best of your ability. This is called Prowess.
2. Do what is right, regardless of its repercussions. That is called
Courage.
3. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. This is called Honesty.
4. Protect those who would protect you. This is Loyalty.
5. Give to others. Especially with those who don't have anything to give
with you. This shows Generosity.
6. Do unto others, as you'd have done unto you. This is the basis of
Courtesy.
7. Trust that others follow these ideals as well. This is what it means to
have Faith.
8. Teach these things to others, as they have been taught to you. This is
called Franchise.

If you can do all those things, every day, then you are being Chivalrous,
and worthy of being called a Noble Person.


Anon,
Sebastian
squire to Earl Cire