Re: Earl Dafydd

[Lance Harrop <lharrop@mrj.com>]

Fair Lady Branwynn, who should be back in town soon to be thumped before
Pennsic, writes:

> Gosh, Leifr, _our_ tutelage has concentrated on learning to *behave*
> as a knight, not learning to be *made* one.

Now usually, coming as that does from a Lady, I would be happy to let 
this observation go.  However, some months ago, during the great "P" 
debate, I got into a sidebar conversation with Duke Richard, Earl Dafydd, 
and Jarl Galmr, and we raised just this issue (Actually, I think Galmr 
did).  I wrote that I considered being a squire as aspiring to achieve my
ideals of knighthood, as opposed to someone elses ideal, such as a 
certain reigning king of one of the thirteen kingdoms.  Earl Dafydd 
replied that he expected his squires to want to be knights.  There is 
certainly nothing wrong about that, especially compared to wanting to be 
made a knight.  And certainly Dafydd doesn't teach you to want to be a 
knight, or want to be made a knight, he teaches you to be a knight, then 
hopefully convinces the Crown to make you one.  I suspect he choses his 
squires by finding ones who want to be knights in his model, there being 
only a few better models around (Strykar, for instance).

> And the learning of letters
> has been but a small part of that learning. If Michael Limner has
> not yet mastered the art of spelling, there are certainly other
> areas where he shines brightly.

Tolerance and a sense of humour?? ;-).

> It is our joy to anticipate being thumped, as it is what makes the
> lessons stick, ne c'est pas?
> 
Actually, it is my joy to anticipate getting through a bout with Strykar 
without getting thumped, as it will prove that the lessons have finally stuck
;-) ;-) ;-).

In Service
Leifr Johansson