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Discussion: Strength/Prowess

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Sir Edward:
Time for the next virtue! For purposes of this, I'm considering "strength" and "prowess" to essentially be the same thing. Prowess of course has always been one of the most important of the knightly virtues. A knight who gets killed on his first skirmish isn't much use in the long run, for instance.

Geffroi de Charney, in his book of knighthood, spends an enormous amount of time on ranking "men of worth" by how much worth they have. Obviously prowess factors into this greatly, but also what men choose to do. For instance, a successful knight of war is more worthy than one who only does tournaments, even though both are "men of worth". (and remember, in his time, tournaments were not sport or games as we know them, but rather full battles, though the evolution had already begun I think).

In a modern context, obviously we have less use for skill with the sword, horse, or lance. It's unlikely that we'll get mugged in a dark alley and only have a full jousting kit at hand. :)

So I think we need to think of strength and prowess in broader terms. I think of it as a desire to excel in whatever undertakings you choose. To be good at your job, and not do anything half-assed if you can help it.

What do you think?

Sir Wolf:
personal strength both in body and in mind. he needs to be able to uphold the other virtues with his body but know when/how to use them with his mind. his strength needs to be able to be used/depended upon by his friends or fellow knights.

Sir Patrick:
This will be a short discussion, as Sir Wolf has completely nailed it right out of the gate!

Sir Edward:
Doh! I mean... yay? :)

Sir Brian:
Sir Wolf certainly captured the very essence of this virtue, the only addition I would make would be having the strength of spirit. Your body and mind has limitations, but your spirit can carry you through nearly insurmountable adversities even when you are physically and mentally exhausted. There are a plethora of examples of mere mortals accomplishing inconceivable feats from ancient times such as the Spartans at Thermopylae to the more recent century like the 101st at Bastogne.  :)

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