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Main => The Great Hall => Topic started by: Corvus on 2013-04-15, 17:02:23
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Hale greetings, lads.
Thanks to Sir Edward for the timely approval of my registration here, and to Sir Brian for so kindly taking the time to inform me a bit about the Order and for inviting me here.
It is good to see such a hale company of real men gathered in one place for discussions, learning and conviviality :)
In the 51 winters that I have been thusly granted here upon Midgard I have long striven to truly get out there in the world and truly live. And it would appear - from what I have seen on this forum so far, that many of you worthy fellows are largely of the same thinking: Not content to play video games or sit about 'wishing' you could walk in the old way, you are doing it. I find this very admirable. It is not a common thing these days to acquaint oneself with folk who truly want to live their codes.
It was thus, very pleasant to discover the Knights of the Order of the Marshal website. I learned of it, and this forum through the kindness of Sir Brian, who has communicated with me through the Order's Facebook page. Most helpful indeed.
A bit about me:
I live up in Vancouver, British Columbia - on Canada's west coast. For those not familiar with this area we are about 200 miles north of Seattle, Washington.
I've walked the Warrior's road for many a year and indeed, like many of you here I imagine, the road to wisdom has been a path with many bends and crossroads. Indeed, much can be learned on such life-quests and I have long maintained that it is better to continuously seek understanding for oneself than to sit like a drone and live vicariously through the media or the exploits of others.
I'm a person of mixed heritage; Native American on my mother's side and Scots/Irish on my father's side. As a result of this I spent a good deal of time in my youth learning about both sides of this dual bloodline - always seeking the way back to the Warrior ethos of both.
I've studied a number of different martial arts and sought understanding in many different philosophies over the years, though the road that my feet have been on the longest is that of the animist pagan Warrior.
I have been very fortunate in my life to have had various mentors come into my life, and through them I have learned the lion's share of the old traditions. One of my greatest teachers was an old Norseman who took me under his wing at the age of 24. He was a retired military officer, tough as nails but with the heart of a knightly philosopher. He was also the first person I had ever met who walked in the ways of his Heathen ancestors back in Norway. And it was from him that I inherited the tenets and customs of the tradition which I now hold.
My apprenticeship lasted approximately four years in total and it was one in which I was taught many things and subjected to more than my fair share of ordeals.
Though seldom did the word Knight ever come up in way I was taught, my old Master was indeed one: He was a gentleman, a philosopher,a scholar, a poet and a martial artist extraordinaire. His codes were the codes of an elder time and I was not overly surprised when I swore my oaths all those years ago - upon an antique war-mallet by the way - I was indeed dubbed upon the shoulders by my Master's blade.
The way I walk has indeed been described variously as a Warrior-way, the way of the Green Adept (as we often practice our ways deep in nature), the way of the Warrior-Priest and as a knightly Order.
We follow a code and in our hearts we hearken back to a time when the world was a vastly different place than it is now. Honor and courage have important places within our tradition, but so too do other aspects such as loyalty, commitment and humility.
My Order has always been a small one: We have never sought large numbers but rather we have been open to those who represented the truest qualities of the Warrior and indeed, of the Steward of the Earth. For many years we felt much like a small island in the midst of a river of chaos - none of us ever fit well into the ways of the mainstream - yet with the advent of the internet and such we have discovered that there are those who are similar to us out there in the world.
Once again, I offer my thanks to those who have invited me here, and my salutations to those worthy gentlemen who share of their wisdom here in this place.
Corvus
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Hail and well met Corvus!
I’m glad you found your way to the forum by way of the book of faces! :)
You certainly have walked your life upon the unbeaten path and thank you for sharing some of your history with us.
I know it is never an easy thing to write about oneself. I look forward to your perspective in our forum discussions! :)
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Finally, someone within a 2 day drive of me. lol
You're just up I-5 a ways.
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Welcome Corvus & well-met. :) I love Vancouver, B.C.. One of the most scenic and cleanest places your side of the border. I'd love a 2nd home there. I could jam with Bryan Adams on the weekends when he's not touring. lol
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Thanks for the kindly welcome, gents.
..and yes, Thorsteinn, we are at least on the same coast ;)
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Welcome to the boards Corvus, and good speed to you.
I am sure you will fit right in here amongst these kindly gentlemen that I proudly call brethren.
G.
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huzzah and welcome
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Thanks guys.
These forums have a lot of goodly information in them :)
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Welcome!!!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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Thank you!
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So we can thus expect a pic of you at Antir-West War (http://www.antirwestwar.org/)?
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Welcome! :)
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What a wonderful introductory message! Welcome, and thank you! You will find that many of the folks here on the forum will wax philosophical at times, but the forum can also be very informal as well. That is one of the things I really cherish about this community, is that we can be both serious, and casual. Philosophical, historical, and yet engage in humor as well.
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Greetings once again!
Thorsteinn; ah, no you probably won't ;). When I played in the SCA I tended to shun the more 'formal' subcultures in the society. I preferred to hang out with the barbarians and Vikings because they were a little less snooty and more likely to be living by real codes and not just play acting. I was known simply as Wulfgar and was better reckoned as a man-about-camp than a great banger of the rattan ;) As a Heavy I found after awhile that I tended to take the battle a might too seriously and men then tended to fall around me like wheat when I got too hot-headed. For me, having experienced the fight in the real world, I tend to go all in and forget I am play-fighting, this the preference for the conviviality of the camp ;)
Sir Nathan Q Thank you for the welcome, sir. Most appreciated!
Sir Edward: Thank you, sir. I am most pleased to be here. I see what you say about the varying forms of communication on here - yet the one thing that really impresses me is that everyone on this forum seems so civil and polite! Those who share here are really walking the talk and behaving like Knights. As I am sure you are aware this is a fantastically RARE thing on the internet these days. As one who has been a member of an Order for years I will tell you that this gentlemanly behavior instantly impresses.
As I may have mentioned in my first post I am, spiritually, a pagan person. I walk in the Old Ways and look to the Gods and spirits of the north for my spiritual guidance. As a result of this, like many I suspect have often sought the company of others similar to myself in belief. I have found a small number places on the internet and elsewhere, yet even in those few that really match my expectations I have yet to find a forum as civil as this one - which is a goodly mix of hale folk from numerous spiritual backgrounds.
To me that is really saying something powerful, so many Kudos to you and your fellowship for that!
I must say also that last evening I came upon the thread here in the forum where you first fellows were discussing the formation of the Order of the Marshal. I found that a fascinating read indeed - as one can see the gradual evolution of what we see before us here. Well met! In my own case, the tradition I walk was founded in its current form in 1958. I was initiated into it in 1986 and when that happened the tradition was already there for me. Naturally, over time as I advanced I became a senior Master in the Order and had a hand in helping to keep my Order flexible and able to adapt to modern times.
However I imagine that being a Founder as you have been, is a really eye opening experience.
This is what has drawn me to the Order of the Marshal: You fellows seem very...well the only word I can think to describe it is, authentic.
Thanks all, for the fine welcome!
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True praise indeed Corvus, thank you for your kind words.
I am sure I speak for my brethren when I say that we are all very proud of what we have here, and even more so of our members who tirelessly work to keep this site, forum and brotherhood alive. Woe betide anyone who attempts to disrupt the feeling of peace and comradery that we all aspire to keep as the underlying backbone to these boards.
Sir you are more than welcome.
G.
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Sir Gerard, the praise of your brothers is well earned.
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Corvus,
as a fellow "probie" on these forums I must say welcome and well-met! I have read numerous other posts of yours and it never crossed my mind you could be new to this forum for your ways in chivalry are definitely noted. Well met and well said
YIS
B. Patricius
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Indeed, we've had several now folks on the forum this past week, who have jumped right in. I'm really enjoying this. :)
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B.Patricius:
A most hearty welcome to you, though I myself as you have noted, have not been here for very long.
Thank you for the words, sir. Most kind.
While I have only been here on this forum for a very short time, my acquaintance with the ways of the Warrior-Gentleman is of a somewhat longer tenure. I belong to a Warrior tradition which I have been honored to serve since 1986, but like any person who has absorbed at least a little wisdom, I know that one should never be closed to new learning and new experiences. Once I arrived here and discovered the amazing things the fellows of the Order of the Marshal were doing I knew that there were things here worth learning - even by an old war-dog such as myself ;)
A man of wisdom could do well in seeking membership in such hale company, to be sure.
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Couldn't have put that better myself Covus, very well said sir.
Sir Edward, I think that's why it was easy for us to just "jump right in," this seems a very welcoming community, and I'm glad I found it via google of all crazy things looking for crusader references.
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I just happened to notice the Order's FB page, where I exchanged a couple PMs out of interest with Sir Brian - and hence found my way here ;)
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Yes, the timing just sort of worked out that way. A new member via google, and several via FB in the same week.
I'm actually rather impressed by the FB page's reach lately. I think a lot of people are enjoying the humorous images we've been sharing, and it's launched the number of "likes" to new heights.
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I just saw this one on FB actually. There was no author mention, sadly. ;)