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
