What was your "defining moment" that drew you to knighthood/chivalry?

[Sir James A]

Sir Edward's thread (http://modernchivalry.org/forum/index.php/topic,843.0.html) got me thinking a bit.

I've always enjoyed knights and castles, and I was making castles from couch cushions and powder when I was tiny. I don't remember a time when I wasn't interested in them. As a child, it was more of the thrill of chasing dragons, rescuing maidens, defeating evil villains, and lots of other cliches. I didn't want to be a dwarf, or an elf, or a mage .. I wanted to be a warrior. A paladin. Sometimes, a cleric. But always the essence of a knight. As much fun as I still think that would be, there is a much more practical and realistic aspect of being a knight, especially to those whose interest comes later in life.

When I was in high school, some seniors were picking on a friend's brother, taking his lunch money at the bus stop and harassing him (he was in middle school). It was like a bad movie. We decided to ask them to stop (since we were seniors too), and so myself, my friend, and one more friend went to talk to them at the pool. The end result was that 8 people came to "talk" to us, during which I got distracted by a girl in a bikini at the community pool (I was 16, it happens ), assuming hey, there's 8 guys and lots of random witnesses, we're safe ... then out of the corner of my eye I saw my friend (5'0" and thin) get shoved.

I reacted instinctively by stepping in-between him and the guy that pushed him ... and 2 guys sucker punched me from the side. I don't remember anything past that, but my friend said that I managed to grab the chain link fence before I hit the ground, yank myself back up like a ninja, and that before I was upright again the kids yelled "Whoa! Run!" and took off. I ended up with 4 stitches in my lip (it tore in the corner), a nice bruise, a probably concussion ... and you could see the outline on my cheek from the ring where one of the guys hit me. Now, I have a decent pain tolerance (stupidity?), I ate McDonalds for dinner the day I had 3 wisdom teeth pulled ... but I "ate" through a straw for a few days after that. I've still got the scar.

I never heard about them bothering his brother again, though. At that point, I mentally stepped out of the shadows as the kid who got picked on all the time (which was reality), and into who I want to be ... someone defending the weak and waging war against the evil. When I look at, handle, or wear my armor, it's as if I can escape who I am, and become the person I wish I could be, even if just for a fleeting moment.

What was a defining moment in your life when you felt drawn to true knighthood and/or the chivalric ideals?

[Sir William]

I don't know if there's a single instance I can point to...I guess it started from reading; my Mom turned me on to King Arthur and Charlemagne by the time I was 10 and from that point on...

For me, it was always about standing up for the little guy (mostly because I was that little guy- until my senior year in high school, I stood at 5'2", grew to about 5'10" by graduation and hit 6' by the time I turned 18)...most times I was in over my head earlier in my high school career.

[Sir Brian]

What was my defining moment in my life that led me to where I am now? – An earnest pursuant of the chivalric code? I have not had one such moment, but a life time of choices. Sometimes I made the right choice and far too often I made the wrong choice. The truly defining moments for me was when I readily accepted the consequences of my wrong decisions without shying away from the sometimes heavy burden or punishment required as payment of those consequences.

As the youngest son of a large family I frequently fought with my brothers at the least provocation when they started on me and often times had them running away to the only safe location in the house – The bathroom as it had a lock on the door. It wasn’t uncommon for me to chase them in a murderous rage with a very large butcher knife. – Obviously I never caught them but I did leave the knife imbedded in the bathroom door on more than one occasion. With that kind of family “recreation” I understandably had no tolerance for bullies. In kinder garden a big kid wanted to bully everyone in class so I fought him and lost, i.e. he hit me a lot more than I hit him before recess ended.

The next day he was back looking to pick on someone else but I fought him again, doing a little better the second time. Each day he would come back and I would fight him until after about a week he was looking just as beat up as I was so eventually he got it through his thick skull that I was not going to be bullied or allow him to bully anyone else and we came to an uneasy truce where we would even play together. A few months later I moved away to the next town and didn’t see that kid until high school and he still hadn’t changed. He always gave me a wide berth but he tormented and bullied other kids.

I was at a party early in my junior year and he happened to be there. He was pretty obnoxious and really belligerent to the single mother of the two kids who was hosting the party. We got into each other again, mostly barking at each other and he threw down the gauntlet of “You want to go outside?” which was fine by me. We were in a slightly cluttered garage and had to walk past the door and then open it to go outside. Since I was leading the way I opened the door first and since he was following right on my heals I made a point of whipping the door open right into his face which promptly broke his nose. He pissed and moaned that I broke his nose and didn’t fight fair, etc. I yelled back at him something to the effect of “come outside and I’d give him a broken arm to go with it.” He didn’t want to play with me anymore and spent the rest of the night grumbling at me and being a minor nuisance. He wouldn’t shut up until he pestered that poor woman and her kids to give him a ride home. They asked me ride along with them “just in case”. The pacified bullied yapped a few times at me but shut up when I asked him if he was ready to continue with our fight.

I regret not all of my conflicts were as noble. Some still weigh upon my conscience because they were senseless or just mean and I wonder if I had inflicted any permanent damage (emotional or psychological as well physical). -i.e. One of those burdens I mentioned earlier. 

[Sir Edward]

It's hard to say. I remember in middle school, the concept of virtues vs vices was discussed in social studies, and it stuck with me. Sometime afterward, while still in that school, I started keeping the concept of a list of virtues in the back of my head, and started wearing an ankh pendant as a reminder to myself to be virtuous (and I still do, I'm on the third one now). I didn't attach the word Chivalry to it though.

During high school and college, I never really hammered out my list of virtues in any sort of detail, but really, it was chivalry all along and I just didn't know it. I tried working out a list a few times, would make some progress, and then do something else.

Back then I used to love games like D&D, but I was always more interested in wizards.

I've been collecting swords since I was about 13 (maybe 1986?), and started into armor around 1999. And now I've been taking swordsmanship lessons for 5+ years.

Then one day, in the summer of 2006, it hit me like a ton of bricks... I had been pursuing the knightly/chivalric thing all along.

And in 2007, I decided I needed to get more serious about making those kits look good, so I bought a new helm, made a new surcoat, etc. And that was the first year I started getting hammered with photo requests at faire. 2007 is also when I started collecting Albions, and decided that just a few nice swords would be much better than 40+ junky ones.

So a lot of it coalesced and evolved over the years. But 2006 had that sort of epiphany moment.

[Sir William]

I was on the periphery of the D&D world...got my feet wet but didn't follow it as fanatically as some of my compatriots.  The stat-driven play just wasn't to my liking...I was still heavily into my comic books and the fantasy concept didn't grab me like I thought it would.  For instance, I never felt any affinity with the Elven or Dwarven races in books like LOTR...they were entertaining and interesting, but I never wanted to be one.  Don't get me wrong, I know Drizzt's a pure bad-ass but he was that way because he fought against his true nature in favor of furthering the human cause.  I dug that.

I didn't really get into that world until I started playin the likes of Baldur's Gate (for the consoles), and then the second one, Dark Alliance, which was also very well-written and fun as hell to play.

[Sir Rodney]

I don’t recall a specific moment in time or event that drew me into researching, emulating and practicing the chivalric arts.  It was really more of a natural progression of sorts.

My story is very similar to so many others.  My interest was first aroused in the late ‘70s or very early ‘80s by Basic D&D (the original old boxed set).  I was content with playing D&D and AD&D through college.  I was also a huge fan of Star Wars (the original three movies) which was simply a space age version of knights rescuing those in distress by fighting monsters, evil knights and a despot emperor.  This, I believe, helped lay the groundwork for my future interests.

At some point 13+ years ago, a coworker invited me over to a practice session where they put on replica armour and beat on each other with rattan clubs.  I was enthralled with the armour and action as I sat on the back porch.  The leader of group walked up and said “Don’t just sit there, put on this loaner gear and give it a try.”  Here was an activity that combined my interest in armour and knighthood with the physical contact I enjoyed so much in Division III football.  I was immediately hooked and there was no turning back!

I was never completely satisfied with my first plastic armour-like protection and ill fitting great helm.  Great time and energy was expended making steel components that (sort of) looked like those pictured in my growing library.  Then Brian Price’s Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction fell into my hands.  I was now able to create more accurate armour bits in less time with much less hassle.  My kit was starting to come together.

I stumbled upon a web site called myArmoury in 2006 and registered.  Unfortunately, having a dial-up connection in those days meant any internet activity proved to be very frustrating.  It wasn’t until three years (and a DSL connection) later that I became active on that forum.  My interest in all things medieval took off and I started to explore the many facets of medieval history and Chivalry all the while maintaining my involvement with same group of great friends in the SCA.

Chivalry is just one of the facets comprising medieval history that is hotly debated in the SCA today.  A whole sub-forum of the Armour Archive is dedicated to his endeavor.  The discussions that interest me the most include not only emulating the Chivalry of the past, but how to apply these principals to both my reenactment and, more importantly, everyday life.

[Sir Edward]

Chivalry is just one of the facets comprising medieval history that is hotly debated in the SCA today.  A whole sub-forum of the Armour Archive is dedicated to his endeavor.  The discussions that interest me the most include not only emulating the Chivalry of the past, but how to apply these principals to both my reenactment and, more importantly, everyday life.

I don't get on there often, but I occasionally like some of the discussions on the Chivalry sub-forum on the archive. Actually it's loosely tied to my wake-up back in 2006. We were getting ready to go to Pennsic for the first time, and I hadn't looked in on that forum for quite a while, so I popped in and read a variety of threads. One discussion was SCA knights comparing memories of their vigils and ceremonies, and it helped get the ball rolling in my head.

[SirNathanQ]

AH! I cannot believe I missed this thread! Anyway, here goes.
I have ALWAYS had an interest in swords and armour. I have a picture which I call "Page Nathan" that my mum dug up. It is of me, about 11 years ago. In the picture I am wearing those plastic toy armour, and holding a sword and shield. Whenever I would go to a toy store, I would go immediately to that large plastic army depot that every toy store has and start swinging around the toy swords. Any sword flick, I was into.

So I would probably be doing this hobby (swords and armour) even if I never had the privilege to find chivalry.
The chivalry part started about 5 years ago. In 6th grade. I played sports, I had an older girlfriend, I had tons of buddies. By most "dude" standards, I should have been high as a kite. But I wasn't. I was looking for something else. I had always identified with knights and the like, but I hadn't really dived headfirst like nowadays. I found what was "more" in the code of chivalry. That's when I really made the transition from being "one of the guys" to (an attempt at) Knighthood.
It is also how I worship God. I am strongly Catholic, and after becoming interested in chivalry, I realized that it was almost a guide to practicing my faith every day. I worship god by emulating in every way those men who were most fervent to him as laymen. Those men, who took no vows, who had no obligation (unless you packed yourself off to a fighting order  ) yet still were fervent as any martyr. Those knights, who died for God, lived his teachings, fought for him, and were obedient to his representatives. By becoming closer to what they are, I feel that I become closer to my God.   

[Sir William]

That was well put, Sir Nathan...that your chivalry has ties to your faith will only serve to strengthen it (and you) as you go.  Kudos.

[Sir Wolf]

i don't know that i have a defining moment. i have always tried to live my life according to God and my faith. i have tried to always be a good friend and neighbor to others. i have always like the "toys" that go with knights and such. the chaotic good characters and barbarians have always had my mind for games and such, but i don't think i could really be one in real life. maybe I'm "too good" or a softy or something hehehe

[Sir William]

Different strokes for different folks, is all.

[SirNathanQ]

I second Sir William, everyone has a different path, even if a few have intersected at the same place.

[Sir Patrick]

While I've always thught of myself as a good guy, I really didn't step onto the chivalric path until my kids were born.  Having kids really changes your worldview.  I wanted to set a good example for them, and the more I worked at it, the more I came to understand it was the chivalric ideal I was trying to instill in them (and awakening within myself).  As for matters of faith, I too have found the ideals of chivalry and spirituality to be so intertwined that one strengthens the other (of course maybe that was the point when the church introduced the code to keep a check on knightly violence)

[Thorsteinn]

My mom found the SCA in 1972 in Cleveland, then again in 1980 in Reno, NV. She started fighting in armour when I was 4 (1983), my stepdad was Knighted in the SCA West Kingdom when I was 11. I got into armour for the first time when I was 21.


I'm now 32. So... It's kinda been a "what else would you expect me to do?" kind of thing.



-Ivan

[Sir Ulrich]

Well for me it had to do with some inspiration from a few movies I saw. Namely Excalibur and Arn the Knight Templar. Noticed I kinda had a few traits of the characters there. Inspired me a bit to be "knightly" towards people in many ways. Then in 2009 I met a bunch of people at ren faires who remembered me as a "humble socially awkward red haired boy" then they started to see that I was different and whatnot. Odd how they remember me despite myself only ever going to 2 faires before that. The fact they treated me with respect and accepted me when I have had a lot of hard time being accepted in society myself literally changed how I felt. I actually felt at home around these people and figured I finally found my place in the world. Later on I discovered that I was a descendant of the Normans, who were probably the first knights around, so it means it's in my blood essentially. Still I am only knightly towards those who respect me, I don't waist chivalry and love on ingrates.