Introverts of the Round Table

When I was eight years old, I read a modern translation of Le Morte d’Arthur and it profoundly influenced my life. I was drawn in by the egalitarian concept of the Round Table, where everyone seated had equal status. Even more enlightening was the concept of a warrior ethos:

• Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
• Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
• Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
• Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
• Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Honor was achieved by living up to these ideals and losing one’s honor was the worst thing that could happen to a knight.

Advertisement