Textual Contexts

  • Warrior Code/Heroic Code:

    • Examples: Beowulf, The Tain

    • 300s-400s AD, Germanic ideas, Norse/Anglo-Saxon

    • 7 Key values:

      • Courage (within all 3 codes): Fearless in the face of danger, stronger against overwhelming odds, typically for personal glory

      • Comitates: The relationship between the King and his subordinates and things, when war is good and raids go well the King has to distribute things like slaves/riches among his subordinates to keep them happy, cycle of violence. Kept people together but also maintained order and reminded people of their places/roles

      • Glory: The more the better

      • Vengeance: You have the obligated to avenge a death from someone in your community/family. In Irish tradition, there was an actual law stating that a family member was worth a certain price, when they died you could go to their killer and ask for the price (like 5 ox and some gold), if not given you have the write to kill your family’s killer, sparked chivalry

      • Prowess: Moral fighting, displaying strength

      • Generosity: Goes with comitates, Kings are expected to be generous or the people will gossip, encourages political support

      • Truth/Boasting: More evident in this code than in courtly tradition, whatever you say you have to do it

    • Start as oral traditions not written down

    • Scop (pronounces shop) is the official bard of the court, responsible for telling everyone how awesome and amazing the King and the court was in the future. Ensured public opinion, history keepers (knew all of it since none was written). 12 years of education to become a scop (filiah in Irish) in Ireland. Also had to compose poetry and music for court pleasure. Also knew geography/literature\

    • Wyrd (pronounces weird) was the concept of fate essentially, drives plot

  • Chivalry Code

    • 1100-1400s

    • Social guide for the camelot (King Arthur’s court)

    • A vengeance controller

    • Thains are bored warriors, which is bad as if they want a fight they will likely choose to fight the court, either ruining it from the inside and fight amongst themselves or fight you. Chivalry is what contained this, for example jousting and warrior training

    • Involves quests, testing moral growth

    • Loyalty is a massive theme, destroying it undermines comitates and society falls

    • Honor is the most important, in terms of deeds and keeping your word

    • Tries to define an ideal King for the community, as generous and a good host, with comitates as the goal. Also applies to physicality, if the king had a burn mark they would be ousted

  • Courtly tradition:

    • Formalized 1400s out of the chivalrie code, our of the warrior code

    • Core elements:

      • Courtly love

        • Sir Lancelot in King Arthur

        • Not supposed to be sexual, just illicit (in HoTD first episode asking for favor by the knight)

        • Supposed to morally improve the hero

        • Becomes a problem when they interfere with the cohesion of society

      • The Lady (of the court)

        • Lady Guinevere in King Arthur

        • Supposed to be a model of a virtuous woman

        • Character development is static, “on a pedestal”, a statue to just represent something