"There Will Be Blood"

When we often think about history we see the events and people through a romantic lens. We polish out the gore of wars and focus on the sparkling mail of the noble knight and imagine that battles are as pure and tame as the Olympic Games. If there was blood, it was a mere sprinkle and those who fell beneath the blade collapsed ominously with a halo. The image of corpses dismembered and a river of blood is not something we want to think about. We want the sparkle, the opulence and the pomp. When reality surfaces we avert our eyes and deny that such horror could have ever been.

There is nothing wrong with romanticizing history and depicting the Arthurs and Beowulfs of old in a radiant light. However, It is important to remember that the engagements between armies on the fields of Sterling, Hattin, and Malta weren't beautiful. The reality of what a knight experienced is not something most would be willing to publish. We are dazzled by his mail, his curly hair and his chivalrous behavior. We see his mighty stead rear and the cavalier takes the posture of Napoleon. Then there is another picture, one of a man not in shining mail, but blackened and broken metal. His coat of arms doesn't glimmer but is covered in the blood and intestines of his enemies. He smells not of roses and lavender, but of bile and fecal matter. His sword doesn't bare his reflection, it is chipped and covered in red affliction.

Can these two images be reconciled? Would anyone have the audacity to become a knight if they knew the price? I don't mean to disillusion anyone or to re-write the legends. But the truth is that being a knight meant a difficult life. There was no promise of gentle jousting, courtly loving, and tame dueling. No, to earn the ultimate prize, a knight had to pay the ultimate price. He had to be willing to give his life. It wasn't all pomp and decadence; it was also peril and dissidence.

The image of the Knight in Shining Armor is accurate for regal ceremonies and conveys what the warrior of the Middle Ages looked like on the inside. However, we must not forget the battle worn image with all It's horror and remember that these valiant men were subjected to hell on a daily basis. Knights are to be admired not just for their splendorous armor and charming demeanor; but also for the terrors and horrors they had to endure.