Courts, courtesy and courtly love
I did a bit of research on a hunch just now. Often, when I'm feeling slightly ill, like now, I find myself associating wildly and being more brilliant than usual;). It began with writing something about courts and courtesy in two comments here on LJ, and the idea came to me that those words ought to have some connection. I googled them, and it appears that the word 'court' comes from the Latin word cors, which means an enclosed yard. The word court, as it's used nowadays in connection with royalty, means a princely residence, which of course is somewhat enclosed. The tennis court is enclosed by the painted white lines around it. And the courts of law are so called because, in the olden days, the regent used to preside at at least some of the trials.
What about courtly love? It's used quite loosely, I think, to describe any love affair between noblemen and -women, in a historical setting. At least that's how I have always understood it. You have your knight in shining armour, and your maiden fair, and there's jousting, and perhaps even a dragon to slaughter. before the happy couple can ride off in the sunset.
That's all true, except for a vital error.
The knight may well be a knight, but the maiden was often not a maiden at all, but a married woman. The affair, if it ever came to that, had no future. The lady might dream about her knight, and the knight sing the praises of his idol, but there was no question of running off together. This kind of romance wasn't considered cheating. I think it was a way for the married couples to endure each other, since the husband was free to have affairs, and the wife was free to keep on dreaming. Marriages were about property and status well into the 19th century. Love wasn't something you expected to have.
It's romantic in a way, dont you think, this idolising? No harsh reality intruded on the dreams, because the couple didn't meet often enough to become bored with each other. They could hold on to the pretty picture of the ideal man or woman, and then perhaps move on to another one, like teenagers do today, worshipping first one movie star or singer, and then another one. And there was perhaps a little less heartbreak between the infatuations, because nobody invested too much in them.
We discussed courtesy in another blog, and everyone seemed to share the opinion that it's important. The small gestures, which you hardly even notice, like opening a door, giving up your seat, saying "please" and "thank you" and "sorry", do mean something. They mean: "I care about you and I want you to feel good". That's not something I say very often, but I try to act it.
I finished the shawl made of leftover yarns today, and now I don't have anything to knit. I will have to occupy myself with reading and surfing or watching a movie, until I'm well enough to go shopping again.
I made a new LJ friend today, so welcome to the blog! Have a continued good weekend and see you tomorrow!
What about courtly love? It's used quite loosely, I think, to describe any love affair between noblemen and -women, in a historical setting. At least that's how I have always understood it. You have your knight in shining armour, and your maiden fair, and there's jousting, and perhaps even a dragon to slaughter. before the happy couple can ride off in the sunset.
That's all true, except for a vital error.
The knight may well be a knight, but the maiden was often not a maiden at all, but a married woman. The affair, if it ever came to that, had no future. The lady might dream about her knight, and the knight sing the praises of his idol, but there was no question of running off together. This kind of romance wasn't considered cheating. I think it was a way for the married couples to endure each other, since the husband was free to have affairs, and the wife was free to keep on dreaming. Marriages were about property and status well into the 19th century. Love wasn't something you expected to have.
It's romantic in a way, dont you think, this idolising? No harsh reality intruded on the dreams, because the couple didn't meet often enough to become bored with each other. They could hold on to the pretty picture of the ideal man or woman, and then perhaps move on to another one, like teenagers do today, worshipping first one movie star or singer, and then another one. And there was perhaps a little less heartbreak between the infatuations, because nobody invested too much in them.
We discussed courtesy in another blog, and everyone seemed to share the opinion that it's important. The small gestures, which you hardly even notice, like opening a door, giving up your seat, saying "please" and "thank you" and "sorry", do mean something. They mean: "I care about you and I want you to feel good". That's not something I say very often, but I try to act it.
I finished the shawl made of leftover yarns today, and now I don't have anything to knit. I will have to occupy myself with reading and surfing or watching a movie, until I'm well enough to go shopping again.
I made a new LJ friend today, so welcome to the blog! Have a continued good weekend and see you tomorrow!