Данная статья посвящена
истории, традициям, этикету и быту алан. Рекомендуется для использования на
уроках страноведения в школах и вузах.
Alanian roots of European chivalry
Автор работы: Тибилова Индиана Борисовна,
учитель английского языка
высшей квалификационной категории
школы
№26, г.
Владикавказ
Chivalry,
or the chivalric code, is an informal, varying code of conduct developed
between 1170 and 1220, but never decided on or summarized in a single document.
It was associated with the medieval Christian institution
of knighthood;[1] knights'
and gentlewomen's behavior which were governed by chivalrous social codes.
The code of chivalry that
developed in medieval Europe had its roots in earlier centuries.
The
term "chivalry" derives from the Old French term chevalerie,
which can be translated as "horse soldiery".[Note 1] Originally,
the term referred only to horse-mounted men, from the French word for
horse, cheval, but later it became associated with knightly ideals.[7]
Over time, its meaning in Europe has been refined to emphasise more general
social and moral virtues. The code of chivalry, as it stood by the Late Middle Ages, was
a moral system which combined a warrior ethos, knightly piety,
and courtly manners, all
combining to establish a notion of honour and nobility.
The first thing that
comes to mind when we think about chivalry is the main motto of all medieval
knights: "God, honor and woman". In those days, one word of a knight
was an unbreakable pledge, even in the most important, negotiations.
Among the main
knightly virtues can be identified: courage, bravery, loyalty, generosity,
prudence, courtesy, good manners, honor, freedom.
Politeness and
courtesy, the purpose of which-to soften the severity of the warrior,
especially prescribed by the Statute of chivalry and laid at the heart of the
education of young people who craved knighthood.
To answer the question
where the origin of such a wonderful medieval course as chivalry is, we have to
plunge into the distant depths of history, at a time when one of the most
amazing Nations in the history of this world walked on the earth.
The history of the
Ancient World and, in particular, the history of Ancient Europe and Asia can
not be imagined without knowledge of the history of the Scythian world. New
economic and cultural-historical community under the name "Scythian
world", which later became an outstanding phenomenon of world history,
originated in the vast steppe spaces of Eurasia in the first Millennium BC. Herodotus
noted that the Scythians were the most talented and wisest people of antiquity.
They were outstanding representatives of the early iron age, have mastered the
latest technology of the time: to process the ore, getting the iron, creating
steel, developed new techniques of forging, hardening metal, carburizing. It
were the Scythians who introduced the peoples of Northern Eurasia metal, and it
was from them that the neighboring peoples learned the skills of iron
metallurgy. The Scythians played an important role in the historical destinies
of many countries, thanks to the Scythian tribes there were many peoples,
including the ruling dynasties of Media, Persia, Parthia and other countries.
All peoples, natives of
the Scythian world had high moral personal qualities and norms of behavior in
the community, which were improved over the years. Going around the practical
whole globe, the Scythians adopted the best of the cultures of the peoples they
met and slowly, on a pebble created their own culture, their own etiquette,
which today attract the interest of scientists from all over the world. No
wonder Herodotus spoke of the Scythians as wise people.
Scythians had some secret
knowledge, knowledge about the structure of the world and lived in harmony with
this world. Today, the meaning of many traditions and rituals of that time is
lost and is unlikely to be unrevealed, which is certainly a great loss for the
whole world culture. The heritage of Scythian culture and their worldview can
be found in the Caucasus among their direct descendants- Ossetians, who until
today live according to the cannons that came to them through the millennia
from their glorious ancestors. Hospitality rules, table etiquette, rules of
behaviour in society, various ceremonies, modesty and moderation in all things
- all that incorporates the Ossetian word "Æгъдау".
On this historical
canvas, whimsically painted with bright colors that do not know the semitones,
in the aura of fierce inter-tribal rivalry, overshadowed by the cult of
imperious, unrestrained power in the heavens and on the mortal earth, hungry
for full - blooded and unambiguous, again very little limited by any framework
of emotions, brought up on the code of the highest national patriotism and the
highest requirements for military valor, men-Alans look in historical
retrospect no worse, perhaps, even much better than the representatives of many
other Nations. Heroic and sacrificial in bloody battles, kind, straightforward
and extremely sympathetic towards their relatives, friends and sovereigns,
cruel and unforgiving to the enemy, feminine and hungry for a Golden robbery,
beautiful riders, skilled warriors, loyal knights of their national gods - Alan
passionaries were, in fact, the ideal of male power and beauty of their raging
time.
The Alan epoch in
European history features the initial model of Western traditions in the way
the knights pursued religion and the starting point of the royal protection of
the church. The Alans mixed with the local European nations wherever they went,
yet the memory of them remained in myths, legends and geographic names. Their
language is clearly different from Romance, Germanic, Slavic and other
languages of Western and Central Europe, therefore Alan names are easy to find
in modern European maps. France and Northern Italy alone have nearly 300 towns
and villages of Alan origin. The English name Alan, and French Alain, are also
part of the common legacy.
Tall and good-looking
with fair hair and menacing looks, the Alans were more warlike than other ethnic
groups related to them. Old sources also describe them as an “untamable and
brave” people who lived in the lower reach of the Danube, Northern Black Sea
region, Fore-Caucasus and Central Caucasus. The territory inhabited by
Sarmatians gradually became known as Alania, while at the same time ancient
historians stopped mentioning other Sarmatian tribes in their works.
The Alans had no temples
or shrines. According to Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus, they “stuck a
bare sword into the ground following a barbarian ritual and worshipped it in
awe like Mars, the protector of the countries they cross as nomads” similar to
their ancestors, the Scythians. The Alan community had the ideology where the
military elite was considered supreme and chosen by God. Noble people did not
burden themselves with any physical labour.
The Alans’ pursuit of
war, a decent opponent and heroic death was legendary in old times. But how did
these tribes end up with such a military role and political impact in the West,
so far from their homeland and most often among enemies? Clearly, their number
or strength was not the answer.
The Alans had a much
deeper impact on the world’s view of the medieval West, including its
mythology, epic stories and aristocratic military rituals. Legends about King
Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and the incarnation of knight ideals
in European culture, were based on the Alan culture. Similar legends can be
found in Ossetian epos about Nart knights.
Based on all this, we
can safely say that the tradition of medieval European chivalry dates back to
the Sarmato-Alanian military culture. They include clothing and weapons,
military equipment, moral code and ideology of the military elite.(eil^it :)
Moreover, many scientists agree that the prototypes of the legend of King
Arthur and the knights of the Round table were also representatives of the Alan
military elite, who were the embodiment of the knight's ideal for medieval
literature.
But neither great
cultural and political influence, nor participation in the most important
events of the great migration of peoples did not save Western European Alans
from rapid extinction. Alan's extraordinary military abilities served foreign
emperors and kings. Having shattered their forces and failed to build a durable
state, the Alans in the West finally lost their native language and merged with
other peoples living in Europe.
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