Must one be a squire in order to be a knight?

[aelfgyfu]

I've had several people tell me that in order to become a knight in An Tir you have to first be a squire. I've also had some people tell me that is not true. There have been knights and squires on both sides of this so far from what I've heard in casual conversations. If you are a knight in An Tir, do you consider this to be the case? Why? If you

Comments

[rauokinn]

You don't have to have a knight -- sir Einar got knighted awhile after he gave his belt back to Skapti. That being said, fighting is a sport/ martial art and there are huge benefits to having a "coach" who has a vested interested in your success. Do you need to be someone's squire to get such coaching? No, but it definitely helps with the learning curve and not having too many cooks spoil the broth so to speak. YMMV.

[kareina]

My knight, Paul of Somerton, was told when he was young that one must be a squire if one ever wants to become a knight. Therefore he choose to never become a squire and try to prove that theory wrong. He was knighted some time before I met him (in 1991). I have no idea how many others have gone this route over the years.

Is it *easier* to become a knight if you are a squire? I would say yes for those squires whose knights think they are ready. If you have someone on council who thinks you are ready and is willing to speak on your behalf the discussion process is likely to go faster. However, if your knight thinks you are *not* ready and is willing to say so on council that fact is likely to be listened to a bit more closely than the exact same reasons presented by someone without a connection.