The romantic meaning of the knight in the West is part of the story of Camelot. The most numerous, if not the most familiar, Camelot image is that of the knight who champions a lady and who announces this by fastening a small outer garment of hers to some part of his armor or person. The knight usually defends the lady in trial by combat, meaning that the claims of the just or truthful party will be proven by the victory of the knight who defends them. The implicit meaning is that her beauty inspires him to fight to win and that he sees great merit in her. The unspoken meaning on the male side has much to do with sexual gain. The unspoken meaning from the female side is also seductive, but it goes much further.
In the legend, King Arthur founded Camelot for many reasons, all of them coming together under the role of justice and valor in an ideal society. Defending a worthy cause against great odds, protecting the weak and the helpless innocent, and other like themes are all part of the Camelot ideal. That is the ideal that grows quickly and eagerly in the female heart, from youth onward. Her meaning of the knight is tied to upholding what is right, good and decent, especially against odds and with personal risk, or at least inconvenience. Her ideal respects the fact that a female really is not as strong as the average male and, what’s more, that the female is more prone to becoming lost to overly rich emotions than the average male. The male enters as a rescuing knight who remedies both of these things by his certain presence and his fondness for taking action.
It is natural to feel that the one who would defend you and uphold you against others will never hurt you. The acts of courtesy and respect that you give a woman build a sense of trust in her that you will always work with her and be good to her. It is not merely fear of rejection, or the loathsome prospect of abuse, that speaks from the back of their minds, but the greater fear of humiliation and injured pride. The better you are to them, the more they feel satisfied that they have awakened and nurtured the goodness within you. Today’s women are true to the damsels of Camelot on this point, for like them, today’s women feel that the good a man does for them comes from what he found in them and that he wishes to tell the world about it.
