Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur tells the story of Sir Gareth, and how he hacks his way from Kinkenadon to Castle Perilous in his quest to free its Lady from the wicked Red Knight who had besieged her. As he wins consecutive battles over colorful bosses with ascending difficulty levels, Sir Gareth doesn’t just power up; he builds an army of followers who all pledge their lives to his service after being defeated.
Recalling the summary we did of this myth last year, Sir Gareth beats (in order):
the Black Knight, Sir Percard, who is killed in battle;
the Puce Knight, Sir Perimones, who surrenders and swears his loyalty with 30 of his knights;
the Green Knight, Sir Pertolepe, who surrenders and swears his loyalty with 50 of his knights;
the Blue Knight, Sir Persant of Inde, who surrenders and swears his loyalty with 100 of his knights; and finally:
the Red Knight of the Red Launds, Sir Ironside, the story’s final boss, who surrenders and swears his loyalty with 300 of his knights.
That is how Sir Gareth―who started his adventure solo and incognito―earns, over the course of five hard-earned victories, the unwavering support of several hundred knights who were once his enemies. His viral fandom is not unexpected, given everyone’s adherence to the codes of chivalry that demand that a virtuous victory be reciprocated with a noble surrender. Now turned into his cheerleaders, Sir Gareth’s former rivals would continue to support him in the remainder of his adventures, publicly praising him for having bested them in king Arthur’s court.
Beyond the ethical benefits of this social contract, a noble surrender also aligns with a losing knight’s more egotistical sense of self-worth. After all, if you can no longer boast being undefeated, the next best flex is having your one loss be at the hands of a champion among knights.
Having your vanquisher defeat everybody―yourself included―levels you up to an honorable second place (“only the strongest knight in the world could beat me”), and is a great reason to proudly and sincerely bear the colors of his arms in support.
January 29, 2023
After the New York Giants are defeated in the 2022-2023 NFL playoffs, their city’s emblematic Empire State Building lights up in white and green; the colors of the Philadelphia Eagles who had eliminated them from the tournament.
Twitter goes wild as New York residents, union workers, sport commentators, politicians and celebrities express their outrage at a simple gesture of noble surrender.