This is ... fine I guess. It's just not the whole story and I think, like the book of Isaiah, we just lack a little context. I've had a lot of thoughts on this, I hope to get them across clearly and concisely.
There are 4 main ideas on which I can think of off the top of my head that I want to elaborate on, that will hopefully help us remember the worth of princesses (and of course princes/knights etc.) This post is not to glorify the evils that were also present in the time, but I just want to present something I feel is worth thinking about.
1. Etiquette
2. Jewels and fine clothing
3. Blood line
4. Embroidery
1. These skills were not necessarily taught to restrict women, to put others down, or to be negative. The idea behind teaching proper behavior was to help everyone feel comfortable, to be respectful. Obviously there's more I could say about this, but your attention is needed on my other ideas right now :)
2. Ok. First, I just want to say that these were used in an attempt to reflect the worth of the wearer. Naturally, things got out of hand because today we are still judging each other on our possessions, but people make sacrifices and try to give the best gifts to those they love. I am not suggesting anything more than that. Obviously, worldly wealth is something that is easily taken to extremes and is incredibly hard to balance. See Mark 10:25
3. Blood line is a little trickier for me to explain, but when it comes down to it, I think it would not be too much of a stretch to remember covenants are/were often passed down in families. The whole world is a family and we're working on getting it to everyone, but it starts in the family.
4. Embroidery was actually the first thing to come to mind when I was thinking of this post. See, we see skills like embroidery as useless. And to an extent, even in those times it was more frivolous than other endeavors. However, it was a skill valued because it made the house a home, or the stone walls a castle. Embroidery and other homemaking skills, where not vital to life in the middle ages, showed the value the 'princess' had on education, on bettering her mind and her talents.
These things get twisted over time, people easily loose sight of what's important, including you and me, princesses, noblemen, peasants, anarchists, etc. :)
Context matters, no time nor person is perfect. People should only be criticized or admired to a certain extent. I just want to remember that there were reasons princesses were valued. They came from good families, they treasured education and making a house a home, they made others feel comfortable, and they had great worth.
Before I end, I want to say something about the issue of "damsels in distress." Now, I don't always want to be in distress, but it sure is nice when I am in distress that there is some kind of solution, like a knight in shining armor, to help me. No, I can't say I want to be made to feel weak, powerless, or foolish. Yet there are legitimate situations where I need help.
Don't we all need saving sometimes? Yes, we do. Maybe after the knight saves the princess, he realizes that she in turn saves him every day by the person she has become, a princess, a daughter of the most High God. She has become someone who values family and teaches those around her, who looks out for the feelings of others, who edifies and comforts those in her life. Princess are still worth admiring. I think there is a bit of a "princess" or queen in every every woman, for we truly are Daughters of a Heavenly King, and our inherent character inspires us to act that way.
In every man then, it follows, that he is inherently a knight in shining armor, a prince, a king. We then see them working together, to rule over their 'kingdom' (or family), in righteousness, caring in their different roles for those they can help. We have different strengths, and they change with our contexts. Let's remember the meaning behind the things we can easily see.
What do you think? What did I miss? What did I confuse you on?
I think there's a lot more to it than you've indicated. The hard part is that in the US we don't have princesses or any royalty at all, so we don't inherently understand the value of it. To me, the context of a princess or a queen is more easily understood in a heavenly way. How does Heavenly Father value his women? Obviously, our Heavenly Mother is a treasure to be valued. Heavenly Father doesn't ask her to defend the kingdom--but I'd not be surprised if she were trained to do so. I envision her and her daughters (aka, royalty) to be amazing women with the qualities I value: considerate, loving, highly defensive about her children and others she cares about, talented in all sorts of aspects. In fact, consider embroidery as embodying art of all kinds, not just a piece of thread. In the Middle Ages, it also meant that the princesses/queen wasn't having to focus on food since they had time to focus on the arts (it displayed their wealth of both time and money). Lots of comments and thoughts but I think I'll stop here.
ReplyDeleteYes, I thought of these things, a little bit, as I wrote this post, but I have been trying to cut the length down of my posts because I have a great tendency to ramble. :)
DeleteI am glad you commented though, I feel it adds a great deal with your feedback.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away... I called someone Princess all the time. And to me it was the epitome of all that was good about a young girl (However, I wasn't thinking Cinderella tho -- it was closer to Belle, Beauty and the Beast). Although the connotations others see or apply often seem to be quite different than mine.
ReplyDeleteToday, some women strive fervently to get as far away from what might be this concept of 'Princess' as possible. They simply place their values in different places. Imagine the distortion if they watch films from Hollywood, read Harlequin romances or People magazine, or what they find on-line. And back to traditional royalty, if I talked about some 'royal' concepts whether eons past, or current... it would be horrifying concepts that should never be aspired too (strangely Disney Princesses might be the most noble of all such concepts, but they're always surrounded by some tragedy).
In my own opinion, a young girl isn't a princess due to who she marries, or who she has for parents... but grows into the role by where she places her values, and to some degree how she helps others (I just can't imagine someone I think of as a Princess, as someone who is selfish, self-centered... and sheltered from others)
Aim high, stand tall, reach out, and don't forget to kneel.
I like that, and I've always liked the nickname. I had a friend recently write how she didn't like being called a princess, and she had valid reasons, but for me, this is always how I thought of it. It had never entered into my heart, and it shocked me for a bit when I first read stories of 'modern princesses' who save themselves or whatever.
DeleteI like your last line a lot, thanks for your comment!