I think every young boy has had a fascination with knights at some point. Men riding into battle with their polished armor on powerful war horses, courting the most beautiful princesses, changing the tides of countries. There is a lot of romanticism that goes along with knights. They define and represent an age to many people. I recently read an old book written by Howard Pyle called Men Of Iron. It was a book written for teenagers back in 1892.
It chronicles a boy named Myles Falworth. Myles is born to a lord who soon becomes disgraced through the actions of another lord. He watches as those he knows are butchered before his eyes. He flees from the castle with his blind father and mother. He is sent away to better his chances of making it in the world. The goes through Myles training as a squire, his trouble fitting into a new place, his challenges, and his quest for revenge and to eventually become a knight of the king and reclaim his houses honor.
Despite the book being written for teenagers I think there is much merit to it for an older audience. Granted a teenager in the 1800’s was probably at the maturity level of the average thirty year old now. This book talks about honor, courage, growth from boy to man, and perseverance, traits we all look to develop all we go through this life.
Some things that stood out about this book.
Boy To Man Through Combat
To become a squire Myles was expected to train day and day out. They did much work at ‘the pells’ essentially an upright log that a trainee would swing a training sword against for hours on end, to build strength and endurance. Not fun work but necessary. In addition to beginning to understand court behavior and how to behave himself Myles is also subjected to hard work day in and day out. Fighting, cleaning, working from morning to night.
Not that there wasn’t any fun to be had but training was often the focal point of the young boys lives. Almost all of them wanted to become distinguished knights and knew that strength on the battlefield or tournament ground was the best place to do this. Through the rigors of training Myles finds himself becoming stronger and stronger day by day.
I won’t spoil the end of the book but Myles eventually finds that his physical stature and skill at battle are what makes him a way in this world and are the things, along with a few trusted friends and good connections, that makes the difference in his quest. Physical strength and fitness, while certainly not everything, are the foundation to so much. Including helping turn boys into men.
No Greatness Without Risk
There are four ‘events’ in the book where Myles ventures far beyond what he ‘should’ and gets reward or ruin because of it. I won’t spoil it but one involved a elder squire, another a woman, another a famous knight, and a fourth a feared enemy. Time after time Myles stretches himself and goes beyond what others in his group are comfortable with. This results in loss of blood, pride, and much more for Myles and yet he continues to push himself beyond.
It is through this pushing that he wins not just acclaim for himself and respect among his peers and elders, but also how he grows. These challenges become a part of him, of the fabric of who he is. There are times when Myles is rash and foolish and is shown good grace however he also knows that sitting back in the shadows will never win anything. Throughout his life, more and more is on the line. From a beating in his childhood days to not just his life but the honor of his house and family in latter years.
Each time Myles goes out, despite feel fear, despite having doubts, he still goes out. He knows that nothing will be decided sitting back and hoping. He must take action and move forward. There is power in action. Action defines you. As General Patton said “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
Aim High
Again not to give too much of the plot away but Myles aims above his station with who he plans on marrying. So much so that his very life is threatened and he still won’t be swayed from what he believes. Many don’t believe they are worthy of certain things. Jobs, women, money, respect, power, or whatever else. Failing to realize that it’s their very mindset that drives these things that they desire away. If you want something then know that you have a chance of accomplishing it.
Aim high and you might fail but you’ll fail moving forward, you’ll fail moving towards greatness and not away from it. Aim high and do your best. Sounds trite, perhaps. But that doesn’t make it any less true or any less a factor in success. Again in the book Myles doesn’t let the threat of death keep him from what he wants time and time again. Sure it may be a book but there is lessons to be learned from it. Are you letting shame or discomfort keeping you from things you know you can accomplish?
Stop creating failure in your mind before you’ve even started. Take action, move forward, aim high.
From Scared Boy To Vengeful Knight
There are many different lessons to be learned and understood in Men Of Iron by Howard Pyle. It’s a little known classic for a reason. Don’t think because the book was written for a young audience that there is not merit in it or that you will not learn from it. Stories are the best way for us to learn and internalize lessons. You can find this book for a couple bucks or free on the internet. Its in the public domain now so shouldn’t be hard to find. I always recommend getting a physical copy to have. Not just a great read for yourself but also a good one to read out loud to your kids.
Pick it up and learn how one boy went from scared and hopeless to warrior knight.
