 |
| one Lucky guy via Flickr |
Dan Brown brought the Knights Templar front and center with his
DaVinci Code, but there were other orders along with the
Templars as well. The Knights Hospitaller for instance. Haven't heard of them? Me neither, but I bet you've heard of the Knights of Malta...Surprise, it's the same bunch of guys. (Sometimes they're called the
Knights of St John, or Knights of Rhodes, btw).
All up and down the Turkish coast, you'll find crusader castles the Hospitallers controlled. The knights were a brotherhood created to care for the pilgrims (in hospitals) and protect the pilgrimage route (with castles). Their most important castle is the
Krak des Chevaliers in Syria.
So if you're planning to create a neo-Byzantine djinn society (please don't, I already have) you're going to need some 12th century knights (pronounced Ki-ni-gits by Monty Python fans, like myself.)
Now the
Maltese cross is a topic for another discussion...
PS!!!! Just want to say THANK YOU to all of my followers! Serendipity hit 100 yesterday and Friday will be the 100th post. So as a special treat, I have author/freelance editor
Tracy Marchini coming by for a Q&A on Writing. Amazing stuff on her resume: Curtis Brown and Taconic Press...and the "Wonderbar" Nathan Bransford has her on his Book Blogs sidebar. She's currently represented by
Caren Johnson Estensen. Worth checking out, I promise!
LOL, Kinigits; that brought back some memories. :) Always wondered what it sounded like when a maul walloped the side of that helmet? Probably why you always see a few straggling behind, can't hear a thing. :D
ReplyDeleteJules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
Ohhh, that is awesome. Knights are just coolness. =)
ReplyDeleteGreat picture prompt for a character. :O)
ReplyDeleteGo, Kinigits!
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting and must be beautiful and humbling to see up close! (wish I knew about them when I was visiting turkey!)
ReplyDeleteKnights of Ni!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Oh thanks so much for the info on the Kinghts Hospitaller! Fascinating stuff! I remember visiting the freemason hall library here in covent garden - it was a really amazing tour and dispelled a lot of the mythology surrounding the many many masonic societies!
Thanks for the links!!! And congratulations with your 100 and more to come followers!! Yay!! Take care
x
Ni?!! Argh! *hides*
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeleteI love castles and knights and history.
Congrats too on your 100 followers and your 100th post :)
I had no idea of the existance of KINIGITS (ha!)!! you know everything about the Ottoman empire and surrounding areas, uh? THANKS for sharing! I love it!!!!
ReplyDelete