The Knight and the Burden of Patronage: Why Trust Nourishes the Male Soul

In the deepest soul of every man lies the archetypal image of a hero or a noble knight who strives to shine through bravery and energy. His primary goal is to serve the woman he worships and to protect her from the dangers of this world. This inner drive is the essential source of his vitality and creative power. As long as hefeels that his partner trusts him and recognizes his abilities, he will fully unfold these noble aspects of his being and take care of their well-being with dedication. But as soon as he develops the feeling that she distrusts him or constantly corrects his methods, his inner strength begins to dwindle until he finally resigns and stops worrying about her altogether.

The triumph of one’s own competence

Imagine a proud knight whose armor shines in the sun as he bravely rides across the country. Suddenly, he hears the call for help from a woman in great distress, and his heroic spirit awakens immediately. He gives his horse the spurs and rushes in a straight gallop to the castle, where she is held captive by a terrible dragon. Without hesitation,the noble fighter, his familiar sword, defeats the beast in a fair duel and liberates the princess. She receives him with deep love and gratitude as the gates of the castle open and the entire village celebrates the hero. He is invited to stay in the castle and is venerated for his deed, after which he falls hopelessly in love with the princess.

The peeled taste of someone else’s success

Some time later, the knight again moves into the distance to pass new adventures, but on the way back he hears the calls of his mistress again. A new dragon has attacked the castle, and the knight rushes to draw his sword. But just as he is about to strike, the princess calls down from the tower and asks him to use a sling instead, whichbetter services. She throws the rope at him and demonstrates exactly how to use it, whereupon the knight reluctantly follows the strange instructions. He puts the noose around the dragon’s neck and kills the animal, whereupon everyone cheers, but the knight feels a strange feeling of emptiness.

The loss of dignity through external means

Although a great feast is held in his honor, the knight does not feel worthy of admiration because he did not use his own sword, but only a snare forced upon him. After the celebrations, a slight depression returns to him, and he even neglects to polish his armor, which is a sure sign of his dwindling pride.a little later, the princess urges him to be careful and advises him to take the noose with him. This time he storms ahead with his sword drawn, but when he faces the dragon, he hesitates for a moment and wonders whether he should use the rope. In this moment of uncertainty, the dragon spews its fire and burns the right arm of theKnights.

The paralysis of excessive care

Completely dismayed, the knight looks up at the tower window, where the princess throws him a bottle of poison and calls out to him that the noose is not working and that he should use the poison. He injects the poison into the dragon’s mouth and kills him, but instead of pride, he now feels deep shame because he has once again not acted as a real fighter, but only as an executor of foreign plans.next adventure, the princess insistently invites him to take both the noose and the poison, which the knight hates, but still does out of habit. Feeling increasingly insecure, he wonders at each new encounter what the princess would expect from him instead of simply following his instincts.

The Return to True Identity

But when he hears another woman in need on his journey, his spirits awaken again, and he rushes to her to help her. However, the moment he wants to draw his sword, doubts overwhelm him, and he wonders whether he should rather use the noose or the poison to please the princess. For a moment he is completely confused and paralyzed, but thenhe remembers the time before the princess, when he only carried his sword with him and was full of confidence. With renewed courage, he throws away the alien tools, confronts the dragon and kills him with his own sword, whereupon the whole village cheers.

The consequence of a lack of trust

The knight decides never to return to his princess, but stays in the new village and lives there until the end of his life. Eventually, he will marry the woman he saved, but only after making sure she knows nothing about snares and poisons and accepts him as he is. This story illustrates aptly that in every man there is aKnight, thirsting for confirmation of his own abilities. A man may need care from time to time, but too much of it, or constantly trying to teach him, will diminish his confidence and eventually drive him into distance or out of the relationship altogether.