Maiden and Man-O-War

Honor and manhood have been entwined since the beginning of time. Acts of bravery and loyalty in conscious disregard of self interest and personal risk have been demanded of men while hunting and defending the clan or tribe or homeland. The role of provider and defender has been specific to our gender throughout history.

Courage is required. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is confronting our fears and taking action in the face of our fears. Honor is that laurel which is bestowed by ourselves upon ourselves; and only secondarily, the respect for our honorable deeds which are recognized by others.

Honor is therefore self-respect for a set of principles and values which we hold and by which we abide when confronting any obstacle, impediment or peril. Throughout the course of civilization, a man's honor and self-esteem has become imbued with greater importance and value than life itself. A man would defend his honor with his life or gladly lay down his life for the sake of honor. Disgrace was to be avoided under all circumstances.

Literature has embraced the paradigm of honor from its inception. The earliest Epic of Gilgamesh, recorded the heroic exploits of loyal friends and warriors, Enkidu and Gilgamesh. These heroes of Uruk in Mesopotamia arose shortly after the great Deluge which destroyed the world.  The story was oral at first but written down in Sumerian writing around 300 B.C. Shoulder to shoulder, they battled demons and gods leading to the tragic death of Enkidu, a true brother-in-arms. Gilgamesh was inconsolable in his grief, lost his sanity and ventured great distances through intense hardship seeking the sole survivor of the Flood, Utnapishtim the Faraway, (biblical Noah) in order to confront mortality and escape death, that rapacious creditor.

The Homeric cycle, the Illiad and Oddyssey, followed 1,500 years later. Mankind still traced the attributes and values of man and powers of nature to an assembly of gods, a pantheon.

During the Sixth Century, Greek Philosophy emerged and considered abstract concepts of virtue, justice, and duty of men in a secular context as the roots of democracy were formulated. Religious practices and morality continued alongside in a culture which raised men to a level to direct their own destinies independent and apart from the many deities of pantheism.

There are attributes which we possess as a result of nature and those which are a product of nurture. There are also those which emanate from both. Courage, bravery, valor, loyalty, strength, endurance, and piety are qualities of man since prehistoric times. Since man has learned to question the purpose of life and reasons for natural occurrences through philosophy and science, our systems of principle and value have evolved.

Man-o-war and the Maiden

Waves lapped roughly against the bow

Rain-filled canvass gruffly flapped free,

Errant gusts unfurled mainsails blow

Bearings lost in starless night sea;

ooOOoo

Maiden voyage vexed unsalted crew

Intrepid craft bobbed like a cork,

Crows nest lookout scanned landless view

Rain bursts poured buckets on winds torque;

ooOOoo

Lanterned man-o-war lunged full sail

Along her stern and steered her right,

And strung a line amid full gale

Towed maiden safe of peril’s night;

ooOOoo

Maiden rescued to safe harbor

Sea anchors dropped to ocean’s floor,

Berthed alongside, sleepless ardor

Shared the refuge from Neptune’s war.

ooOOoo

© Copyright 2010-2011 Gerry Gilligan - SligoBay with all rights reserved.

The myths and realities of the dangers which lay at sea demanded courage from men since the first ship set sail. The powers of nature still prevail long after the mythological fears of an angry god, Neptune claiming a ship and its booty. Odysseus journeyed at sea for twenty years after the sack of Troy before the grace and mercy of the gods returned him to Ithaca. Greek and Roman history are filled with the romance and adventure of naval battles and exploits.

Global exploration during the colonial period by European Monarchies gave rise to modern warfare at sea and garnered great wealth and power. The British Empire won the battle for the control of the seven seas and reaped the financial rewards.

The strong naval force of the United States protecting its commercial fleets around the globe continues to be a vehicle of wealth and power.

Men through the ages have braved the dangers of the oceans and the powers of nature and confronted their fear of death to fulfill their mission and role as both providers and defenders. The sea has symbolized manhood and honor since the dawn of time.