The romance of chivalry is inherent in any boy. But even in adulthood, men are not averse to showing knightly qualities, especially if there is a nice lady nearby. But alas, some rules, customs and rituals in knightly orders were very far from romanticism. All secret societies tried to individualize their rituals. This was supposed to indicate the belonging of this or that person to this community.
One of these large, secret communities was the Knightly Order of the Templars.
The order was mainly monastic, but performed a military function. The knights of the order set as their goal the protection of pilgrims from Europe to the Holy Land. Over the years of its existence, the order has become a rather rich and formidable organization. On the way of the pilgrims, the order built many fortresses, and collected enormous wealth. But in 1307, on the denunciation of Guillaume of Paris, the Grand Inquisitor of France. The knights of the order, almost in full force, were arrested. Many knights were unwilling to admit the crimes they were accused of. But they readily talked about the internal rules and order.
So it became clear that any sinner could join the order. A adulterer, blasphemer, or even a murderer, joining the ranks of the Templars, could easily wash away his sins. This was done in order to recruit more people capable of fighting well. Moreover, the property and funds of the new member immediately became the property of the order. At the same time, very strict rules were in force in the order itself.
If a knight could not do without sex, then he had to enter into a relationship only with another knight. A strict ban was imposed on relationships with women. But few of the knights, even under torture, confessed to homosexuality.
But truly the most disgusting was the ritual of initiation. It was this ritual that became an insurmountable obstacle for many who wish to join the order.
The newly minted member of the order, during a complex ritual, was obliged to kiss the person conducting the ceremony. The whole wildness of the process was that there had to be three kisses. One in the lips, another in the naked abdomen and the third in the tailbone or anus. Many knights declared that they would rather accept death than accept such humiliation. Nevertheless, the bulk of them took a similar step. Today there is no precise description of the meaning of this ritual. Most likely, this was done in order to keep the knight in the ranks of the order under pain of shame. Or maybe in order to make sure of the fanatical loyalty of the organization.
BUKHRANSKY SERGEY
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