The Nature of Knights and the Deliverance of Damsels

Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash

We’ve all read the story— a daring knight in shining armor, fighting to save the beautiful damsel in distress. The knight battles some evil force, be it dragon, recreant knight, or king, and he oftentimes wins. He rescues the fair damsel, earning her love. They pledge themselves to each other and live happily ever after.

This trope is one of the most well-known and is used in thousands of stories. Sometimes written well, sometimes cliche, but most often it tickles our fancy and stirs our blood with excitement and perhaps longing. The age-old pattern feels so familiar in its traditionality— as if it were something deeply integrated into who we are.

But why? Where did this story come from?

The possibly obvious answer is God. This trope plays a big role in the story of the world. A hero fights an enemy to save his future bride. Christ fought death and Satan so that His church could unite with him. Christ is the ultimate knight in shining armor. We are the ultimate damsel in distress. We flounder in our sin, trapped by death and the chains of our curse. Before Christ, we were helpless, despairing often that our Savior would indeed come and turning to look for salvation where it was not. Yet He did come, though not in the way we expected.

Christ had no shining armor or sword made of physical iron and bronze. Rather, he had the Armor of God, which, though harder to see, is far better. He had the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helm of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. (See Ephesians 6:10-20 ESV) His armor was perfect and without blemish. By truth He cut down his foes, and by His blood He vanquished our captor: death.

We were the damsel in distress. Unable to help ourselves, until rescued by Christ. Now we (the church) are His bride-to-be. And now that our enemy is conquered, we are fully betrothed, promised to become Christ’s forever. He sent us His Holy Spirit as a token of His promise— our wedding band. The reminder of who we are bound to. A reminder to be faithful. A reminder of our joyous future to come, should we remain true to Him. This is our story.

It should no longer come as a surprise to see the pattern stamped across thousands of legends, stories, novels, and films. It is the echo of a deep truth. In some places, it rings clear and faithful. We see stories of courage and valor, justice and mercy, trust and loyalty. Such as in many fairy tales, mythologies, English legends (like King Authur), and even modern-day retellings. Sometimes, it’s easy to pick out the damsel and knight, the characters literally having armor and fighting dragons. However, this trope can come in all sorts of disguises too. There are thousands of variations when it comes to setting, genre, story mood, and practically all other story factors. It is, afterall, one of the most generic tropes.

Though the knights in shining armor and the damsels and distress are often used in wholesome, truth-bearing tales, the trope—just like many other things— can be twisted and soured. The world loves casting shade the truth and twisting it to conform to its own message. Such as in stories where the roles are flipped. The men are portrayed as weak and cannot survive without the strong, feminist females who end up saving themselves and their supposed hero. Or ‘better’ yet, the women are strong and independent and don't need a man to fight through their problems.

Another, albeit currently outdated flip, is when the women are encouraged to flounder in their misery, refusing to hope, and succumbing to their despair. In those stories, the message indicates that women can’t do anything on their own and therefore should try without the help of a man. Both of these twistings of the truths fall on opposite sides of the ditch.

In our current times, the former message is adored by the world. We see women encouraged to scorn their femininity and men are encouraged to stop trying to be stronger than women. The world fails to see that though men and women are equal in the eyes of God, this doesn’t mean that they are equal in every single characteristic and trait. Everything goes on a bell curve, but God gave men and women many different strengths and weaknesses. God made women as a helper to aid man in his work, not the other way around. (see Genesis 2:18-24) Christ saved the church. Not vice versa. The church can’t save itself. Yet this doesn’t give us an excuse to wallow in our sin. We are commanded to be faithful in our trials, hoping and trusting that God will deliver us in His timing.

Knights and fair damsels play a beloved role in our tales— many times for good reason, though often prone to being twisted as well. As we consume stories and notice this trope, it’s important to pause and consider how it is being portrayed. Is it a picture of Christ and the church? Is it showing the consequences of failing to imitate Christ? Or is it delighting in a false reality of mixed roles and morals? “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-24 NIV)

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Which stories have you read or watched with this trope? How was this trope used? I’d love to hear in the comments!