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Tipping has been a divisive topic among American consumers for years now.
While there are industries where gratuity feels automatic, like restaurants, bars, and food delivery, there are other services where the expectations feel less clear.
Tipping has been a divisive topic among American consumers for years now.
While there are industries where gratuity feels automatic, like restaurants, bars, and food delivery, there are other services where the expectations feel less clear.
What’s the smell in the air? Is it roses? Chocolate? Body odor? No, it’s love! What’s not to love about a love story? They bring us joy. They make us cry. And most of all, they help us to believe in the idea that love is possible—that there’s somewhere out there waiting for every one of us. While the 21st-century dating pool can sometimes feel like a dating-app drenched situationship swamp, these ten films give us hope for love. Here they are, the ten best romance movies of the 21st century. The next time you’re thinking about dinner and movie with that special someone, why not take them to see one of these?
Portrait of A Lady On Fire
Directed by Céline Sciamma, Portrait of A Lady On Fire is described as a sapphic period romance—I was sold from that sentence alone. Set in the 18th century, the story follows a painter named Marianne who travels to a distant island to paint the portrait of Héloïse, a young woman soon to be married off to a nobleman from Milan. As Titanic suggests, portrait painting is a rather romantic activity—lots of intense staring at one another for hours on end. As the painter observes the paintee, the paintee looks back into her, and finds a similar longing hiding in the expression on her face. You know that thing Nietzsche said about staring into abysses and how they stare back into you? For Marianne, the abyss is Héloïse’s eyes; she feels like she could just fall in—and Héloïse’s gaze suggests the same.
“It’s like a knight, but…sadder.” — That’s one way to describe a hedge knight in Westeros. It’s not exactly wrong, but it’s not exactly right, either. At least not always. If that definition doesn’t fit, though, what does make someone like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ Ser Duncan the Tall a hedge knight? Here’s why this Ser is different from his far more common brethren, landed knights.
What Is a Hedge Knight on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
All men in Westeros (and eventually one woman) earn the title “Ser” when knighted by a fellow knight, major lord, or King. They also all swear the same oath of the Seven. The Andals, who brought the Faith of the Seven to the Realm, introduced knighthood to Westeros when they crossed the Narrow Sea thousands of years prior. This is why the North, which keeps the old gods, has very few knights.
Most knights in Westeros serve a single lord, castle, or keep as they swear to serve one master. Hedge knights are not bound by such fealty. They are Westeros’s temp workers (or, rather, temp warriors) and roam the continent. They briefly enter into service for pay and temporary shelter by choice rather than allegiance.
Hedge knights also frequently attend tourneys to show off their fighting skills. That way they can gain fame and fortune. It’s also where they can best hope to earn a permanent place at a castle. Most hedge knights are young men because those who survive long enough eventually leave the hedge knight way of lide behind to become a landed knight. Ser Alran of Pennytree was a rare breed. He never wanted to become a landed knight. He believed hedge knights to be “the truest” kind of knight because their only oath was to their vows to protect the weak.
Why Are They Called Hedge Knights?
Hedge knights get their ignominious moniker from the hedges they frequently sleep under. As they own no land, just their horse and the few possession they carry with them, the wandering knights of the Realm often spend their nights outdoors.
Do People in Westeros Respect Hedge Knights?
Most in Westeros consider hedge knights less chivalrous and honorable than landed knights. In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms two whores who worked Lord Dondarrion mocked Dunk for being just like them. It doesn’t help that some hedge knights become desperate and eventually become robber knights. Some even think hedge knights are nothing more than glorified robber knights.
Are There Any Famous Hedge Knights in Westeros?
Two centuries before a definitely not sad Ser Duncan the Tall arrived at Ashford, Queen Visenya Targaryen bestowed a hedge knight with one of the greatest honors in the Realm. She named Humfrey the Mummer to serve as one of the first members of her husband-brother’s new Kingsguard, as a lowly hedge knight was among the first of seven who whore the white armor and swore to protect Aegon the Conqueror’s life.
What makes a lowborn, unknown hedge knight like Dunk worthy of his own show? A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is just the start of his story. But needless to say Ser Arlan was right: a hedge knight can be as true a knight as any.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He respects hedge knights but hates camping. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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