Righteous!

I really like the word "righteous." I think it is really interesting how the word is associated with morality, but is also used in slang. However, even in its slang form it means, essentially, "good." It is fascinating to me that a generation could adopt this word into their typical slang given its "morality." Many slang words seem to come from words that had good connotations and were then transformed to be either offensive or to have a completely different meaning (e.g. gay). The meaning of "righteous" changes slightly, but is still linked to its original definition. It's righteous!

The Order of the Garter

The Order of the Garter is the highest and oldest British Order of Chivalry. It was founded by Edward III in 1348 to honor people who have held public office, have contributed to national life in a particular way, or have personally served the Sovereign. It consists of the King, twenty-four knights, and Royal Knights. St, George is the patron saint of the Order; he is the patron saint of soldiers and England. Therefore, the spiritual home of the Order is St. George's Chapel in Windsor. Every knight must display a banner of his arms in the Chapel, as well as a helmet, crest, sword, and enameled stall-plate. The insignia of the Order has significantly changed over the centuries, originally consisting of a garter and badge depicting St. George and the Dragon. Later, a collar, a star, and a broad ribbon were added. All insignia except for the collar could be decorated with precious stones if one wanted to. George IV, who was known for his vanity, had 55 different garter badges in different styles. When a knight passes, his insignia is returned to the Sovereign and the stall-plates serve as a memorial to the knights. Today, the Sovereign personally chooses the Knights of the Garter, but from the eighteenth century to 1946 the government chose the Knights. For a large part of its history, the Garter was limited to members of the aristocracy. However, today the knights come from many different backgrounds. Women were often associated with the Order during the Middle Ages, but were not allowed full membership. In fact, one of the last ladies honored during this time period was Lady Margaret Beaufort, who was the mother of Henry VII. The Order remained exclusively male after she passed away in 1509, except for reigning queens who were Sovereign of the Order. For almost 400 years, the Order remained entirely male, until Edward VII made Queen Alexandra a lady of the Order in 1901. In 1987, by order of the Queen, women were finally declared eligible for the Garter in the same way as men. Over its long history, many knights have been "degraded" for the crimes of heresy, treason, or cowardice. Some were even executed. Charles I wore his Order to his execution in 1649. The Order still survives today. Currently, Lady Thatcher, who was formerly Margaret Thatcher and the first female prime minister of Great Britain, is a member.

http://www.royal.gov.uk/monarchUK/honours/Orderofthegarter/orderofthegarter.aspx

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Garter