Flavio Bessa:   
      
   FB> My question here for this forum is: Is the word "knight"   
   FB> gender-free?   
   FB>   
   FB> Knight could be used for eiher a male or female subject?   
      
   In the times of true knights, when there were no empty   
   titles, a woman could not become a one.   
      
   A knight must excell in seven arts, whereof I remember:   
      
     1.  Pugilism,   
     2.  Swimming,   
     3.  Riding,   
     4.  Shooting in the bow,   
     5.  Composing verses,   
     6.  Singing, and   
     7.  Playing chess,   
      
     (hmmm, that makes seven!)   
      
   and only those that started training in yearly childhood had   
   a chance of mastering them well enough.  The institution of   
   squireship was essentially the school of knights.   
      
   A female knight would be so contrary to the medieval view of   
   an ideal woman that she would be considered a pervert(ress).   
      
   Therefore I think "femal knight" an oxymoron.   
      
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    * Origin: *** nntp://fidonews.mine.nu *** Finland *** (2:221/6.0)