Questions and Answers
Q. Is this a real Order of Chivalry?
A. Yes, by definition the Fraternal Order of the Golden Owl is an Order of Chivalry. It is a community of knights bound by an oath for the sake of following an idealized form of chivalric behavior.
Q. Can a person ask / apply or must they be invited?
A. You may apply by clicking on “ENROLL TODAY” on the front page of www.FratOwl.com, and fill out the necessary application. Once approved, a $200 passage fee is collected by PayPal before access to the Squire Academy is authorized.
Q. Is $200 a lot to join a Knighthood Order?
A. It is actually quite modest. Ours is a one time fee. Many Orders charge over a thousand for their passage fee and then have annual obligations on top of that. We do not.
Q. What do you get for $200?
A. It is hoped that the passage fee is not considered a payment for goods or services because the true value in what you receive is inestimable. Who can put a price tag on helping to change the world for the better in the company of good fellow Knights? However, I understand the question to be, what are some benefits of joining the Order?
1) You gain access to the Squire Academy, which is a video platformed virtual school of chivalry where you look, listen, learn, and take action. You are considered a knight of our Order once you have completed the adventures. 2) A Knight’s brevet is sent to you. The brevet is a gold bordered document, wax sealed with the Prior’s privy seal, signed and sent to your home, suitable for framing. 3) You are given access to our Knight only site. 4) You are authorized the use of the insignia of your grade and ceremonial wear, if you so choose. 5) You will be invited to all Order functions. 6) You could join in optional enhanced activities (one past activity was flying our personal heraldic banner flags in a medieval castle). 7) You are connected to like-minded fellow knights and friends to chat, ask questions of, or have friendly meetings. 8) You could gain help and expertise to create your own custom coat of arms that follows proper rules and guidelines, and that can be registered. 9) You will be known permanently as a Knight in our Order, no recurring fees or obligations.
Q. So the Passage Fee is one time only? No recurring fees of any sort?
A. No fees, other than optional enrichment activities that you choose to participate in.
Q. Don’t people join these things just for the “Bling” (the shiny nice medals)?
A. I would hope not, since there are plenty of places on the Internet to buy all sorts of both beautiful vintage medals and modern fantasy medals for much less than it costs to join the Knightly Orders. Still, there are people who collect Knighthoods like other people might collect postage stamps or baseball cards. While there may be people who choose to join the Fraternal Order of the Golden Owl for such superficial baubles, our training program ensures all Knights get the basics of chivalry understood and integrated before they are eligible for the “bling.” Our Knights earn the right to insignia.
Q. Do Knights have to purchase insignia?
A. No. Insignia is always optional. When worn it is to be worn correctly according to our Order’s handbook.
Q. Do you confer titles of nobility?
A. No. The buying of titles is only for laughs or for people with self-esteem problems. No one takes them seriously except perhaps among other people with fake titles. A Knighthood is not a title, it is a recognition of a persons understanding and willingness to live out chivalry for the benefit of others.
Q. Will I be called “Sir”? Are there prefixes or post-nominal letters that go along with the Knighthood?
A. No one must call you sir. Some may. It is not a title or prefix that is used within our Order. Prefixes and post-nominals are restricted to “in house” use, they are not publicly shown.
Q. How can the Order be legitimate if there is no “Font of Honor?”
A. A Font of Honor is not a necessary component of a fraternal group, especially one created under the laws of the United States of America. No sovereignty is required for its formation. A Font of Honor is necessary for someone to achieve a reward from a country’s president, monarch, or a religion’s leader.
Q. How can the leader of the Order make a person a Knight if he is not a Monarch?
A. It is said that only God makes men a knight, Kings and Queens simply recognize them. While the Prior recognizes a person who has went through our Squire Academy has understood and has demonstrated chivalric behavior according to the training regime, it is his or her actions that make him or her a Knight.
Q. Is this a Fake (self-styled) Order of Chivalry?
A. No, the Fraternal Order of the Golden Owl is not a fake or self-styled order of chivalry. We are up front and honest about our leadership, purpose, and foundations. Self-styled or pseudo-chivalric orders 1) have no origination documents, 2) do no have set guidelines or rules that they follow, 3) have few barriers to entry, and 4) generally create false back stories for their Order, and or have some person claiming a nobility title to attempt to prove legitimacy. Some Fake Orders may do good, but the harm lies in their lies.
Q. Which Orders are legitimate?
A. Caveat emptor. Read, listen, ask questions, and study. If you haven’t grown up with Orders of Chivalry and Knighthood in your home country this can be difficult to ascertain. A lot of people have lost thousands of dollars thinking that they would be inducted into a real Order, only to find they have been duped. An Order is 1) legal in its country of origin, 2) follows closely its specific category of Knighthood, and 3) does not mislead. These are all good indicators of legitimacy.
Q. Are there swords or jousting involved? What about armor?
A. No. Although there are some who enjoy those as side hobbies in different venues or as decorations in their homes, it is not part of being a modern knight.
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