Paladin concept - Definition

Apolad of paladin, the word paladin comes etymologically from the Latin "palatinus" relative to the palace and "palam", an adverb that can be translated as "openly".Its use goes back to the Middle Ages, applying the qualification to the palace knights , capable of heroically and openly defending the noble causes.

Specifically, reference is made to those who exercised the “officium palatinum”, who were the ones who had received the noble title of palatine counts, to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.This royal official understood the judicial appeals, and decided which ones would reach knowledge and decision of the king.In the songs of deed, of the Carolingian cycle, twelve paladins of Emperor Charlemagne are mentioned.

The Bible tells us about the Hebrew David, who defeated Goliath, who was considered the paladin of the Philistine army, for being the emblem of its strength.

By extension, then it began to be applied to those who fly a certain flag of a good cause, representing and defending it with greatness, and this is the meaning that currently he assumes.In particular, it is common to speak of champions of justice, for example: “I became a champion of justice by defending my fellow worker who was being humiliated by our boss”, “There is little s people who can hold the title of champions of justice, since most act in a selfish way ”or“ History tells of several heroes who became such because they were champions of justice.”

Among the champions of justice, Martin Luther King (1929-1968) is a strong fighter against racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.

As a champion of the struggle for human rights, we can also mention Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), a South African politician who fought against apartheid, thereby suffering jail, accused of high treason, and who presided over his country among 1994 and 1999.He was distinguished throughout his life with the Nobel Peace Prize (1993) with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and with the Lenin Peace Prize.

Another paladin, in this case of freedom, was Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), a pacifist and politician who fought through civil disobedience for the liberation of India.

In the fiction there are many super heroes who are champions of justice, such as Batman or Superman, who have special powers to achieve their ends.