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<blockquote data-quote="Salamandyr" data-source="post: 6196045" data-attributes="member: 40233">As I pointed out a long time ago in this thread, every culture has a monk archetype.&nbsp; Because the monk archetype is really just the &quot;boy goes off to secluded place or hermit master. to learn secret ways that make him superior at something, usually kicking butt and taking names, to everyone around him&quot;.&nbsp; It could be a shaolin temple, Sparta, Chiron's mountain academy, Heidelberg, Malta, the mountain fastnesses of the Assassins, et cetera.&nbsp; I'm sure if I looked at it, I could find Native American legends that match that format.&nbsp; Odin's quest for wisdom tracks with that same storyline.&nbsp; And the real monks fought hand to hand as a last resort, just like the ancient Greeks, and medieval knights and European warrior monks.&nbsp; Because fighting hand to hand puts you at a colossal disadvantage against someone with a weapon.&nbsp; Shao Lin monks trained with all sorts of weapons and wore armor.&nbsp; They also learned techniques to fight armed men while unarmed, because &quot;s**t happens&quot;, but then, so did everyone else (you can find some in the Leichtenauer fechtbooks).Like I keep saying, a guy who can beat up armed men with impunity even though he's unarmed is able to do so because he's a better fighter, not because he's a monk.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Salamandyr, post: 6196045, member: 40233"] As I pointed out a long time ago in this thread, every culture has a monk archetype. Because the monk archetype is really just the "boy goes off to secluded place or hermit master. to learn secret ways that make him superior at something, usually kicking butt and taking names, to everyone around him". It could be a shaolin temple, Sparta, Chiron's mountain academy, Heidelberg, Malta, the mountain fastnesses of the Assassins, et cetera. I'm sure if I looked at it, I could find Native American legends that match that format. Odin's quest for wisdom tracks with that same storyline. And the real monks fought hand to hand as a last resort, just like the ancient Greeks, and medieval knights and European warrior monks. Because fighting hand to hand puts you at a colossal disadvantage against someone with a weapon. Shao Lin monks trained with all sorts of weapons and wore armor. They also learned techniques to fight armed men while unarmed, because "s**t happens", but then, so did everyone else (you can find some in the Leichtenauer fechtbooks). Like I keep saying, a guy who can beat up armed men with impunity even though he's unarmed is able to do so because he's a [I]better fighter[/I], not because he's a monk. [/QUOTE]

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