Silent Knight
Encyclopedia
The Silent Knight is a fictional medieval hero appearing in comic book
s published by DC Comics
. The character first appeared in The Brave and the Bold
#1 (August 1955), and was created by Robert Kanigher
and Irv Novick
. He was one of three historical fiction
characters to premiere in the first issue (the other two being Golden Gladiator and the Viking Prince
).
. At a jousting tournament, the evil Sir Oswald Bane kills Brian's father Sir Edwin, claiming it to be an accident. Before he dies, Edwin, a feudal lord, instructs Brian to continue his rule and look after the people. Sir Oswald hears this and sets Brian under the knightly training of Sir Grot, a friend of Edwin's. Brian excels at his lessons, but fearing that Sir Oswald will kill him if the boy becomes too good, Grot publicly derides the boy as an oaf.
While looking for one of Sir Oswald's prize hawks in the Forest Perilous, Brian finds a trunk with a suit of silver armor, a sword, a red helmet, and shield. He puts the armor on and discovers that it is a perfect fit. He hears travelers being threatened by Sir Oswald's men-at-arms, and comes to their aid, defeating the soldiers without uttering a word. When asked his name, he stays silent to prevent the soldiers from identifying him to Sir Oswald. Hence, he becomes known as "the Silent Knight." He keeps the armor hidden in the Forest Perilous, and hides his secret even from Sir Grot.
The Knight also fought outlaws and had adventures involving King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table
. He also met the evil Morgaine le Fey
. Lady Celia who loved the Silent Knight never did suspect that he was seemingly dull Brian.
#55. In the 1990s Hawkman
series, Brian, with his hawk-motif armor and trained falcon, was revealed to be a past avatar of the Hawk-God. A further retcon
in the 2000s Hawkman implied he was a past incarnation of Hawkman Carter Hall. This has been confirmed in Brightest Day #0. In Seven Soldiers
: Shining Knight
#1 (Aug 2005), Sir Gawain is referred to in a caption as "the silent knight, attended by his wondrous hawks." The Silent Knight appears in issue #10 of the 2000s revival of The Brave and the Bold
, in which he assists a time-traveling Superman
to destroy a magic artifact. Superman has been warned by Merlin
not to let any harm befall the knight, and is pleased to learn his name at the end of their adventure, as Superman's adopted surname is Kent
.
, horsemanship, hawking
, fencing
, archery
and chivalry
. In his origin story Brian's talent for sword fighting enables him to out-fight some of the king's soldiers. In another story, called "The Sword in the Lake", Brian demonstrates great strength when he dives to the bottom of a lake in full armor to retrieve a necklace and come right back up again. He also shows loyalty to the knightly code of conduct by never taking unfair advantage of an opponent. For that reason he never uses a weapon with a greater reach than his adversary's.
Brian's refusal to speak and let anyone know who he is under the helmet does create some problems. One of those is that he is in love with the Lady Celia. She sees only his public image as an oaf and loves only the Silent Knight. She is of course completely unaware that Brian is the Silent Knight and that is a difficult thing for Brian to deal with.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. The character first appeared in The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
#1 (August 1955), and was created by Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
and Irv Novick
Irv Novick
Irv Novick was an American comic book artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the late 1990s.-Biography:...
. He was one of three historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
characters to premiere in the first issue (the other two being Golden Gladiator and the Viking Prince
Viking Prince
Viking Prince is a DC Comics title which featured in the comic book The Brave and the Bold. It was a historic adventure story about a Viking named Jon...
).
Fictional character biography
The Silent Knight is a young man named Brian Kent, living in sixth-century Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. At a jousting tournament, the evil Sir Oswald Bane kills Brian's father Sir Edwin, claiming it to be an accident. Before he dies, Edwin, a feudal lord, instructs Brian to continue his rule and look after the people. Sir Oswald hears this and sets Brian under the knightly training of Sir Grot, a friend of Edwin's. Brian excels at his lessons, but fearing that Sir Oswald will kill him if the boy becomes too good, Grot publicly derides the boy as an oaf.
While looking for one of Sir Oswald's prize hawks in the Forest Perilous, Brian finds a trunk with a suit of silver armor, a sword, a red helmet, and shield. He puts the armor on and discovers that it is a perfect fit. He hears travelers being threatened by Sir Oswald's men-at-arms, and comes to their aid, defeating the soldiers without uttering a word. When asked his name, he stays silent to prevent the soldiers from identifying him to Sir Oswald. Hence, he becomes known as "the Silent Knight." He keeps the armor hidden in the Forest Perilous, and hides his secret even from Sir Grot.
The Knight also fought outlaws and had adventures involving King Arthur
King Arthur (DC Comics)
King Arthur ' is a fictional character, a comic book King published by DC Comics. Arthur debuted in New Comics #3, , and was created by Rafael Astarita. The character is based on the mythical ruler King Arthur whose earliest recorded appearances were in the Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum,...
and the Knights of the Round Table
Round Table
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
. He also met the evil Morgaine le Fey
Morgaine le Fey (DC Comics)
Morgaine le Fey is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. She debuted in The Demon vol. 1 #1, , and was created by Jack Kirby...
. Lady Celia who loved the Silent Knight never did suspect that he was seemingly dull Brian.
Current status
The Silent Knight made a minor appearance during a time-travel story in All-Star SquadronAll-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in a special insert in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
#55. In the 1990s Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
series, Brian, with his hawk-motif armor and trained falcon, was revealed to be a past avatar of the Hawk-God. A further retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
in the 2000s Hawkman implied he was a past incarnation of Hawkman Carter Hall. This has been confirmed in Brightest Day #0. In Seven Soldiers
Seven Soldiers
Seven Soldiers is a comic book metaseries written by Grant Morrison and published by DC Comics. It was published as seven interrelated mini-series and two bookend issues. The series features a new version of the Seven Soldiers of Victory fighting to save Earth from the Sheeda.-Publication...
: Shining Knight
Shining Knight
Shining Knight is the name of three comic book superheroes that have appeared in books published by DC Comics. The original Shining Knight, Sir Justin, was created by Creig Flessel and first appeared in Adventure Comics #66 .-Sir Justin:...
#1 (Aug 2005), Sir Gawain is referred to in a caption as "the silent knight, attended by his wondrous hawks." The Silent Knight appears in issue #10 of the 2000s revival of The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
, in which he assists a time-traveling Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
to destroy a magic artifact. Superman has been warned by Merlin
Merlin (DC Comics)
Merlin, is a fictional character, a comic book magician published by DC Comics. Myrddin debuted in New Comics #3, , and was created by Rafael Astarita...
not to let any harm befall the knight, and is pleased to learn his name at the end of their adventure, as Superman's adopted surname is Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
.
Powers and abilities
The Silent Knight is a master of the knightly skills of tiltingJousting
Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two knights mounted on horses and using lances, often as part of a tournament.Jousting emerged in the High Middle Ages based on the military use of the lance by heavy cavalry. The first camels tournament was staged in 1066, but jousting itself did not...
, horsemanship, hawking
Hawking
- People :* Stephen Hawking, an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist- Fictional characters :* James "Jim" Hawking, a character from the anime series, Outlaw Star- Other uses :...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
and chivalry
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
. In his origin story Brian's talent for sword fighting enables him to out-fight some of the king's soldiers. In another story, called "The Sword in the Lake", Brian demonstrates great strength when he dives to the bottom of a lake in full armor to retrieve a necklace and come right back up again. He also shows loyalty to the knightly code of conduct by never taking unfair advantage of an opponent. For that reason he never uses a weapon with a greater reach than his adversary's.
Brian's refusal to speak and let anyone know who he is under the helmet does create some problems. One of those is that he is in love with the Lady Celia. She sees only his public image as an oaf and loves only the Silent Knight. She is of course completely unaware that Brian is the Silent Knight and that is a difficult thing for Brian to deal with.