In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, a childe or child (from ang, Cild "Young Lord") was a

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

's son who had not yet attained

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

or had not yet won his spurs. As a rank in chivalry it was used as a title, e.g. Child Horn in '' King Horn'', whilst a male progressed through the positions of squire and then knight. The term is now obsolete in standard English but is still well-known from poetry, such as

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical sett ...

's ''

Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is a narrative poem by English author Robert Browning, written on January 2, 1852, and first published in 1855 in the collection titled '' Men and Women''. The poem is often noted for its dark and atmos ...

'' and

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

's ''

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage ''Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'' is a long narrative poem in four parts written by Lord Byron. The poem was published between 1812 and 1818. Dedicated to " Ianthe", it describes the travels and reflections of a world-weary young man, who is disi ...

''. An English-Serbian scientist, Dejan Đuričić, M.Sc., wrote a book ("Dream, Dremati", Belgrade, 2015) in which he states the possibility that the word "child" comes from the old Serbian word for child - "čeljad". However, the word is still used in the local

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

dialect of north-east Scotland. Here it may be directly translated as 'fellow' or 'man' into Standard English. For example, a ''working childe'' would mean a working man, while a ''dour childe'' would indicate a taciturn individual.

Cultural references

The term is used in application to an expected next stage in human evolution in the '' Childe Cycle'' novels by Gordon R. Dickson. Childe in

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

's '' The Dark Tower'' is, in Roland Deschain's own words, "... a term that describes a knight – or a gunslinger – on a quest. A formal term, and ancient. We never used it among ourselves ... for it means holy, chosen by ka. We never liked to think of ourselves in such terms, and I haven't thought of myself so in many years." (p. 859, '' The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower'', Pocket Books, 2006 ed.) The term also exists, albeit with a different meaning, in the roleplaying system '' Vampire: The Masquerade'' and in various spin-offs. It signifies the "offspring" of a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

, while the creating vampire is called "Sire".

References

Old English Noble titles {{poem-stub