The first thing we have to establish is that paladin is a term that derives from Latin, specifically from "palatinus", which can be translated as "of the palace."
The concept arrived in our language as a paladin : this is the name for the knight who stands out for his bravery and vigor and who, in war confrontations, stands out for his prowess .
The notion is linked to Charlemagne's guardians who appear in the epic poems of the Middle Ages . In the group of legends known as "Matter of France" , there were twelve paladins famous for their exploits.
Roland , or Roldán in Spanish, is noted as the leader of Charlemagne 's paladins. Beyond having historical support, they are legendary characters, comparable to the knights of King Arthur 's round table . The number of paladins, and even their names , vary between the various romances.
Over time , a paladin began to be mentioned as someone who provides protection to someone or something, or who assumes its defense and promotion . Thus, whoever is dedicated to ensuring compliance with legal provisions, to mention one case, is usually called a champion of justice .
For example: «The mayor presents himself as the champion of honesty but, in reality, he should clarify many things about his administration» , «In the framework of the military dictatorship, several journalists established themselves as champions of freedom through their public complaints» , «The artist is usually pointed out as the champion of tango by the specialized media» .
In addition to all of the above, we must not overlook the fact that the paladin is one of the characters that appear in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. A figure that is inspired precisely by the stories of the aforementioned Charlemagne.
Likewise, we cannot forget that the word in question has been used to shape the titles of different cultural works. A good example of this is the novel "Paladin of Souls." This was published in 2003, is part of the fantasy genre and is written by the American author Lois McMaster Bujold.
It tells the story of a noble woman, who after spending several years locked up, decides to embark on a trip that will become a real adventure. In that he will have the company of a clergyman, a bodyguard and a lady.
Paladín , finally, is a Spanish town. It is part of the municipality of Valdesamario , in turn integrated into the province of León .
This Leonese town is located on the banks of the Omaña River, which is very close to the town of La Utrera and is part of the Omaña region. It has only 23 inhabitants and is characterized by having an architecture typical of mountain towns.
In the same way, we must not overlook that Paladin is the name of a very famous brand of hot chocolate in Spain. It has a long history behind it and has been able to adapt to the times, thus offering consumers different varieties: Paladin Original, Paladin Noir, Paladin Blanco, Paladin Maestro...