[Regia-NA] Those pesky Normans

[yolli]

Dear Chris,

My advice would be this.....

If you are portraying a footsoldier from the period of the conquest of 1066,
then you would certainly be using a kite shield - if the Bayeux Tapestry is
to be believed. There is no one perfect pattern of shield shape design to
follow and you'll have to experiment to find the 'kite' shield shape that
suits you. Also the strapping arrangement on the inside will vary. The rivet
arrangements on the Tapestry are very varied - this will have more effect if
you should really try to ride and fight from horseback.

In Regia in the UK, we boss with a small boss all kites - principally to
follow many illustrated examples ( even though there are kites illustrated
to the contrary ) but also because if we didn't state it as a rule, no-one
would bother........mmmm - us idle?????

As for the Phrygian cap, avoid it totally. Any soldier expecting to fight
would have had a helmet and nothing less. As Martin and Tom have said, it
originates with probably the Persians and got to 'us' via the Romans and
Mithras,  the bull wrestling/sacrificing god. From that point to how it
becomes enshrined in Anglo-Saxon religious texts one can only speculate, but
it has no other comparative material to back it up. Possibly  by 'faithful
copies of one text to another and so on......If you need a hat, make a skull
cap shaped one that covers as much of your head as you wish. Or make a hood.
Interestingly, the Anglo Saxon calendars show men wearing nothing at all on
their heads whatever the season - note season here - they don't demonstrate
weather in their calendars.

Just one other tit-bit. If you are going to be a Norman, you can then cross
garter your legs to prevent whatever running up your trouser legs - whereas
if you are to be a Saxon for instance, then you should use legs wrappings or
'winingas' as they called them.

Roll.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Knight" <knight1066@hotmail.com>
To: <list-regia-na@lig.net>
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 12:44 AM
Subject: [Regia-NA] Those pesky Normans


>   Hello everyone.
>                   I would like some information regarding a proper kit for
a
> lower ranking Norman soldier at the battle of Hastings.
>   Would he have used a round or kite shield? and would he be wearing trews
> or a braies/chausses combination?
> and were phrygian caps strictly Saxon or would they worn by Normans as
well?
>                                              Thank you for the help.
>                                                 Chris Knight
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> list-regia-na mailing list
> list-regia-na@lig.net
> http://www.lig.net/mailman/listinfo/list-regia-na