[Regia-NA] viking bows

[rmhowe]

Drifting in late as usual on whatever strikes my fancy...

Carolyn Priest-Dorman wrote:
> Wulfhere wrote:
> 
>> Until then, I'll stick to the SCA archery range where I'm considered 
>> an authenticity freak. Wood self bow with no sealant, handle grip, 
>> wrapping or arrow shelf. Heck, the tournament marshall wasn't going to 
>> let me shoot off the hand because it was quite unsafe.

I have a nifty little scar from the feathers that cut me shooting
off hand myself. Still there nearly forty years later. After a while
I decided they must have worn gloves or used callous producing agents.
I used to know the name of one you could buy off the shelf. Well it
was tincture of something. I'll remember it next month I suppose.

> Sounds like a marshallate problem rather than a regulatory problem to 
> me.  What kingdom are you in???

It wouldn't matter.
SCA Marshalls are SCA Heralds with Weapons, not pens, books and devices.
Only they never come to a completed nearly satisfactory conclusion.
Book heralds give me the creeps. It took 2 1/4 years to pass my name
and device on first submission. I still want to roast one over coals.
None of this cheesy Sainthood for them either.

> At one point in time, we used to joke that if you wanted to be 
> Captain-General of Archers in the East Kingdom, you had to have shot a 
> hole in your own hand first.  This entirely unofficial rule came about 
> because three successive CGs had done so (at least one while shooting 
> off the hand on his longbow). ;>  Even so, there's never been a rule 
> requiring a shelf in the East Kingdom archery handbook.

Short arrows and long arms make for points that go behind the
bow as well, and splinters through the forearm. Seen that.
Best method for measurement is either too long or from the
breast bone to the ends of both hands touching fingertips forewards.

> Nevertheless, and sadly, it is not always possible in an organization as 
> large as the SCA to ensure complete uniformity of enforcement.  (In this 
> way I suspect it is much like the US Army.) 

No, the Army is organized somewhat. We don't kill nearly as many 
friendlies now as we did. This was a big thing in Iraqui Freedom.
Not only do they have heat deflecting panels (those louvered things)
on the sides of vehicles (and in back) they also have 4 x 4 heat
reflecting blankets mounted over the engine compartments so the
aerial gunners can see the heat differential and not shoot them.
Funny kind of heraldry though.

  At some events you may find
> overly-zealous marshals who think it is their job to build a fence 
> around the regulations by arbitrarily prohibiting things that weren't 
> previously prohibited in the regulations. 

People that love to argue are everywhere. I wander off myself.
People that like to teach are more interesting I've found.

 > Even now, from time to time
> some poor ill-informed marshal makes the mistake of telling my husband 
> he can't shoot with his linen Flemish twist string "because it has a 
> knot in it." ;>  Usually all you have to do is ask the marshal (or the 
> marshal in charge) to show you the official regulation prohibiting same, 
> then politely take your place at the line when they fail to do so.

You take all the fun out of things. As soon as you state the obvious
(at least locally) some asshole will make a ruling about it, usually
to your detriment. Logic and experience and common sense have little
to do with fear of litigation I assure you.

They prohibited Atlantian style arrows in an upcoming War with the
Ansteorrans (Gulf Wars) or East, not too long ago and the Baronial
Archer Corps were mad as hell about it. They've changed so many
conventions having to do with arrows it's a wonder anyone shoots
combat now. I bet we've had six styles of arrows they have been
changing. This is very aggravating and expensive for our war archers.

In 1968 or so I took the National Archery Assn Instructor's Course
in central Pennsylvannia. The only other place in the country one
could take the course was at Teelawookit (some place in Mass.I think) 
Archery Camp. One student up there was a high school instructor
in athletics. Several of my classmates had been there when he was
taught to shoot (to teach with no previous experience). So they
went through the usual steps in loading, aiming and releasing a
bow.

Nock your arrow.
Draw.
Breathe.
Aim.
Secondary draw.
Aim.
Release, and the dummy let go of the bow (but held the string)
and turned himself into an instant Raccoon. He broke his nose
and blacked both eyes.

I have seen such critters a few times
in my life and it takes a long time for the nose to return to
normal size if it ever does. One employee of mine sans seatbelt,
went through the passenger side windscreen, through the rear
window of the car they hit, then reversed the process when
his former car of occupancy was hit in turn. His nose easily
doubled in size and never did return to normal all the way.

He also saw a UFO in a field one night on the way to work.

I dunno about you, but were I principal and the teacher about
to teach with weapons came up to me and told me what happened
I'd find a better instructor. That one was a classic.

I taught many courses in Archery myself. Always beginning with a
short sit down safety chat. Then we shot on a whistle because after
I had the first safety chat (20 minutes) with the first YMCA
class two girls had been teaching incorrectly.
I went forward to stop the little kids running at the arrow ends
in the butts, turned around and saw three of the little goobers
were back at full draw on us. One I later had to toss as he was
simply too damned dangerous to have on the range. All forward,
all back, bows on the damned ground. I wasn't getting stuck
with huge hatpins by anybody. Target arrows kill damned slow.

If you happen on the old Smithsonian with the little bobcat on
the front (later 70's) you will find an article about the early
Estrella War and the fighters all have screened oculariums because
at that time it was legal to shoot regular arrows with hunting
rubber blunts in the western SCA kingdoms, which they were
damned accurate with at a distance.

You will also see the Newsprint photography norm for photographing
the ugliest SCA women on site and printing it every time.
Some images simply stick with you for ever.
Fat, bespectacled, spectacular, bin-diving divas in belly dance
outfits made for size 28 at least. Had their yaps been open no
doubt they would have been all three buck-toothed as well.
Actually, I didn't mean to insult the deer, who usually look
pretty fine in their altogether.

Nowadays the SCA is very wary of litigiousness, so wary in fact
that that apparently is one reason I am having trouble getting
them behind the construction of a large hall on land we would
own privately for medieval uses.

One of the early Ansteorran Kings (Texas/Oklahoma) was the
subject of a walk by shooting. The arrow was stuck in a rubber
ball, and it hit him in the ocularium (eye slit) in his new,
nice, pothelm. It went through the sinus cavity above the eye
and lodged solidly. I have it from a witness that a threat
was made if the doctors tried to cut that helmet off.
He survived and the surgeons still sing bass.
This, of course was back in the 70's.
It would be interesting to see them tackle the 12 gauge steel
they use in the natural grazing lands of the Kings of Rhinohide
where I hail from. The last thing they want here is squashable
helmets. It might prove they are hydrocephalic afterall.

Magnus de Mented, OL

There can be only one -
Can I eat it or will it eat me?
The simplest form of natural logic applied daily by most
every creature but man. - Magnus who combined quotes.

> Carolyn Priest-Dorman              Þóra Sharptooth
>  http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/thora.html