[Regia-NA] The Nasal: What's it for?

[Douglas Sunlin]

We haven't had a good scholarly debate on this list for a while, so I'd like 
to open up a question that has puzzled me for some time. The helmets of our 
period seemed to have featured nasals. I am wondering, what purpose did they 
serve? The obvious answer is "to protect your nose", but notice that few if 
any blows would be aimed directly for your nose. Sword strokes would impact 
mostly at the unprotected side of the head, spears thrusts might be 
deflected, but only directly into the eyes, which wouldn't be much better.

Any clues? Why not have "side-burns" guards as in some of the Roman helmets?

On manræden,
Osweald of Baldurstrand
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/California_Viking_Age
http://www.geocities.com/baldurstrand/