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

[mik lawson]

In combat no blow from a weapon like a sword is recieved at a 90 degree angle to the face.All blow from a frontal opponant come in at a 45 degree {or there abouts} angle.The nasal bar catches these or reduces the damage caused.Really it shouldn't be called a nasal bar but a face protector but being called a nasal bar people assume it is there to protect the nose.
In combat it's amazing how many time time i hear the ting of a sword off the bar from the occasional accidental head shot.They also minimise the damage caused when my shield gets pushed into my face.
I am by no means an expert but i do wear them in combat regularly.
Regards,
Mik

Douglas Sunlin <dsunlin at hotmail.com> wrote:
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/


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