ANST - Suffer the Slings and Arrows?

[Michael F. Gunter]

>  >    The Bodkin tipped arrows are made just for that purpose.  They
> manage to  pierce between the rings; splitting them open > and they
> just go straight in like a high-powered dart/needle. They stuck in and
> could seriously impair a person even if hit in > the arm or leg as
> they would in effect pin the arm to the body. Or a leg to the horse
> underneath them.  If a Bodkin got into the > body itself - Ouch I do
> not think a person was able to do much do to the trauma involved. So
> arrows are effective against > chainmail, even eight in one.
>
> I am enjoying this discussion but some parts of it remind me of a
> little challenge I observed at an event a
> few years ago.
>
> There was a young gentleman at this event who was very proud of the
> fact he was an archer and how
> he was the deadliest thing on the medieval battlefield. He would
> proudly show off his compound bow
> and talk about how arrows would go through knights' shields and pin
> their arms to their bodies
> and how nothing could withstand an arrow storm.
>
> Jarl Sutan finally called him on this and offered his own shield for
> the expiriment. We placed the
> shield against a hay bale and let the arrows from this bowman fly.
> Many bounced off or missed the mark
> but one finally struck true. Right in the middle of the shield and
> straight in. The arrow went through the
> 1/2 inch plywood and out the back for about 1/8 of an inch.  The
> archer stood about 20 feet away with,
> I think he said it was a 60 lb bow. He was using target points.
>
> Now there are historical accounts of arms and legs pinned by arrows,
> and there is no argument that
> arrows were effective and deadly on the field. Bodkins were vicious.
> But there are various levels at
> play on the battlefield and, until the gun really was developed, there
> were no magic weapons. Also,
> weapons that may have dominated the battlefield 100 years before could
> be useless or much less
> effective on the "modern" battlefield.
>
> Archery can be very effective on the SCA battlefield if commanded
> correctly. But it isn't a gun
> either. It does add greatly to the scenario if we are trying to
> recreate a battle instead of a Grand
> Melee.
>
> The more we argue, sometimes the more we learn.
>
> Yers,
>
>
> Gunthar
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