[Ansteorra] Am I just wrong

[Stefan li Rous]

On Dec 11, 2011, at 8:23 PM, Chris Zakes wrote:

> At 06:57 PM 12/11/2011, you wrote:
>
>> Ok, so are siege sling shots allowed? If we're going Angry Birds,  
>> let's go all the way.
>>
>> Faelan
>
> The forked stick-and-rubber band slingshot wouldn't be period,  
> because they didn't develop rubber bands until much later (first  
> patented in 1845.) But a David-and-Goliath style sling would  
> certainly be period (and I've seen them in use occasionally at SCA  
> events.)

Thank you. I was wondering about that and my biggest question was, if  
they were period what were they using since rubber was unknown, and  
until vulcanizing was discovered/perfected, even having rubber  
wouldn't have given you what you needed.

Yes, slings were viable and we should be using them in SCA battles if  
we wish more authenticity. I think the safety issues, such as they  
are, can be easily solved. The main opposition seems to come from  
heavy fighters who don't wish to be taken out from a distance, which  
was also the main complaint about combat archery. Of course slings  
were of minimal impact against fully plate-armored fighters, but most  
fighters on the field weren't in that high end armor.

slings-msg (42K) 1/15/08 Slings as weapons. combat and hunting.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/COMBAT/slings-msg.html

> On the other hand, torsion-style catapults are, essentially,  
> slingshots, so that option would be viable.
>
>        -Tivar Moondragon

Stefan

--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****